ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state residents owe a combined $82 billion in student loan debt, a figure that's more than doubled in the past decade.
The numbers released Tuesday by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli show the number of borrowers and the amount they owe increased sharply in recent years as the cost of higher education went up.
The state now has 2.8 million borrowers, who each owe an average of $32,200.
DiNapoli says burdensome loans can force a person to put off buying a home or saving for retirement, affecting the broader economy.
The average in-state cost of tuition, fees and room and board at a public college was $20,549 last year, compared to $13,275 in 2005.
