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Atlanta #2 for metro cities with most student debt

Atlanta student loan borrowers reported a median balance of $28,706.

ATLANTA — Reports suggest that student debt in the United States is a crippling problem for young people graduating - and a new study shows that Atlanta borrowers are some of the hardest-hit.

A new analysis by Lending Tree shows that Atlanta is No. 2 on the list of metro cities with the most student debt in 2019. According to the group, Atlanta student loan borrowers reported a median balance of $28,706.

Atlanta comes second to borrowers in Washington, D.C., who average roughly $29,000. Fifteen percent of those borrowers, however, owe more than $100,000. 

RELATED: Why is there so much student debt?

McAllen, Texas reported the lowest median debt, according to Lending Tree, averaging just $13,641.

Here's the full list:

10 Metros With The Most Student Loan Debt in 2019:

  1. Washington, D.C.
  2. Atlanta
  3. Charleston, S.C.
  4. Akron, Ohio
  5. Columbia, S.C
  6. Raleigh, N.C.
  7. Toledo, Ohio
  8. Augusta, Ga.
  9. Birmingham
  10. New Orleans

Student loan debt in 2019 US is at its highest levels ever for the US, according to a report by Forbes

Data shows that there are more than 44 million borrowers who owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. It's now measured to be the second-highest consumer debt category behind mortgage debt, and larger than both credit card and auto loans. 

RELATED: Commencement speaker tells Morehouse graduating class he'll pay off their student loan debt

According to NerdWallet, nearly 65 percent of college graduates in 2017 had debt that averaged $28,000. 

Debt.org says the soaring cost of college slowed some in 2017, but the need for student loans to cover college costs has not. The organization says tuition at a public university in America has risen from $2,119 to $9,410 since 1980. In the same time, private college tuition is up from $9,500 to $32,410 in 2017.

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