Federal student aid is an important resource for students seeking to pursue higher education. It helps reduce the cost of college, providing access to a quality education that otherwise might be unattainable. The federal government offers a variety of loan and grant programs to assist students with their educational expenses.
Despite the importance of these resources, the current student debt crisis has put significant strain on borrowers and their families. As college costs continue to rise and wage growth remains stagnant, many borrowers are having difficulty managing their loans.
Given this context, Scholaroo analyzed the current student debt landscape in the United States. The study focused on the total cumulative loan amount in each of the 50 states and the profile of borrowers, providing an overview of the situation at the national level.
On the map below, you can see the overall ranking and the average federal student debt per borrower in thousands of dollars in each state, per capita. Hover your mouse over the map and check it out.
Outstanding student loan debt by state
Who owns the student debt?
The chart above shows the number of borrowers (in millions) and their current ages. 33% of student debt is most prevalent among Americans between the ages of 25 and 34.
Student debt size break down
About 9.6 million of Americans who have student loan debt have borrowed between 20k and 40k, representing 21% of the total.
How are schooling costs being covered?
The graph above shows that 25% to 50% of college tuition costs are covered by student loans.
Methodology
The Scholaroo data team conducted a survey of 1000 college students in the US and collected data from public sources.