Number of the Week: Class of 2011, Most Indebted Ever.

By Mark Whitehouse
$22,900: Average student debt of newly minted college graduates

The Class of 2011 will graduate this spring from America’s colleges and universities with a dubious distinction: the most indebted ever.

As of December 2010, total student debt outstanding stood at $530 billion in the U.S., up 29% from December 2007. Other types of household debt shrank 8% over the same period. Given the state of the job market, many degree-holders will face a long slog to get debt-free: The Collegiate Employment Research Institute estimates that the average salary for holders of new bachelor degrees will be $36,866 this year, down from $46,500 in 2009.