Student Loan Debt in Red States vs. Blue States

It’s no secret that student loan debt has plagued career-driven students and post-graduates across the fifty states for the last forty years. According to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, from 1980 to 2020, the average price of tuition and other fees such as board and textbooks has increased a whopping 169%. That’s an extreme hike in price for a system meant to prepare students for a career.

Check Out: How Far a $100,000 Salary Goes in America’s 50 Largest Cities

When creating a list for student loan debt in each state, we must consider the factors why certain states are higher than others, and these reasons are typically higher education, state policies, the economic landscape of that state, and many other causes. To find these numbers, data was sourced from the Student Loan Index of 2023 for the most recent figures on amount of student loan debt per state.

GoBankingRates then used these numbers to compare states and numbers with the political voting results from the 2020 presidential election to see if there was a correlation between student debt and political leanings. Turns out there might be. Please see the analysis at the end of the gallery for the consensus on the data. Here’s the list:

• Average student loan debt: $37,000

• Average student loan debt: $34,000

• Average student loan debt: $38,000

• Average student loan debt: $33,000

• Average student loan debt: $33,000

• Average student loan debt: $31,000

• Average student loan debt: $33,000

• Average student loan debt: $33,000

• Average student loan debt: $35,000

• Average student loan debt: $37,000

• Average student loan debt: $36,000

• Average student loan debt: $34,000

• Average student loan debt: $32,000

• Average student loan debt: $30,000

• Average student loan debt: $38,000

• Average student loan debt: $35,000

• Average student loan debt: $32,000

• Average student loan debt: $39,000

• Average student loan debt: $32,000

• Average student loan debt: $37,000

• Average student loan debt: $33,000

• Average student loan debt: $33,000

• Average student loan debt: $32,000

• Average student loan debt: $31,000

• Average student loan debt: $35,000

• Average student loan debt: $37,000

• Average student loan debt: $37,000

• Average student loan debt: $35,000

• Average student loan debt: $38,000

• Average student loan debt: $42,000

• Average student loan debt: $37,000

• Average student loan debt: $38,000

• Average student loan debt: $33,000

• Average student loan debt: $43,000

• Average student loan debt: $35,000

• Average student loan debt: $36,000

• Average student loan debt: $34,000

• Average student loan debt: $34,000

• Average student loan debt: $34,000

• Average student loan debt: $36,000

• Average student loan debt: $34,000

• Average student loan debt: $38,000

• Average student loan debt: $37,000

• Average student loan debt: $36,000

• Average student loan debt: $33,000

• Average student loan debt: $38,000

• Average student loan debt: $39,000

• Average student loan debt: $36,000

• Average student loan debt: $32,000

This comparison shows the overwhelming issue of student loan debt across America. While it may seem almost futile to compare the politics of red states versus blue when looking at student loan debt, it turns out that there is ultimately a noticeable difference.

Blue states, particularly those in the Northeast and along the Pacific Coast, tend to have higher average student loan debts. This could be attributed to the higher cost of living and potentially higher tuition rates at colleges and universities in these states. On the other hand, red states, especially those in the Midwest and Mountain West, show somewhat lower average debts, which might reflect lower costs of living and possibly more conservative borrowing habits.

However, the highest student loan debt is found in Maryland, a blue state, with an average of $43,000, indicating that students in some blue states may face particularly steep financial challenges post-graduation.