Where student loans are most delinquent

Click on the map to see state-level information on student loan delinquencies and balances.

Nearly 12% of student loans are at least 90 days delinquent, according to new federal data. But borrowers in some states are having more trouble paying their loans than their peers elsewhere.

West Virginia has the highest share of delinquent loan balances, at 17.8%, while South Dakota has the lowest, at 6.6%, according to the latest quarterly data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Related: Class of 2013 grads average $35,200 in loans, credit card debt

The swift growth in student debt and delinquencies has come into the spotlight in recent years. Student loans were the only type of debt that continued to increase during the Great Recession.

Outstanding student loan balances increased by $20 billion during the first quarter of 2013, to a total of $986 billion as of March 31. Some 16.2% of Americans have student loans and carry an average balance of $24,810.

Posted in: college, delinquency, delinquent, student loans

• Overeducated and underemployed

  Getting a college degree still helps your chances of getting a job, but not necessarily a good one.

  Some Americans are becoming overeducated for the jobs that are available to them, as data shows more college educated workers are taking low-skill jobs that are clearly below their qualifications.

  Take taxi drivers for example. About 15%, or more than than 1 in 7, had at least a bachelor's degree in 2010, according to MORE

  Annalyn Kurtz - Jan 28, 2013 10:50 AM ET
  Posted in: college, education, higher education, taxi driver

• Student loan deadbeats are older than you think

  The largest share of student loan deadbeats are celebrating their 25th college reunions.

  Borrowers age 40-49 have the highest proportion of loans that are at least 90 days behind, according to new data published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. And that's been true each quarter since 2005.

  Here's a profile of who holds student loans as of the first quarter of 2012:

  There are 14 million more student loan borrowers MORE

  Tami Luhby - Jul 17, 2012 4:55 PM ET
  Posted in: borrowers, college, debt, defaults, delinquencies, Federal Reserve, student loans

• Seniors saddled with student debt

  Student loans aren't only an issue the young have to deal with.

  Nearly 2 million people age 60 and older are still paying back student loans, according to recent research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. And they owe more than $36 billion.

  Their average debt? $18,000.

  Now, not all this debt is their own. New York Fed researchers don't have a specific breakdown, but believe many seniors incurred this burden MORE

  Tami Luhby - Apr 2, 2012 2:54 PM ET
  Posted in: college, Federal Reserve, federal reserve bank of new york, higher education, senior citizens, student debt, student loan, student loans

• Making student loan payments more managable

  Many see the troubles some are having managing their student loans as an information problem, more than a financial one.

  That's because many borrowers don't know what resources are available to them to better manage their student loans. Some 27% of borrowers are behind in their payments, according to a recent report for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

  It needn't happen in many cases, experts say. Those with federal student MORE

  Tami Luhby - Mar 30, 2012 2:31 PM ET
  Posted in: college, debt, debt crisis, student loan, student loans, tuition

• College degree = $650,000 more in earnings

  How would you like to earn an additional $650,000?

  Then go to college.

  Typical college grads earns about $650,000 more than their peers who just have a high school diploma over the course of a 40-year career, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census and college expense data.

  A worker with a bachelor's degree earns about $1.4 million, on average, while a high school grad makes about $770,000.

  Of course, it takes MORE

  Tami Luhby - Mar 9, 2012 10:10 AM ET
  Posted in: bachelor's degree, college, college diploma, college graduate, high school diploma, high school graduate, pew