A Look at Americans’ Student Loan Debt by State

Total student loan debt in the U.S. is more than $1.3 trillion.

By Jami Farkas Jul 5, 2021 Student Loans 101

In his first days in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order extending the student loan relief portion of the CARES Act, originally enacted during the Trump administration. The loan relief, which was implemented to help those struggling financially amid the coronavirus pandemic, has given 42 million people with federal student loans a time out on making student loan payments and placed a freeze on interest.

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This has stirred up talk among lawmakers about the possibility of canceling at least some portion of student debt, which could put money that would have gone to loan payments back in the economy. Such an act would provide more permanent relief to student loan borrowers from coast to coast, with the impact being felt more heavily in some states than others. Congress has yet to introduce a bill, and the president is waiting for the U.S. Department of Education to determine whether he could use executive authority to cancel debt.

GOBankingRates compiled information from the most recent annual report by The Institute for College Access and Success to show how student loan debt varies from region to region. The study goes from the state with the lowest average total for student loan debt to the highest, including the percentage of the total population of 2019 graduates with outstanding loans.

So are your neighbors more likely to be sweating out how they’re going to pay down their massive loans?

Here’s a closer look at the states that have the most people praying for the day when their student debt is canceled.

Last updated: July 5, 2021

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50. Utah

Average student loan debt: $17,935
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 40%

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49. Iowa

Average student loan debt: $20,259
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 63%

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48. New Mexico

Average student loan debt: $20,991
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 45%

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47. Nevada

Average student loan debt: $21,254
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 46%

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46. California

Average student loan debt: $21,485
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 47%

45. Wyoming

Average student loan debt: $23,444
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 46%

44. Hawaii

Average student loan debt: $23,577
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 43%

43. Florida

Average student loan debt: $24,629
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 48%

42. Washington

Average student loan debt: $24,645
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 50%

41. Arizona

Average student loan debt: $24,712
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 49%

40. Louisiana

Average student loan debt: $25,512
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 48%

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39. Oklahoma

Average student loan debt: $25,793
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 47%

38. Alaska

Average student loan debt: $25,925
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 48%

37. Idaho

Average student loan debt: $25,942
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 60%

36. Nebraska

Average student loan debt: $26,026
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 57%

35. Colorado

Average student loan debt: $26,562
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 50%

34. North Carolina

Average student loan debt: $26,583
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 55%

33. Arkansas

Average student loan debt: $26,679
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 53%

32. Kansas

Average student loan debt: $26,788
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 60%

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31. Texas

Average student loan debt: $26,951
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 48%

30. Montana

Average student loan debt: $27,265
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 57%

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29. Tennessee

Average student loan debt: $27,525
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 60%

28. Oregon

Average student loan debt: $27,542
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 54%

27. Georgia

Average student loan debt: $28,081
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 56%

26. Indiana

Average student loan debt: $28,112
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 59%

25. Kentucky

Average student loan debt: $28,482
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 58%

24. Missouri

Average student loan debt: $28,740
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 57%

23. West Virginia

Average student loan debt: $29,272
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 67%

22. Illinois

Average student loan debt: $29,666
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 61%

21. Alabama

Average student loan debt: $29,791
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 50%

20. Ohio

Average student loan debt: $29,886
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 60%

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19. Maryland

Average student loan debt: $30,303
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 53%

18. Vermont

Average student loan debt: $30,566
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 60%

17. Virginia

Average student loan debt: $30,574
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 56%

16. Michigan

Average student loan debt: $30,677
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 59%

15. New York

Average student loan debt: $31,155
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 58%

14. South Carolina

Average student loan debt: $31,524
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 60%

13. Wisconsin

Average student loan debt: $31,550
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 64%

12. Mississippi

Average student loan debt: $31,651
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 55%

11. South Dakota

Average student loan debt: $31,653
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 74%

10. Minnesota

Average student loan debt: $31,856
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 66%

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9. North Dakota

Average student loan debt: $32,745
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 64%

8. Massachusetts

Average student loan debt: $33,256
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 55%

7. New Jersey

Average student loan debt: $33,566
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 64%

6. Maine

Average student loan debt: $33,591
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 67%

5. Delaware

Average student loan debt: $37,447
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 59%

4. Rhode Island

Average student loan debt: $37,614
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 59%

3. Connecticut

Average student loan debt: $38,546
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 56%

2. Pennsylvania

Average student loan debt: $39,027
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 65%

1. New Hampshire

Average student loan debt: $39,410
Percentage of people with student loan debt: 74%

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Joel Anderson contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: GOBankingRates used data from The Institute for College Access and Success’s most recent annual report on student debt to find the average debt held by graduates in each state and the percentage of 2019 graduates in each state who carry any student debt. All data was collected on June 1, 2021.

Photo Disclaimer: Please note photos are for representational purposes only.

About the Author

Jami Farkas

Jami Farkas holds a communications degree from California State University, Fullerton, and has worked as a reporter or editor at daily newspapers in all four corners of the United States. She brings to GOBankingRates experience as a sports editor, business editor, religion editor, digital editor — and more. With a passion for real estate, she passed the real estate licensing exam in her state and is still weighing whether to take the plunge into selling homes — or just writing about selling homes.