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.

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.