The Bipartisan Policy Center continues to track the impact of student loan debt on the nation’s housing market.
So far, the numbers don’t look good.
While the average college graduate’s starting salary is up a bit – hitting roughly $45,000 in the center’s most recent study – graduates on average carry $21,402 in student loan debt.
Of those with student debt, only 39% are in repayment mode.
Another 44% have deferred payments or remain in forbearance.
The remaining 17% are already delinquent.
Until this ’30-and-under’ age group stabilizes its finances, the housing recovery will be limited since they carry the next generation of buying power.
Making matters worse, the unemployment rate among recent graduates lurks well above 10% when analyzing the center’s data.
The median credit score for a first time mortgage falls just under 700 – a concern for the housing market, considering 17% of young graduates already face botched credit scores from delinquent student loan payments.
See the Bipartisan Policy Center’s full graph below.
Click here to view the full chart from the Bipartisan Policy Center.
