Student Loan Debt Compared to Other Household Debt, 2004-2016

Student loan debt rose from $350 billion to $1.31 trillion between 2004 and 2016. As of the fourth quarter of 2016, student loan debt was the second-highest household debt, surpassed only by housing loans, which remained the highest form of household debt in the United States ($8.95 trillion in 2016).