What Percentage of the U.S. Population Has Student Loan Debt?

What Percentage of the U.S. Population Has Student Loan Debt?

People who get advanced degrees tend to accumulate more debt but are also likely to make payments on their student loans on time.

Borrowers who never completed a degree tend to have a harder time paying off their loans. About 31% of people who took out student loans but never completed an associate or bachelor’s degree are behind on their payments.

Though people with more advanced degrees tend to take on more debt, they’re more likely to make their student loan payments on time. Of the former college students with less than $15,000 of outstanding debt, 21% are delinquent. However, only 17% of adults with $15,000 or more in loans are behind on payments.

Economic Impact of Debt Cancellation

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The sheer size of student debt can be characterized as a weight on the U.S. economy as well as a burden on the millions of individuals who owe it. About 92% of student loan debt is backed by the U.S. government. That fact has made it a political issue. During the 2020 presidential election, some Democratic candidates-among them Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)-suggested canceling some or all student debt. They said it could be done by a president’s executive order rather than through legislation. In 2021, Sen. Warren continued to call on the administration to cancel up to $50,000 in federal student loan debt for each borrower. Continue reading “What Percentage of the U.S. Population Has Student Loan Debt?”