Despite the high price tag of going to college, a degree often is necessary to be competitive in the job market. Indeed, it’s estimated that 70% of all jobs in the American economy will require postsecondary education by the year 2027. Based on the increased educational requirements for jobs and increasing tuition amounts, it’s probable that student loan debt will continue to increase.
Average Student Loan Debt
Student loan borrowers numbered approximately 43.2 million and owed $1.71 trillion in student loan debt in the United States as of Q4 2020. In the first quarter of 2006, the amount of outstanding student loan debt stood at $480.97 billion, which means student loan debt has more than tripled since 2006. Monthly student loan payments have increased, too. They rose 50% from 2005 to 2016. Today, a typical student loan payment is between $200 and $299 per month. Among 2019 college graduates, 62% left college with student loans, at an average of $28,950.
Older Borrowers and Student Loan Debt
The number of people aged 60 and older with student loan debt (federal and private) quadrupled between 2005 and 2015, growing from 700,000 to 2.8 million. In Q4 2020, consumers aged 62 and over owed $86.8 billion in federal student loans. Many older borrowers have student loans because they’re helping finance their children’s and grandchildren’s college educations. In 2015, the CFPB estimated that more than 57% of co-signers were 55 and older.
Student Loan Delinquency Rates
As of Q3 2019, 10.9% of student loan debt was more than 90 days delinquent or in default, but that figure dropped to 6.5% in Q4 2020, due to Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provisions that suspended payments while reporting all student loans as current. This drop in defaults and delinquencies is a positive trend. The CARES Act provided borrowers with necessary student loan relief and gave borrowers who were behind an easy path to bring their student loans current. Student loan delinquency rates based on degree status include:
40% of borrowers with student loans but no degree15% of people who completed an associate’s degree8% of those who completed a bachelor’s degree6% of those with a graduate degree
Surprisingly, delinquency rates fall among borrowers with larger student loan balances. Taking on more debt is usually a sign of attaining a higher level of education, and with it, greater earning power as well. Delinquency rates based on the total amount of outstanding student loan debt include:
21% among borrowers with less than $15,000 of outstanding debt14% among borrowers with more than $15,000
States Where Student Loan Debt Is Highest and Lowest
When breaking down average student loan balances, how much borrowers owe varies by as much as $30,000 from state to state. Student loan borrowers in Washington, D.C. owe the most, with a $58,200 average balance while borrowers in North Dakota owe an average of $27,800. The figures below are estimates provided by a partnership between the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Equifax:
