The 21 cities in the US where people carry the most student loan debt

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The 21 cities in the US where people carry the most student loan debt

college grad

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  • The problem of college debt isn't just contained to the cities with the most young professionals, the best job markets, or the highest incomes.
  • From college towns with state schools like Corvallis, Oregon and Ann Arbor, Michigan, to small southern cities with expensive private universities, people in college towns are riddled with student loan debt.
  • Read more personal finance coverage.

According to new data from Experian, people in college towns tend to have the most student loan debt in the US.

And it does make sense: Where the borrowers are, so is the debt. But, many of the biggest colleges and universities in the US aren't on the list. Some cities, like Savannah, Georgia, and Durham, North Carolina are relatively small cities, but have fairly expensive universities.

For example, Duke University in Durham has a cost of attendance over $78,000 per year and a relatively small student population of 15,890 students. Durham residents have the highest average student loan debt in the US, according to Experian's data.

To find this data, Experian looked at samples from its consumer credit database based on data from the first quarter of 2019. Experian defined metro areas based on census data, and calculated the average debt for a borrower in each city through its data.

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Here are the 21 cities where people have the most student loan debt in the US, along with the most prominent school nearby:

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21. Columbia, Missouri

21. Columbia, Missouri

Mizzou students crowd this Missouri town, and have also brought lots of student debt.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $40,146

Most prominent university: University of Missouri

20. Morgantown, West Virginia

20. Morgantown, West Virginia

This small town near the Pennsylvania border has a large amount of average debt per person.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $40,430

Most prominent university: West Virginia University

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19. Santa Fe, New Mexico

19. Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico is bigger than many college towns on this list, but residents of this southwestern town are still struggling with student debt.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $40,447

Most prominent universities: St. John's College, Northern New Mexico College

18. Rochester, Minnesota

18. Rochester, Minnesota

This town in southern Minnesota faces a lot of student debt, and has two colleges as well.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $40,449

Most prominent university: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, University of Minnesota Rochester

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17. Tallahassee, Florida

17. Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee is home to several universities.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $40,504

Most prominent universities: Florida State University and Florida A&M University

16. Columbia, South Carolina

16. Columbia, South Carolina

With a large state school in this state capital, residents still owe quite a lot on their student loans.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $40,778

Most prominent university: University of South Carolina

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15. Tuscaloosa, Alabama

15. Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama residents have a large state university in their backyard, but they also have high student loan debts.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $40,804

Most prominent university: University of Alabama

14. Jackson, Mississippi

14. Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson, Mississippi is home to Ole Miss, and lots of residents with student debt.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $41,453

Most prominent university: University of Mississippi

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13. Savannah, Georgia

13. Savannah, Georgia

People in this small southern town have loads of student loan debt, likely thanks in part to a large private art university.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $41,583

Most prominent university: Savannah College of Art and Design

12. Iowa City, Iowa

12. Iowa City, Iowa

With over 33,000 students in 2016, Iowa City welcomed not only many students, but also a lot of debt.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $41,727

Most prominent university: University of Iowa

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11. Montgomery, Alabama

11. Montgomery, Alabama

With several Alabama universities in and near this southern city, the average resident is responsible for over $42,000 in student loan debt.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $42,347

Most prominent university: Alabama State University, Auburn University

10. Charlottesville, Virginia

10. Charlottesville, Virginia

With over 20,000 students in the Charlottesville area, this small Virginia city has a major state school (and residents have lots of debt).

Average student loan debt in 2019: $42,476

Most prominent university: University of Virginia

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9. Atlanta, Georgia

9. Atlanta, Georgia

While Atlanta boasts lots of corporations and young professionals, it also has quite a few universities.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $41,453

Most prominent universities: Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University

8. San Francisco, California

8. San Francisco, California

It's no surprise that a city full of young professionals and universities has a lot of debt.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $43,674

Most prominent universities: University of California Berkeley; San Francisco State University

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7. Washington DC

7. Washington DC

This large metro area has quite a few colleges both private and public, and lots of young professionals as well.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $43,979

Most prominent universities: Georgetown University, George Washington University, American University

6. Santa Barbara, California

6. Santa Barbara, California

A branch of the University of California attracts lots of students (and student debt) to this seaside city.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $44,294

Most prominent universities: University of California Santa Barbara

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5. Gainesville, Florida

5. Gainesville, Florida

This north central Florida city is home to the University of Florida, one of the 20 largest universities in the nation according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $45,369

Most prominent universities: University of Florida

4. Santa Cruz, California

4. Santa Cruz, California

A University of California branch in this town on Monterey Bay attracts lots of college students and debt.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $43,979

Most prominent university: University of California Santa Cruz

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3. Ann Arbor, Michigan

3. Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan is a big college town with over 44,000 university student residents.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $43,182

Most prominent universities: University of Michigan

2. Corvallis, Oregon

 2. Corvallis, Oregon

This Oregon city is a college town for Oregon State University students, but it's also one with lots of debt.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $46,164

Most prominent universities: Oregon State University

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1. Durham, North Carolina

1. Durham, North Carolina

Durham, North Carolina is home to Duke University, and lots of professionals with student loan debt as well. Durham residents have the highest average student loan debt in the US.

Average student loan debt in 2019: $47,955

Most prominent university: Duke University