The data does not include older Americans who have taken on student loan debt on behalf of their children. That includes about 14.9% of workers aged 55 to 64 and 17.3% of workers aged 65 and over, according to the research. The middle 40% of earners — with incomes between $54,600 and $192,000 — owe an average debt of $48,174. For older workers aged 55 to 64, it may take an average of 11 years to pay off their student loans, according to the research. "Older workers do not have decades of future potential work that younger workers have to repay their loans," Manickam said.

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Persons: Karthik Manickam, Manickam Organizations: Schwartz, for Economic, New School for Social Research, Federal Reserve, Consumer Finance, Finance, Workers