Boston Globe/Getty Images Student-loan debt is at record levels in the US.
- Student-loan debt in the US is at an all-time high.
- The consequences of student-loan debt have created a domino effect - millennials are delaying life milestones because they can't afford them.
- Democratic presidential candidates have proposed policy solutions to offset the cost of college.
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America is suffering from a student-loan debt crisis.
While wages have increased by 67% since 1970, according to a Student Loan Hero report, college tuition has increased at an even faster rate. Consequently, student debt has reached record levels.
It's part of the Great American Affordability Crisis - coupled with a fallout from the recession and a high cost of living, student-loan debt has made it difficult for millennials to save and has forced them to delay major milestones like getting married, buying a house, and having kids.
Democratic presidential candidates have been proposing policy solutions to offset the cost of college. Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced a $1.25 trillion plan to forgive most existing student-loan debt and provide universal free college. John Delaney, Seth Moulton, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have proposed student debt forgiveness or subsidized college for students who go into national service.
Meanwhile, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Eric Swalwell, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang have offered their own proposals to reduce the cost of college and student loan burdens.
Here are 10 facts that show just how dire student-loan debt in America really is.