New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released a report on student loan debt, which found the average New Yorker with college loans owed $32,200 in 2015, higher than the national average of $29,700.
In New York, student loan debt grew to $82 billion from $39 billion over the past decade, an increase of 112 percent.
"The numbers are staggering as we see more and more students coming out of college - our future engineers and nurses, social service agency direct care providers and teachers - saddled with student loan debt that will impact their ability to keep the state's economy moving forward," Assemblywoman Russell said.
The number of student loan borrowers has risen sharply in New York over the past 10 years by more than 41 percent to 2.8 million. Nationwide, the number of borrowers rose by nearly 60 percent to 43.7 million, according to the comptroller's report.
"This issue is even more troubling in economically-challenged areas like the North Country, where student loan payments can eat up a significant portion of a young professional's income. This crisis also impacts parents of retirement age who take out loans to help their children get the education they need to be successful in life. We are seeing that student debt load impacts all areas of our economy, including delaying the purchase of homes and new vehicles," she added.
Assemblywoman Russell said the student debt crisis is an issue that must be scrutinized in the coming months by state and federal officials.
"We know that in today's society more and more employment opportunities across all sectors require some college education. We have to keep college affordable. That's why I voted to freeze tuition on our State University of New York campuses," she said.
Student loan debt also is one of the factors that contributes to the brain drain in the North Country.
"North Country employers can't offer the good salaries needed to have our young professionals move back to the area. Our college graduates often find they can make significantly higher wages in other parts of the state and nation for similar jobs. They follow the path to that money so they have funds left in their bank account after they make their student loan payment. We lose some of our best and brightest, and our agencies, businesses and institutions lose candidates with the skills they need," according to the assemblywoman.
Student loans represented 11.4 percent of the $722 billion outstanding consumer (or household) debt in New York in 2015. Figures on student loans do not include other debt families and individuals incur to pay for college such as home equity loans, borrowing from retirement accounts or credit card debt.
Rising college costs were one factor in the growth of student loan debt. From 2005-06 through 2014-15, average costs for tuition, fees, room and board for four-year institutions rose by more than 50 percent for both in-state students attending public institutions and for private institutions in New York, according to the comptroller's report.
"This is an issue I understand from my own personal experiences. I worked my way through undergrad and law school but still needed to take out loans and now as a mom with two kids I'm still paying off that debt," Assemblywoman Russell said.
She said it is going to be necessary for the federal government to lower interest rates on student loans and work more closely with borrowers working to make their payments without saddling them with stiff penalties that benefit the providers profit margins at the expense of struggling college graduates.
