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Chattanooga one of top U.S. cities for most student loan delinquencies

FILE - In this Wednesday, May 17, 2017, file photo, graduating students fill the Columbia University campus during a graduation ceremony in New York. Having college debt disappear is something many student loan holders can only dream of. But it’s possible for some of the 44 million people in the U.S. with education loans. Through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, people with federal student loans can get their loans erased tax-free if they first make loan payments for 10 years while working for the government or a nonprofit. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) FILE - In this Wednesday, May 17, 2017, file photo, graduating students fill the Columbia University campus during a graduation ceremony in New York. Having college debt disappear is something many student loan holders can only dream of. But it’s possible for some of the 44 million people in the U.S. with education loans. Through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, people with federal student loans can get their loans erased tax-free if they first make loan payments for 10 years while working for the government or a nonprofit. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

By Staff Report January 28, 2019 1 min read

Top Southern cities in student loan delinquencies:

Fourteen of the top 15 metro cities with the highest rates of student loan delinquencies are in the South, including two of the top 10 cities in Tennessee. The cities with the highest share of student loan repayments more than 90 days later are:

1. Jackson, Mississippi – 25.6 percent

2. Winter Haven, Florida – 23.4 percent

3. Daytona Beach, Florida – 23.3 percent

4. Memphis – 23.2 percent

5. Toledo, Ohio – 22.8 percent

6. Chattanooga – 22.2 percent

6. Jacksonville, Florida – 22.2 percent

6. Miami – 22.2 percent

9. New Orleans – 22.1 percent

10. Baton Rouge, Louisiana – 21.8 percent

Source: Student Loan Hero. The U.S. average loan delinquency rate is 18.8 percent