States with the highest median student loan debt

Americans owed $1.38 trillion in student loan debt at the end of 2017.

The median student loan debt for Americans who have borrowed money to pay for college is $16,995, according to the Urban Institute.

The overall student loan debt in the United States was about $1.38 trillion at the end of 2017. About one out of six Americans has student loans that have yet to be paid off, the institute says.

The area around the nation's capital—Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., itself—has the highest median loan debt. Residents of Washington, D.C., have the highest median loan debt—$24,131, and 21 percent of residents have some amount of student loan debt.

Here are the 10 states (and Washington, D.C.) with the highest median student loan debt.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

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