Realtor.com® on Tuesday released new data that found total student debt could buy every U.S. house on the market 1.9 times over.

The average student loan borrower owes $34,500 -- $8,500 more than the typical down payment of $26,000.

NAR Millennial Student Debt Infographic (PRNewsfoto/National Association of Realtors)
Hand-out NAR Millennial Student Debt Infographic (PRNewsfoto/National Association of Realtors)

"Student debt has ballooned to an all-time high as the price of education continues to outpace wage growth, and this is holding back many potential buyers from being able to purchase a home," according to realtor.com®'s Senior Economist, George Ratiu. "Student debt is already impacting borrowers' ability to buy a home and education debt is expected to hamper consumers' financial decisions for many years down the road."

Students are taking on more debt to cover their expenses than ever before, according to the Department of Education. This is in part due to the fact that wage growth has been stagnant in comparison to the rapid growth in cost of higher education. The typical tuition at a public university has grown at four times the rate of the average wage since 1986, and private university tuition has grown at seven times the rate of the average wage over the same time.

Nationally, the median sale price of a U.S. home is $260,000, according to realtor.com®. With a typical down payment of 10% that would come out to $26,000, which is $8,500 less than the average student debt of $34,500. Additionally, the total value of U.S. homes on the market is $780 billion. That is 1.9 times less than the total outstanding student debt of $1.5 trillion shouldered by 42.8 million borrowers.

At 15.1 million strong, millennials make up 34% of all student borrowers. The generation's total debt has accumulated to $498 billion -- over half the value of all U.S. homes for sale. Millennials have an average balance of $33,000 per borrower, which is $7,000 more than the typical down payment on the median U.S. home. In comparison, the median down payment for millennials is $11,400, according to realtor.com.

"The important implication of rising debt is that young generations are delaying major life decisions," added Ratiu. On the real estate front, the affordability crisis in major cities is driving young families to more affordable Midwestern and Southern markets, where savings for a down payment stretch much further and can turn owning a home from a future dream into today's reality."

According to a recent NAR report, 26% of millennials cite student loans as the primary barrier to saving up for a down payment. Additionally, 61% of those millennials say their student loans have delayed their home purchase.

On a state level, the state with the greatest outstanding loan balance is California, with $116 billion in student debt. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C. has the largest average balance per borrower at $52,581.

Ohio has the most affordable down payment, compared with educational debt load, where the average down payment on a median priced home in Ohio is 53% of the average student loan balance. Ohio is followed by Alabama, Michigan, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. In the short term, a high down payment to student debt ratio will delay many buyers' ability to enter the market, while reducing access to available inventory.

National Breakdown - Down Payment vs Debt

Total
Outstanding
Balance

Total
Number of
Borrowers

Avg Debt Per
Borrower

Median Home
Sale Price (July
2019)

10% Down
Payment

Down
Payment vs
Debt

1.48

trillion

42.8 million
$34,500
$260,000
$26,000
75.4%


State Breakdown - Down Payment vs Debt

Location
Balance (in
billions)

Borrowers
(in
thousands)

Avg Debt
Per
Borrower

Median Home
Sale Price (July
2019)

10% Down
Payment

Down
Payment vs
Debt

Ohio
$50.50
1,618
$31,217
$164,900
$16,500
52.9%
Alabama
$18.20
548
$33,218
$182,000
$17,818
53.6%
Arkansas
$9.80
331
$29,607
$181,000
$16,700
56.4%
Michigan
$42.10
1,290
$32,636
$170,000
$18,500
56.7%
Oklahoma
$11.70
405
$28,889
$169,500
$16,500
57.1%
Iowa
$11.20
408
$27,458
$174,000
$15,750
57.4%
Missouri
$23.50
733
$32,064
$163,000
$18,738
58.4%

West

Virginia

$5.90
204
$28,922
$195,154
$17,180
59.4%
Kentucky
$15.50
527
$29,423
$231,000
$17,650
60.0%
Georgia
$52.90
1,422
$37,206
$205,000
$22,980
61.8%
Indiana
$23.90
815
$29,311
$185,972
$18,347
62.6%
Tennessee
$24.40
740
$32,973
$187,500
$21,000
63.7%
Pennsylvania
$52.30
1,610
$32,491
$215,000
$21,000
64.6%

South

Carolina

$21.30
628
$33,933
$226,000
$22,200
65.4%
Illinois
$50.70
1,466
$34,589
$222,000
$22,700
65.6%
Nebraska
$6.40
223
$28,725
$190,000
$19,000
66.1%
Louisiana
$16.60
540
$30,729
$205,000
$20,450
66.5%

North

Carolina

$38.00
1,128
$33,679
$222,450
$23,100
68.6%
Mississippi
$12.30
382
$32,207
$235,000
$22,501
69.9%
Wisconsin
$19.00
664
$28,614
$200,000
$20,000
69.9%

New

Mexico

$6.00
198
$30,349
$218,250
$21,908
72.2%
Florida
$75.90
2,197
$34,544
$205,000
$25,000
72.4%

South

Dakota

$2.90
102
$28,431
$250,000
$20,650
72.6%
Vermont
$2.30
69
$33,333
$243,750
$24,375
73.1%
Kansas
$10.10
346
$29,174
$230,000
$22,115
75.8%
Maine
$5.00
166
$30,102
$238,000
$24,250
80.6%
Minnesota
$21.90
724
$30,253
$243,100
$24,500
81.0%
Delaware
$3.60
109
$32,907
$245,025
$26,990
82.0%
Connecticut
$13.90
435
$31,969
$319,900
$26,500
82.9%
Texas
$89.50
2,992
$29,911
$272,000
$24,807
82.9%
Arizona
$24.10
749
$32,193
$215,000
$26,800
83.2%

North

Dakota

$2.00
77
$25,940
$265,000
$21,860
84.3%
Maryland
$28.90
741
$39,028
$268,998
$33,053
84.7%
Virginia
$34.10
959
$35,565
$305,000
$31,800
89.4%

New

Hampshire

$5.30
171
$30,940
$317,250
$28,000
90.5%
Idaho
$5.90
197
$29,919
$270,000
$27,313
91.3%
Wyoming
$1.30
47
$27,484
$285,000
$25,866
94.1%
Montana
$3.30
111
$29,837
$255,000
$28,755
96.4%
Alaska
$1.90
61
$31,148
$280,125
$30,049
96.5%

Rhode

Island

$3.70
126
$29,459
$279,900
$28,500
96.7%

New

York

$76.50
2,192
$34,895
$303,125
$34,500
98.9%
Nevada
$8.80
286
$30,812
$308,360
$31,000
100.6%
Oregon
$16.50
490
$33,646
$334,375
$35,000
104.0%

New

Jersey

$34.20
1,055
$32,432
$352,200
$34,500
106.4%
Utah
$7.90
269
$29,412
$336,250
$33,000
112.2%

District

of Columbia

$5.50
105
$52,581
$385,000
$60,000
114.1%
Colorado
$22.90
686
$33,401
$625,783
$38,250
114.5%
Washington
$22.60
706
$32,016
$387,700
$38,500
120.3%
Massachusetts
$25.70
814
$31,584
$430,000
$42,200
133.6%
California
$116.00
3,429
$33,832
$515,000
$51,000
150.7%
Hawaii
$3.60
108
$33,395
$537,050
$57,500
172.2%