01/10/2026
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Financial statistics about men and women and debt
Women have more student loan debt, but men have more debt overall. Still, it takes women longer to pay off their debt due to lower salaries and the pay gap.
Here are the specifics:
Women hold the most student loan debt in America
Women hold nearly ⅔ of all student loan debt in the US, even though they only make up 56% of all enrolled students. (AAUW)
Black women graduate with the most debt – at $37,558 – compared to $31,346 for White women and $29,862 for White men. (AAUW)
57% of Black females who graduate college have difficulties repaying their student loans. (AAUW)
An estimated 86.8% of Black students take out federal loans (at least 50% of whom are women) to attend 4-year colleges while only 59.9% of White students take out loans. (Student Loan Hero)
Twelve years post-college, White men have paid off 44% of their student loan balance while White women have paid off 28%. (Demos)
But for Black students, their balances actually increase on average twelve years post-college due to compound interest on their debt. For Black women, their balance grows by an average of 13%. For Black men, it’s 11%. (Demos)
Financial statistics that show men carry more debt overall
Women carry $85,169 in total debt on average, while men carry slightly more – $103,702 – on average. (Experian)
The average auto loan balance is $17,747 for women compared to $20,645 for men. (Experian)
The average credit card balance is $6,232 for women compared to $6,357 for men. (Experian)
The average personal loan balance is $14,780 for women compared to $17,716 for men. (Experian)
The average home equity line of credit (HELOC) balance is $42,746 for women compared to $47,017 for men. (Experian)
The average mortgage balance is $192,368 for women compared to $211,034 for men. (Experian)
