In December, this year’s college graduates will hit the six-month mark at which point they are expected to begin paying back their student loans. And the burden of the estimated $1.56 trillion in student debt in the U.S will be heavier on employees in the private health care and social assistance industries, according to new data from Fidelity Investments.
Those sectors, the data showed, are far and away paying the most—an average of $685 a month, which is more than $120 a month more than the nearest sector. They have an average loan balance of $75,336.
Employees in higher education came in second with an average monthly payment of $563 and an average loan balance of $60,758. And rounding out the top three are people working in the professional scientific and technical services sector with an average monthly balance of $543 and an average loan balance of $55,167.
The data was derived from nearly 30,000 users of Fidelity’s Student Debt Tool, which is part of Fidelity’s broader Student Debt Benefits program, launched in 2018. It enables borrowers to have a singular view of a variety of federal and private loan options by aggregating all of their student debt loans in one place, Fidelity said.
“The data is clear. Finding ways to effectively pay down student debt isn’t an isolated problem; it is impacting young and old, as well as workers in various industries,” said Asha Srikantiah, head of Fidelity Investments’ student debt program, in a statement.
The data showed that although the majority of Student Debt Tool users who reported their debt are millennials, users who are baby boomers or Gen X actually carry a higher average student debt loan burden.
Boomers are carrying an average loan balance of $56,652 with an average monthly payment of $565; Gen X has an average loan balance of $55,870 and payment of $490; and millennials’ average loan balance is $45,548 while their average monthly payment is $469.
The data also revealed that many individuals are delaying contributing to their retirement, or they are taking out loans against their 401(k). Almost one in five (19%) of Student Debt Tool users report contributing nothing to their 401(k), with one in four (24%) contributing only 1% to 5% of their salary. The report further showed that 13.9% overall reported having an outstanding loan against their 401(k).