How Washington's Student Debt Crisis Compares To Other States

By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. - Seattle:

The Biden Administration’s recent announcement regarding student debt relief thrust the topic into the forefront of the news. Under the program, students awarded Pell Grants and who took out loans from the Department of Education will have $20,000 of debt canceled. Those without a Pell Grant will have $10,000 shaved off their outstanding balances.

According to the Department of Education, federal student loans currently total $1.6 trillion. All told, an estimated 45 million borrowers hold federal student loan debt. The average student loan debt among borrowers stands at $36,200. (These are the most expensive states to get a college education.)

Burdened by that much debt, many college graduates are not always able to keep up with monthly payments, but the numbers vary by state. In Washington, an estimated 835,400 people have outstanding student loan debt, and of them, 6.1% are at least 90 days past due on payments, compared to 7.5% of borrowers nationwide.

The average outstanding balance among borrowers in Washington of $35,900 is in line with the national average and the 20th highest among states.

All data in this story is from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and is current as of 2021.

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This story was originally published by 24/7 Wall St., a news organization that produces real-time business commentary and data-driven reporting for state and local markets across the country.