Summary

The issue of student loans is a widely discussed topic among policymakers. It adds significant pressure to individuals who have pursued or are pursuing higher education, as it takes borrowers 20 years on average to pay off their student loans. This Fast Fact examines how student loan debt varies by the industry of workers and the size of their employers. This builds on prior EBRI research on student loan debt to determine the prevalence of student loan debt, the average and median outstanding student loan balances of those having it, and the percentage of total debt attributable to student loan debt among these workers.