States With the Most and Least Student Loan Debt

By Andre Claudio
September 27, 2021 - Route Fifty

Utah tops the list for states with the least student loan debt while West Virginia comes in last place, according to recent report.

West Virginia tops the list of states with the most student loan debt and Utah has the least, according to a report from WalletHub.

Following West Virginia, the states with the most student loan debt are:

• New Hampshire
• Pennsylvania
• South Dakota
• Mississippi
• North Dakota
• Delaware
• Michigan
• Wisconsin
• Ohio

After Utah, the other states with the least student loan debt are:

• Washington, D.C. (state equivalent)
• California
• Wyoming
• New Mexico
• Florida
• Washington
• Alaska
• Colorado
• Hawaii

According to WalletHub, to determine the best and worst states for student debt, it compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C. across two key dimensions: student loan indebtedness and grant and student work opportunities.

According to Education Data, student loan debt in the U.S. totals $1.73 trillion and grows six times faster than the nation's economy. Approximately 43.2 million student borrowers are in debt by an average of $39,000 each.

U.S. News & World Report reported that student loan debt continues to rise. The average total debt remains close to the maximum amount a student can borrow if relying solely on federal loans, which is $31,000 in subsidized and unsubsidized direct loans, as set by the U.S. Department of Education for most undergraduates.

U.S. News also reported that a rise in tuition and fees continued for the 2021-2022 academic year, with both private and public national universities increasing their rates by about 2% to 3%.

For more information about the student loan debt WalletHub report click here.