A map of the United States where each state is shaded a hue of green based on the loan debt of schools in that state. The College Scorecard database provides every school’s median debt among students. This state-based map is the average of that value for all the schools in each state. Darker green shades are evident in the eastern half of the U.S. with the exception of North and South Dakota and Oregon.

At public schools, loan debt is greatest in eastern states