Student debt has a widespread economic impact

Roughly 43 million US borrowers owe roughly $1.7T in student debt, the second-largest source of consumer debt behind mortgages.

Total student debt has ballooned to $1.7T, up almost 150% since the Great Recession

While the burden falls across roughly 43 million Americans, the debt load itself is not uniform—millennials and those pursuing graduate or professional degrees represent an outsized portion of loans.

Roughly 43 million Americans hold a cumulative $1.6T in federal student debt

About 43 million Americans hold a cumulative $1.6T in federal student debt. That's more than the country's combined credit card balance, according to data from in the first quarter of the year 2024.

See the growth of US consumer debt

Americans reached an all-time high debt burden in 2024. Data compiled from The Kaplan Group shows the evolution of auto loans, mortgages, credit card debt, and student loans from 2003 to 2023, and finds that after a brief decline after 2008, the total debt burden grew rapidly.

College majors ranked by median resulting student debt

As of 2023, student loans were the third-largest category of US household debt at $1.6T. But not all student debt is created equal. Statistically, some majors incur more debt than others. Behavioral science majors, for instance, had the highest median student debt as of 2022.

More than 3 million student loan borrowers were in default at the end of 2021

More than 3 million student loan borrowers were in default at the end of 2021. While default rates have declined since pandemic-era payment pauses, failing to pay off student debt can still have serious consequences, from a low credit score to the government withholding wages.

Roughly 37% of first-time US home buyers have student debt

When those people have extra money, they might wonder: Is it better to pay down my mortgage or my student loans first? This article argues that the answer depends on each loan's interest rate, among other factors.

A 'debt trap' refers to the need for loans or credit to cover the expenses incurred from other debt

Debt traps can be caused by unforeseen expenses or inadequate savings and can be a brutal cycle to break. At the end of 2025, total household debt in the US reached $18.8T, according to data from the Federal Reserve of New York.

The average US household carries $105,056 in total debt

This article breaks down the average household debt by category, including credit card debt ($6,523), personal loans ($11,274), and more.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

Student debt is a trillion-dollar question

Former Purdue University president Mitch Daniels and others discuss the student debt crisis. This episode digs into how we got here, whether college is worth borrowing for, how to address the economic drag of student debt, and whether alternative routes to a four-year degree could be part of the solution.

The US national debt has become more important in recent months

In a moment of deep economic uncertainty, the national debt now matters more than ever. Listen to this podcast to find out why and also explore answers to questions like, "Who does the US owe money to and why?"

Do student loans affect your credit score?

While student loans can impact your credit score, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Repaying the loan on time can strengthen your credit score, whereas paying late can hurt it. To find out more about how student loans can impact your credit score, read this article.

Student loan debt differs from state to state

Washington, DC, has the highest average federal student loan debt in the country at $54,795 per borrower. North Dakota has the country's lowest average at $29,647 per borrower.

Around two in five students in any given academic year take out some form of student loans

Among the nearly two in five students who take out loans, 90% of those students rely on federal loan programs. These federal loans come in three flavors—subsidized, unsubsidized, and options for parents and graduate students. Each option has its own financial considerations; see an overview of each, along with what to consider when borrowing funds to cover higher education costs.

John Oliver explains the student debt problem

From serious policy approaches to novelty giveaways from fast food chains, paying down student loans has become a central issue in public consciousness. John Oliver takes an entertaining look at the problem, how it became a political hot potato, why it’s difficult to solve, and more (warning—strong language).

What happens if the US doesn't pay its debt?

A video created during the debt ceiling debates of 2021 outlining what would happen if the US failed to meet its debt obligations. Its lessons are applicable to today's debates.

Some argue that credit reporting promotes economic inequality in the US

Although today's credit scoring system is much more objective than, say, the credit assessment system of the 1700s, some argue there's still room for improvement, with critics saying the current system is still discriminatory. For example, while mortgage payments have long been automatically reported to credit bureaus, rent payments (the primary housing expense for most lower-income Americans) historically haven't been reported unless a payment was missed.

Does Social Security contribute to the national debt?

Social Security operates through a trust fund built from payroll taxes. When costs outpace revenue, as they have since 2021, the program redeems Treasury bonds to cover the gap. To repay these bonds, the government often borrows more money, indirectly adding to the national debt and impacting fiscal policy.

How interest rates affect homebuying

Rising interest rates impact every aspect of buying a home. This five-minute article gives a high-level overview of the relationship between the housing market and interest rates.

BNPL may be adding a layer of debt that doesn't show up in economic data

Given somewhat limited regulation in the BNPL space, data about its usage is limited—many BNPL firms have resisted sharing information about user purchases, finances, and more thus far. As more people begin using buy now, pay later services, experts are concerned about whether BNPL is adding a new layer of "hidden leverage" to the economy.

Consumer spending accounts for 70% of US GDP, making Black Friday significant

Lizabeth Cohen, a history professor at Harvard and author of the book “A Consumer's Republic: The Politics Of Mass Consumption In Postwar America,” has argued that the US government has presented consumerism as a way out of economic crisis or decline since around World War II.

25% of US households had no regular income as of 2024

Some states had higher shares of no-income households than others: West Virginia, for instance, had a national high of 34% of households with no income. These states tend to have older populations, higher rates of disability, and lower median incomes overall. In such contexts, a larger portion of households rely on non-earned income sources or report no income during the survey period.

For some debtors without assets that can be sold or returned, filing for bankruptcy can provide a path toward a clean slate

However, the bankruptcy process does not apply to several types of common debt, including money owed toward child support or alimony payments. Most debtors also do not qualify for relief from student loan payments.

Why the employment report matters to Wall Street

On the first Friday of every month, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the infamous "jobs report." The report essentially tracks how US employment is doing, from the unemployment rate to the number of people in the US currently on payroll. But most importantly, the jobs report has major implications for the economy at large. To find out how this monthly report impacts Wall Street, read this article.

Research shows that payday lending advertisements target minorities

A University of Houston Law Center study found that despite only making up 23% of payday loan recipients, Black people appear in 35% of advertisements. Similarly, 77% of the physical payday lending and auto title lending storefronts in the study targeted racial minorities.

NASA economic impact (and budget history)

It's estimated that for every dollar NASA spends on its programs, $8 is produced in US economic growth. With a 2023 budget of roughly $25 billion, that means NASA helped create $200 billion in economic value. The administration's investments pay off so massively due to the technologies it develops, many of which become commercially appealing. Dive into the economic impact of NASA's development here.

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

The US dollar is the most widely circulated currency in the world, and is involved in nearly 90% of global transactions

Use this tool to calculate the dollar value of your parental mental load, from meal planning to coordinating after-school care, then see resources that help generate solutions.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

The USPS spent $3.97B in 2024, accounting for .058% of the federal budget.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

The power and influence of the American presidency have expanded significantly over time—far beyond what the founders envisioned.

About 12.5% of US adults experience a phobia in their lifetime, a diagnosis that hinges on the intense fear interfering with daily life and persisting for at least six months.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

A pickleball's loud 'pop' sound can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a hammer hitting a nail

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Ebola infects and disables immune cells, triggering a cascade of events that leads to small blood clots throughout the body, weakening blood vessels and interrupting blood flow to key organs.

Explore the known asteroids, comets, and spacecraft involved in asteroid studies within our solar system with 'Eyes on Asteroids,' a 3D visualization from NASA.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

Browse a detailed visual analysis of over 200,000 similes—comparisons that often use 'like' or 'as'—from popular fiction to see how frequently writers the same idiomatic expressions.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II in casualties, forces mobilized, and displacement of civilians.