HONOLULU (KHON2) — Student debt weighs heavily on millions of Americans, even in Hawaiʻi. At the end of the first quarter of 2025, the Department of Education reported that outstanding college loans had grown to more than $1.66 trillion.
That breaks down to more than $39,000 for each of the 42.5 million borrowers nationwide. Only mortgages make up a larger share of household debt.
A new report compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 12 measures of student loan burden and job opportunities. Hawaiʻi ranked last on the list, which means it has the least student debt in the United States.
Where Hawaiʻi stands
The overall score placed Hawaiʻi at #51 with 22.02 points. That low score reflects lighter debt compared with the rest of the country. In the ranking of student-loan indebtedness, Hawaiʻi came in at #50; and for grant and student work opportunities, it ranked #36…