STUDENT DEBT vs. AVERAGE INCOME

College is expensive. Even students who receive substantial financial aid often graduate with a debt that keeps them up at night. And with the current state of our national economy, and the growing unemployment rate, students and parents alike are searching for ways to save costs on education. Kiplinger.com's guides to the best values in private colleges and public colleges can certainly help. But to gain a larger sense for the state of student debt in the United States, within the context of average salaries, check out the map below.

Of Kiplinger.com's 100 top public schools, led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, fewer than two dozen cost more than $20,000 a year for in-state students.

Please click on the image below to enlarge.

For information on how Kiplinger.com bases its college rankings, click here.

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