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$As of mid-2025, the total U.S.\r\nstudent loan debt is approximately $1.81 trillion, owed by about 42 million Americans. The average debt per borrower is around $39,000, and delinquencies have risen significantly since the end of the pandemic-era payment pause. \r\nKey Statistics (as of 2024-2025)\r\n\r\n Total Debt: $1.81 trillion.\r\n Total Borrowers: Approximately 42.5 million Americans have federal student loan debt.\r\n Average Debt per Borrower: The average federal student loan debt balance is around $39,075. The overall average, including private loans, can be as high as $42,673.\r\n Debt Composition: Federal loans account for the vast majority (over 90%) of all student debt, with private loans making up the remainder.\r\n Average Monthly Payment: Most borrowers (60%) pay up to $300 a month.\r\n Delinquency/Default Rates: As of Q2 2025, 10.16% of student loan debt was 90 days or more past due or seriously delinquent, a significant increase since the payment pause ended. \r\n\r\nDemographics and Debt\r\nStudent loan debt disproportionately affects certain groups. \r\n\r\n Gender: Women hold approximately 64% of all student loan debt. Black women, in particular, have the highest average debt balance of any group after graduation.\r\n Race/Ethnicity: Black borrowers are the most likely to have student loans and tend to have higher average debt levels than other racial or ethnic groups.\r\n Age: While younger borrowers have smaller individual balances, adults aged 35 to 49 hold the largest amount of the total outstanding debt ($664 billion).\r\n Education Level: Borrowers with graduate degrees owe significantly more. The average graduate degree holder owes up to $102,790 in cumulative federal student loan debt. \r\n\r\nKey Trends\r\n\r\n Growing Totals: The total student loan balance has more than tripled since 2007, growing faster than tuition costs in some periods.\r\n Fewer Borrowers, Higher Balances: The number of total borrowers has stabilized or slightly decreased in recent years, but the total and average debt balances continue to rise due to factors like compounding interest and the increasing cost of college.\r\n Payment Pause Impact: The federal student loan payment pause implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly lowered delinquency rates, but these rates have surged following the resumption of payments in late 2023.$