Mapping The Average Student Loan Debt-Load By State

Total federal student loan debt in the U.S. stands at approximately $1.73 trillion, with 43 million borrowers as of 2023, and has experienced significant growth over the past 15 years, increasing by about 232.7% since 2009.

The average federal student loan debt across the 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia amounts to $29.9 billion per state in 2024, according to the Education Data Initiative.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, shows the average student loan debt per borrower, by state. Only federal student loan debt is included.

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.

Which State Has the Highest Student Loan Debt?

Below, we show the average federal student loan debt by state as of October 2024.

State	Average Federal Student Loan Debt
District of Columbia	$54,795
Maryland	$43,692
Georgia	$42,026
Virginia	$40,137
Florida	$39,262
Illinois	$39,055
South Carolina	$38,770
North Carolina	$38,695
New York	$38,690
Delaware	$38,683
Vermont	$38,404
Oregon	$38,168
Hawaii	$38,158
California	$37,829
Alabama	$37,709
Colorado	$37,392
Mississippi	$37,254
New Jersey	$37,201
Michigan	$36,974
Tennessee	$36,886
Washington	$36,762
Connecticut	$36,672
Pennsylvania	$36,267
Alaska	$35,821
Arizona	$35,675
Missouri	$35,675
Massachusetts	$35,529
Ohio	$35,033
New Hampshire	$34,884
Louisiana	$34,866
Nevada	$34,589
Maine	$34,292
New Mexico	$34,280
Minnesota	$34,071
Montana	$33,945
Arkansas	$33,858
Utah	$33,746
Texas	$33,581
Kentucky	$33,470
Idaho	$33,281
Rhode Island	$33,270
Indiana	$33,243
Kansas	$33,119
Wisconsin	$32,628
Nebraska	$32,377
West Virginia	$32,358
Oklahoma	$32,103
Wyoming	$31,503
Puerto Rico	$31,022
South Dakota	$30,928
Iowa	$30,925
North Dakota	$29,647
Other/Unspecified*	$25,279

Washington, D.C. 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 D.C. are recent graduates, including a significant number with master’s degrees, compounding the strain of the city’s steep cost of living.

Second-ranked Maryland, which borders D.C., is also one of the most educated states in the country. Around 43% of Maryland residents have earned at least a bachelor’s degree, significantly higher than the national average of 35%.

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. Only about 11.2% of state residents have student loan debt.

To learn more about labor statistics by state, check out this graphic which shows the union membership rates by state.