Statistics Concerning Student Loan and Borrower Characteristics

Facebook icon Twitter icon Print icon Email icon
Mark Kantrowitz

By Mark Kantrowitz

July 23, 2020

 

As borrowers grow older, they tend to make progress in repaying their student loan debt, to a point. The remaining borrowers are increasingly the ones who struggle to repay their student loans. Older borrowers are more likely to be in deferment, forbearance or default.

Student loan debt also varies by the type of college and the location of the college.

Student Loans by Borrower Age

This chart shows the distribution of student loan borrowers by borrower age, using data from the Household Debt and Credit Report from Q1 of 2019. Borrowers who are age 40 and older tend to have a smaller share of outstanding student loan debt, but also face more challenges repaying the debt.

 

Student Loan Distribution by Age Pie Chart

 

This table shows the distribution of federal student loans outstanding in the Direct Loan portfolio by borrower age, using data from the FSA Data Center for Q1 of FY2019.

Age

Dollars

Borrowers

24 and Younger

8.3%

18.4%

25 to 34

34.0%

33.3%

35 to 49

37.7%

30.9%

50 to 61

15.4%

12.9%

62 and Older

4.7%

4.2%

 

Student Loan Debt by Type of College

This table shows the distribution of federal student loans by type of college, based on data from the FSA Data Center in Q1 of FY2019.

Institution Type

% of Dollars

% of Borrowers

Public

42.6%

42.4%

Private Non-Profit

33.0%

23.0%

Private For-Profit

17.1%

21.0%

Foreign

1.1%

0.2%

Other

6.2%

13.5%

 

Student Loan Debt by Location

These tables show the number of borrowers in each state and the average amount owed. The data is based on the location of the college, not the borrower’s state of residence. 

Note that the number of borrowers and average debt is influenced by the mix of college types (public vs. private) in the state, as opposed to overall college affordability for colleges located in the state. Also, the data does not reflect relocation of borrowers after graduation.

This table shows the distribution of federal student loans by location using data from the FSA Data Center in Q1 of FY2019.

Location

# of Borrowers

California

3,791,200

Texas

3,277,700

Florida

2,404,000

New York

2,373,900

Georgia

1,516,900

Pennsylvania

1,735,900

Ohio

1,746,300

Illinois

1,585,600

Michigan

1,393,300

North Carolina

1,194,700

Virginia

1,020,700

New Jersey

1,125,800

Maryland

794,700

Massachusetts

866,800

Tennessee

803,900

Indiana

880,000

Arizona

818,500

Missouri

805,200

Colorado

736,100

Washington

760,000

Minnesota

775,900

South Carolina

667,600

Wisconsin

709,800

Alabama

589,200

Louisiana

597,800

Oregon

528,400

Kentucky

572,600

Connecticut

462,900

Mississippi

416,000

Oklahoma

457,300

Iowa

431,000

Kansas

372,600

Arkansas

363,100

Nevada

314,900

Utah

288,500

Puerto Rico

316,400

Nebraska

239,900

New Mexico

218,300

West Virginia

218,400

Idaho

207,600

District of Columbia

115,400

New Hampshire

184,000

Maine

177,700

Rhode Island

134,600

Hawaii

119,000

Delaware

115,500

Montana

119,700

South Dakota

110,300

Vermont

74,300

North Dakota

82,300

Alaska

66,000

Wyoming

51,300

This table shows the average debt per borrower by location, using data from the FSA Data Center in Q1 of FY2019.

Location

Average Debt

per Borrower

District of Columbia

$51,993

Maryland

$39,386

Georgia

$38,697

Virginia

$36,250

South Carolina

$35,650

Florida

$35,566

New York

$35,090

Vermont

$34,993

Illinois

$34,939

North Carolina

$34,904

Oregon

$34,633

Colorado

$34,506

Alabama

$34,453

Mississippi

$33,894

California

$33,868

Tennessee

$33,835

Delaware

$33,766

Hawaii

$33,613

Michigan

$33,374

Missouri

$33,035

Pennsylvania

$33,009

Arizona

$32,987

Washington

$32,632

New Jersey

$32,421

Ohio

$32,354

Connecticut

$32,188

Louisiana

$31,950

Alaska

$31,818

Massachusetts

$31,726

New Mexico

$31,608

New Hampshire

$31,522

Nevada

$31,439

Minnesota

$31,190

Montana

$30,911

Arkansas

$30,845

Indiana

$30,795

Texas

$30,692

Maine

$30,388

Kentucky

$30,388

Idaho

$30,347

Kansas

$30,327

Utah

$30,156

West Virginia

$29,762

Wisconsin

$29,727

Rhode Island

$29,718

Nebraska

$29,596

Oklahoma

$29,521

Wyoming

$29,240

South Dakota

$29,012

Iowa

$28,306

North Dakota

$26,731

Puerto Rico

$23,704

 

 

A good place to start:

See the best 529 plans, personalized for you

×