It does vary by state, with states like PA and CT having much higher debt levels than states like UT and NM, presumably due to in-state tuition and FA policies.
https://ticas.org/interactive-map/
Note that while tuition is the headline number, FA is also important in getting to the actual bottom like net price and whether and how much debt is needed. A college may avoid the negative headlines of “raising tuition” but cut FA for budgetary reasons, resulting in more financial stress for many of its students from non-wealthy families. A college that does get negative headlines for “raising tuition” but compensates with more FA may only affect those from the wealthiest families.
True. Note that if “traditional college experience” means the residential one, that is already out of reach of most college students, who attend local colleges as commuters from where they lived before college.
Some may argue that too many people get bachelor’s degrees – but (either way) it would be more beneficial to the country if the ability to get a bachelor’s degree depended more on one’s own ability and motivation to do so, rather than one’s parent’s financial circumstances and choices.