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Federal Student Loans: How Much Do Borrowers Owe?

April 22, 2026

Millions of Americans have federal student loans. This data shows the distribution of borrowers by outstanding loan balance. As of June 2025, 32% of borrowers owe less than $10,000 (representing 4% of all outstanding debt), 43% of borrowers owe between $10,000 and$40,000 (representing 24% of all outstanding debt), 15% owe between$40,000 and $80,000 (representing 23% of all outstanding debt), and 11% owe more than $80,000 (representing 49% of all outstanding debt). All told, 75% of borrowers owe less than $40,000.

Distribution of federal student loan borrowers by outstanding balance

Less than $5,000: 15%

$5,000 to $9,999: 17%

$10,000 to $19,999: 21%

$20,000 to $39,999: 22%

$40,000 to $59,999: 9%

$60,000 to $79,999: 6%

$80,000 to $99,999: 3%

$100,000 to $199,999: 6%

$200,000 or more: 2%

Source: College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2025 (numbers may not equal 100% due to rounding)

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