The new reporting series Degrees of Debt is taking an in-depth look at the student debt crisis in Wisconsin, which is among the worst in the nation, especially for African-Americans.
The college debt problem is affecting people in all classes, but it's disproportionately impacting people in lower income groups, said Rory Linnane, the USA Today Network-Wisconsin reporter who recently kicked off the series with a personal essay exploring how racial disparities are playing out in Milwaukee.
"In recent years we've seen that white students have been attending college more and more often as black students have been attending college less often. Those gaps are continuing to grow," Linnane said.
According to one analysis, Wisconsin has the second-widest gap in the country when comparing college degrees among white and black residents. The diverging paths often mean only one group has access to jobs that on average earn $10 an hour more and provide a reliable ticket to the middle class.
It's clear a college degree will continue to play a vital role in securing a good-paying job. As Linnane writes in her story, "Georgetown researchers estimate 65 percent of jobs will require post-secondary education. Wisconsin is not prepared for that, with just 58 percent of its students pursuing higher education last year — only a 1 percent increase from where we were a decade ago."
A combination of state-funding cuts to the University of Wisconsin System under both Govs. Jim Doyle and Scott Walker and rising tuition costs have left students paying a soaring tab for their education. Most UW students accrue debt and on average owe more than $30,000 after graduating.
"Sometimes the price tag of college is enough to give people sticker shock, and they just think there's no way they will be able to make that happen," Linnane said.
The series will continue over the next several months by exploring the roots of the crisis and helping families and communities find a solutions to the problem.