California ranked 43 in percentage increase of student loan borrowers in default

The number of defaulted student loan borrowers has risen about 70.6% on average across states since September 2025.

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Student loan borrowers are considered in default once they miss scheduled payments for at least 270 days. Data current through March 2026. State default rates represent borrowers currently living in the state.

Chart: Yuxuan Xie, EdSourceSource: The Office of Federal Student Aid, Associated PressCreated with Datawrapper