---
title: "Student Loan Borrowers Behind on Payments or in Collections"
slug: student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income
summary: "In 2024, 20% of adults with outstanding student loans for their own education were behind on payments or in collections, up from 16% in 2023"
category: "Debt"
unit: percent
frequency: annual
direction: higher_is_worse
latest_value: 20.0
latest_period: "2024"
data_status: historical
last_updated: "2026-02-27T20:12:43Z"
source: "Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED)"
source_url: https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2025-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2024-higher-education-and-student-loans.htm
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). Student Loan Borrowers Behind on Payments or in Collections [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"Student Loan Borrowers Behind on Payments or in Collections.\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"Student Loan Borrowers Behind on Payments or in Collections.\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income/."
---

# Student Loan Borrowers Behind on Payments or in Collections

> In 2024, 20% of adults with outstanding student loans for their own education were behind on payments or in collections, up from 16% in 2023

## Historical Reading

Final reading, 2024: Student Loan Borrowers Behind on Payments or in Collections was **20%**. The Federal Reserve's 2025 survey asks a different student-loan question, so no later reading is comparable.

of adults with outstanding student loans for their own education were behind or in collections in 2024

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2024 | 20% |
| 2023 | 16% |
| 2022 | 15% |
| 2019 | 17% |
| 2018 | 20% |

## Historical Context

- Peak since 2018: **20%** in 2018
- Low since 2018: **15%** in 2022
- Post-pandemic average (2020-01 – 2024-12): **17%**

## Methodology

This is an archived series interpreted as higher values indicate worse household conditions. Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED). The source has no newer data, so this page keeps the final reading.

## Source

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) — [https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2025-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2024-higher-education-and-student-loans.htm](https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2025-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2024-higher-education-and-student-loans.htm)

Data retrieved: 2026-02-27T20:12:43Z

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). Student Loan Borrowers Behind on Payments or in Collections [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "Student Loan Borrowers Behind on Payments or in Collections." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "Student Loan Borrowers Behind on Payments or in Collections." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/student-loan-payment-burden-of-discretionary-income/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.