DC Residents Have The Country's Highest Average Federal Student Loan Debt 💰

What We're Showing

The average student loan debt per borrower, by state. Only includes federal student loan debt.

Data comes from the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Census Bureau via the Education Data Initiative, and is updated as of October 2024. 

Key Takeaways

• DC leads the U.S. in average federal student loan debt at $54,795 per borrower and has the highest share of borrowers, with 17.2% of residents in debt. Many borrowers in DC are recent graduates, including a significant number with master’s degrees, compounding the strain of the city’s steep cost of living.
• North Dakota has the nation's lowest average student loan debt, and it's the only state with average debt under $30,000, at $29,647. 11.2% of state residents have student loan debt.