Here’s where NJ ranks among other states in student loan debt

Ever notice New Jersey ranks high in all the bad things? Home prices, tax burdens, property taxes, car insurance, etc.? Add this to the woodpile.

WalletHub recently ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia (wouldn’t want to leave the swamp out of this) on their share of student loan debt.

As a father of a student entering his second year at University of Vermont, an out of state school, my ears perk up like a coyote whenever anything with the words student and debt are involved. If you’re like me, you might wonder where the Garden State stands.

According to the report, New Jersey ranks eighth overall for most student debt. You didn’t think it would be good news, did you?

It’s a problem everywhere, and as an angry father I need to pontificate that something must be done to rein in colleges and universities from these runaway tuition costs and endless fees. It’s bankrupting our next generation’s future. According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Education, it was more than $1.6 trillion for the second quarter of this year.

More bad news for New Jersey. The WalletHub report, seemingly in an effort to offer a bit of hope, also looked at grant and student opportunities for post-graduation employment. But in that measure New Jersey landed at a lowly 33rd. Not great.

Back to the rankings for most student loan debt, here’s a look at all states.

      1     Mississippi
      2     Pennsylvania
      3     Delaware
      4     West Virginia
      5     South Carolina
      6     New Hampshire
      7     South Dakota
      8     New Jersey
      9     Ohio
      10    Kentucky
      11    Georgia
      12    Arkansas
      13    Louisiana
      14    Michigan
      15    Alabama
      16    Kansas
      17    North Dakota
      18    Connecticut
      19    Indiana
      20    Rhode Island
      21    Oklahoma
      22    Texas
      23    Iowa
      24    North Carolina
      25    Wisconsin
      26    Missouri
      27    Illinois
      28    Minnesota
      29    Nebraska
      30    New York
      31    Montana
      32    Tennessee
      33    Maryland
      34    Maine
      35    Vermont
      36    Massachusetts
      37    Arizona
      38    Idaho
      39    Virginia
      40    Washington, D.C.
      41    Florida
      42    Nevada
      43    Oregon
      44    Colorado
      45    Wyoming
      46    Alaska
      47    New Mexico
      48    California
      49    Washington
      50    Hawaii
      51    Utah

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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