A new WalletHub analysis underscores just how uneven college affordability is across the U.S., finding that the share of household income required to pay for in-state public college can vary by nearly threefold depending on where a family lives.
The report ranks 49 states by comparing the full cost of attendance for a full-time, in-state undergraduate living on campus — including tuition and fees, room and board, books, and other expenses — to the state’s median household income. Alaska was excluded because of data limitations. The result is a stark affordability map that shows some families facing near-impossible trade-offs to send a student to college.
Pennsylvania tops the list as the least affordable state. There, residents spend an average of $55,144 per year on public college, an amount equal to 72.48% of the state’s $76,081 median household income. Rhode Island ranks second, with an average annual cost of $61,458 that would consume 71.16% of the typical household’s $86,372 income. In New York, where a year of college runs $57,788, families would need to devote 68.33% of the state’s $84,578 median income.
“College education is getting more and more difficult to afford, with cost increases well outpacing inflation,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. “As a result, people have been forced to take out more and more loans, with the average student loan debt now standing at nearly $42,000.” Lupo notes that in-state options can still “greatly defray the cost of undergraduate education, minimizing the amount students need to borrow.”
At the other end of the spectrum, families in a handful of states face a much smaller income hit. Utah ranks as the most affordable, with college costs equal to 27.69% of median household income. North Dakota (33.09%), Wyoming (34.58%), Hawaii (35.35%), and Nevada (36.58%) round out the five states where education takes the smallest bite out of paychecks.
The analysis is limited to sticker prices and does not factor in individual financial aid awards, which can significantly change what families actually pay. WalletHub and its panel of experts emphasize that affordability ultimately hinges on planning: choosing in-state or lower-cost institutions, aggressively pursuing scholarships and grants, and treating budgeting as a core part of college preparation.
Even so, the ranking highlights a growing equity concern. In high-cost states, a single year of public college can approach or exceed two-thirds of a typical family’s income — before any aid is applied — making it far more difficult for lower- and middle-income students to pursue a degree without taking on substantial debt. As states reassess higher education funding and households confront rising prices, where students live remains a powerful determinant of how attainable college really is.
