Student Loan Debt By State 2024

1.	Maryland	$42,861
2.	Georgia	$41,639
3.	Virginia	$39,165
4.	Florida	$38,459
5.	South Carolina	$38,414
6.	Illinois	$37,757
7.	North Carolina	$37,721
8.	New York	$37,678
9.	Delaware	$37,559
10.	Vermont	$37,516
11.	Alabama	$37,137
12.	California	$37,084
13.	Oregon	$37,017
14.	Mississippi	$36,902
15.	Colorado	$36,822
16.	Hawaii	$36,765
17.	Tennessee	$36,418
18.	Michigan	$36,116
19.	Washington	$35,510
20.	New Jersey	$35,434
21.	Missouri	$35,397
22.	Arizona	$35,396
23.	Pennsylvania	$35,385
24.	Connecticut	$35,162
25.	Ohio	$34,721
26.	Louisiana	$34,525
27.	New Mexico	$34,211
28.	Massachusetts	$34,146
29.	New Hampshire	$34,085
30.	Alaska	$34,024
31.	Nevada	$33,743
32.	Minnesota	$33,604
33.	Arkansas	$33,333
34.	Montana	$33,149
35.	Maine	$33,137
36.	Idaho	$33,012
37.	Texas	$32,920
38.	Indiana	$32,874
39.	Utah	$32,835
40.	Kentucky	$32,779
41.	Kansas	$32,578
42.	Rhode Island	$32,056
43.	Nebraska	$31,919
44.	Wisconsin	$31,894
45.	West Virginia	$31,690
46.	Oklahoma	$31,525
47.	Wyoming	$31,250
48.	South Dakota	$30,954
49.	Iowa	$30,464
50.	North Dakota	$28,604

Navigating the Varied Landscape of Student Loan Debt

Student loan debt in the United States is an issue of significant concern and debate. With total student loan debt reaching an unprecedented $1.74 trillion as of Sept 2023, understanding its distribution and impact is crucial to forming effective policies and interventions. The data paints a vivid picture of the state-wise figures with Maryland sitting on the higher end with an average borrower owing $42,861 while North Dakota, on the other spectrum, reports an average student debt per borrower at $28,604. This wide range underscores regional disparities in higher education funding, different state policies, cost of living, and income levels, which all weigh heavily on the ability to manage and offset student loan debt. Key findings from the data include:

Higher average student debt per borrower is predominantly seen, surprisingly, not just in traditionally high-cost states like New York or California but across a diverse range of states such as Maryland ($42,861), Georgia ($41,639), and Virginia ($39,165).
Mid-Western and Northern Plains states such as North Dakota ($28,604), Iowa ($30,464), and South Dakota ($30,954) report the lowest average student debt per borrower.
A cluster of states including Florida, South Carolina, Illinois, and North Carolina have average debt figures hovering around the high 30-thousand dollar mark. In these states, issues such as the rising cost of out-of-state tuition and reduced state funding may be contributing factors.
It bears noting that states with major cities and higher costs of living—California, New York, and Illinois—do not hold the top spots for average student debt, demonstrating the complexity of the student debt crisis and the many non-tuition-related factors influencing borrowing.

Florida

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$38,459

Georgia

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$41,639

Hawaii

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$36,765

#16

Idaho

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$33,012

#36

Illinois

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$37,757

Indiana

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$32,874

#38

Iowa

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$30,464

#49

Kansas

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$32,578

#41

Kentucky

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$32,779

#40

Louisiana

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$34,525

#26

Maine

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$33,137

#35

Maryland

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$42,861

Massachusetts

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$34,146

#28

Michigan

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$36,116

#18

Minnesota

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$33,604

#32

Mississippi

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$36,902

#14

Missouri

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$35,397

#21

Montana

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$33,149

#34

Nebraska

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$31,919

#43

Nevada

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$33,743

#31

New Hampshire

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$34,085

#29

New Jersey

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$35,434

#20

New Mexico

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$34,211

#27

New York

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$37,678

North Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$37,721

North Dakota

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$28,604

#50

Ohio

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$34,721

#25

Oklahoma

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$31,525

#46

Oregon

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$37,017

#13

Pennsylvania

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$35,385

#23

Rhode Island

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$32,056

#42

South Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$38,414

South Dakota

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$30,954

#48

Tennessee

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$36,418

#17

Texas

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$32,920

#37

Utah

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$32,835

#39

Vermont

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$37,516

#10

Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$39,165

Washington

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$35,510

#19

West Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$31,690

#45

Wisconsin

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$31,894

#44

Wyoming

Metric

Value

Rank

Average Student Debt per Borrower

$31,250

#47

Additional Education Datasets

Student Loan Debt By State

Navigating the Varied Landscape of Student Loan Debt

By Region

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Additional Education Datasets

Teacher Pay By State

Age To Start Kindergarten By State

Average Act Score By State

Average IQ By State