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How much student loan borrowers owe in every U.S. state—in one map

CNBC

Kamaron McNair
March 17, 2025
Nearly 43 million Americans owe a total of $1.6 trillion in federal student loans as of the end of 2024, according to Department of Education data.
A number of factors determine how much debt borrowers wind up with and how quickly they’re able to pay it off, including how expensive their schooling was and whether they had savings or scholarship earnings to pay tuition up front.
Similarly, your city’s local cost of living and average earnings can play a role in your ability to pay down debt.
Student loan borrowers in Maryland, which has a higher cost of living than many states and a large population of college graduates, have the highest average outstanding balances, according to a recent SmartAsset analysis of ED data.
The 844,600 residents with federal student loan debt in Maryland owe an average of $43,867, the most in the U.S., SmartAsset finds. Borrowers in Georgia follow closely with an average outstanding balance of $42,135. Virginia is the only other state where the average balance sits above $40,000.
Here’s the average federal student debt balance in all 50 states

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