- Student loan debt is higher than ever, with a national total of $1.5 trillion, according to Student Loan Hero.
- College graduates should think wisely when it comes deciding where to live after college – location can play a huge factor in your ability to pay off student debt.
- According to a new WalletHub ranking, Utah is the best place to pay off debt, while South Dakota is the worst.
- Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.
College is more expensive than it’s ever been.
Student loan debt is at an all-time high, with a national total of $1.5 trillion, according to Student Loan Hero. And the average student debt per graduate who took out loans is higher than ever at $17,126, Business Insider previously reported.
That said, it’s important for graduates to think wisely when it comes deciding where to live after college – location matters when you have student loans to repay.
WalletHub recently calculated the best and worst states for paying off student debt using data from a variety of sources, including the US Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics. To determine this list, they compared two factors – “student loan indebtedness” and “grant and student work opportunities” – across each state, plus Washington, DC, among the population aged 25 to 34.
Each factor was determined using several weighted metrics that measured indebtedness and earning opportunities. WalletHub then found each state's weighted average across all metrics to determine its overall score and ranking. Read the full methodology on WalletHub.
According to WalletHub's research, "student-loan borrowers generally fare better in strong-economy states with low college-debt-to-income ratios." Utah is the best place to pay off debt, while South Dakota is the worst.
Below, see how each state ranks for paying back student debt, ordered from best to worst.
51. Utah
Average student debt: $19,975
Student loan debt rank: 51
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 29
50. Hawaii
Average student debt: $26,092
Student loan debt rank: 50
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 46
49. Wyoming
Average student debt: $25,378
Student loan debt rank: 49
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 33
48. California
Average student debt: $22,744
Student loan debt rank: 48
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 36
47. Washington
Average student debt: $24,609
Student loan debt rank: 46
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 26
46. Arizona
Average student debt: $23,447
Student loan debt rank: 44
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 32
45. Alaska
Average student debt: $26,008
Student loan debt rank: 47
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 1
44. Florida
Average student debt: $24,461
Student loan debt rank: 45
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 15
43. Maryland
Average student debt: $27,455
Student loan debt rank: 42
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 44
42. Nevada
Average student debt: $24,128
Student loan debt rank: 43
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 4
41. Washington, DC
Average student debt: $31,054
Student loan debt rank: 41
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 34
40. Colorado
Average student debt: $26,520
Student loan debt rank: 37
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 47
39. New Mexico
Average student debt: $21,373
Student loan debt rank: 40
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 31
38. Virginia
Average student debt: $29,296
Student loan debt rank: 38
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 42
37. New York
Average student debt: $30,346
Student loan debt rank: 32
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 48
36. Louisiana
Average student debt: $27,138
Student loan debt rank: 39
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 13
35. Texas
Average student debt: $26,292
Student loan debt rank: 36
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 22
34. Massachusetts
Average student debt: $31,563
Student loan debt rank: 29
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 50
33. Oregon
Average student debt: $27,321
Student loan debt rank: 34
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 24
32. North Dakota
Average student debt: N/A
Student loan debt rank: 31
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 40
31. Maine
Average student debt: $31,295
Student loan debt rank: 27
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 51
30. Oklahoma
Average student debt: $25,856
Student loan debt rank: 35
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 8
29. North Carolina
Average student debt: $25,562
Student loan debt rank: 33
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 7
28. New Jersey
Average student debt: $29,878
Student loan debt rank: 26
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 39
27. Arkansas
Average student debt: $26,859
Student loan debt rank: 30
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 14
26. Missouri
Average student debt: $27,532
Student loan debt rank: 21
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 45
25. Nebraska
Average student debt: $26,585
Student loan debt rank: 24
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 27
24. Tennessee
Average student debt: $26,981
Student loan debt rank: 25
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 21
23. Illinois
Average student debt: $29,271
Student loan debt rank: 22
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 37
22. Rhode Island
Average student debt: $31,217
Student loan debt rank: 23
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 30
21. Alabama
Average student debt: $31,275
Student loan debt rank: 28
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 6
20. Connecticut
Average student debt: $35,494
Student loan debt rank: 18
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 41
19. Georgia
Average student debt: $27,657
Student loan debt rank: 19
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 23
18. Montana
Average student debt: $31,065
Student loan debt rank: 20
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 19
17. Idaho
Average student debt: $27,130
Student loan debt rank: 16
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 25
16. Vermont
Average student debt: $28,662
Student loan debt rank: 11
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 38
15. Wisconsin
Average student debt: $30,059
Student loan debt rank: 15
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 17
14. South Carolina
Average student debt: $30,123
Student loan debt rank: 14
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 16
13. Kansas
Average student debt: $28,776
Student loan debt rank: 13
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 18
12. Delaware
Average student debt: $33,838
Student loan debt rank: 12
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 5
11. Kentucky
Average student debt: $28,910
Student loan debt rank: 17
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 2
10. Indiana
Average student debt: $29,562
Student loan debt rank: 10
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 20
9. Iowa
Average student debt: $29,801
Student loan debt rank: 8
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 28
8. Minnesota
Average student debt: $31,915
Student loan debt rank: 5
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 49
7. Michigan
Average student debt: $30,852
Student loan debt rank: 9
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 12
6. Mississippi
Average student debt: $29,384
Student loan debt rank: 7
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 9
5. Ohio
Average student debt: $30,351
Student loan debt rank: 6
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 10
4. New Hampshire
Average student debt: $36,367
Student loan debt rank: 2
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 43
3. Pennsylvania
Average student debt: $35,759
Student loan debt rank: 4
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 11
2. West Virginia
Average student debt: $19,975
Student loan debt rank: 3
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 3
1. South Dakota
Average student debt: $31,362
Student loan debt rank: 1
Grant and student work opportunities rank: 35