Roughly one in nine Southern Californians has an average $36,129 in student loan debt, according to a new study from Experian.

The Costa Mesa-based credit tracker notes that a smaller share of folks in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have student-loan obligations compared with the national average. However, locals who do owe money for schooling have more to pay back than a typical American.

The report says 11 percent of Southern Californians have educational debt, below the 13.4 percent nationwide level. Southern Californians with student loans owe 6 percent more than the $34,144 U.S. average.

By the way, the metro area with the largest student debt was Gainesville, Fla. — home to the University of Florida — where debt averaged $42,000.

Despite larger loan burdens, locals appear slightly better than the typical American at juggling educational, other debts, and their incomes. Experian says its average credit score for local student loan holders is 657 vs. 650 nationwide.

Local student loans look small compared with what’s owed in the Bay Area.

In the San Francisco area, only 9.1 percent of people have some student debt, but on average it’s 3.3 loans with $39,139 left to pay back — the nation’s fifth-largest amount owed. But the Bay Area does well handling the debt load as these borrowers’ average credit score was 681.

Statewide, 10.3 percent of Californians have student debt, and only Hawaii had fewer people with educational debts. The average Californian borrower had 3.3 loans with $31,970 owed, 7 percent less than nationwide levels.

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