Considering that New Hampshire is home to one of the most expensive schools in the US — Dartmouth — it’s not surprising that it’s the state with the highest average student loan debt.

Debt.com created a map of the debt held by students who went to school in each state. 

According to the map, New Hampshire has an average of $US32,795 in student loan debt.

Other East Coast states like Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island topped the ranking, while West Coast states like Nevada and California ranked lower.

New Mexico ranked lowest with an average of $US18,656.

What’s interesting to note is that students in states with the highest average debt aren’t defaulting on their loans, Debt.com points out. It’s students in the states with the lowest average debt who are defaulting.

The default rate in New Hampshire is 8.4%, compared to 20.8% in New Mexico.

According to Debt.com, this could be due to the fact that students who can afford to attend prestigious New England schools may have less difficulty paying off their debt than students who seek out cheaper schools, such as those in New Mexico.

Take a look at the map below and hover over each state to see its average student loan debt and default rate. 

Brought to you by Debt.com

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