States Ranked by Bachelor's Degree or Higher

All 52 U.S. states and territories ranked by bachelor's degree or higher. The highest is District of Columbia at 64.2%, and the lowest is West Virginia at 24.1%. The national value is 33.7%.

What is Bachelor's Degree or Higher?

Percentage of the population aged 25 and older who have completed a bachelor's degree, master's degree, professional degree, or doctorate.

Educational attainment is strongly correlated with income, health outcomes, civic participation, and economic growth. Counties with higher education levels tend to attract knowledge-economy employers.

Key Findings

The highest bachelor's degree or higher is found in District of Columbia, DC at 64.2%, followed by Massachusetts, MA (47.3%) and Colorado, CO (45.7%). The median county value is 34.1%. At the other end, Kentucky, KY has the lowest value at 27.6%.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher by State

24.1%
64.2%

All States Ranked

52 states ranked from highest to lowest. Click any state to view its full profile.

Rank State Education
#1 District of Columbia 64.2%
#2 Massachusetts 47.3%
#3 Colorado 45.7%
#4 Vermont 43.8%
#5 New Jersey 43.6%
#6 Maryland 43.4%
#7 Connecticut 42.5%
#8 Virginia 42.2%
#9 New Hampshire 40.6%
#10 New York 40.2%
#11 Washington 39.6%
#12 Minnesota 39.4%
#13 Illinois 37.8%
#14 Rhode Island 37.7%
#15 Utah 37.7%
#16 California 37.1%
#17 Oregon 36.8%
#18 Maine 36.2%
#19 Hawaii 36.1%
#20 Delaware 35.8%
#21 North Carolina 35.7%
#22 Kansas 35.6%
#23 Pennsylvania 35.2%
#24 Montana 35.2%
#25 Georgia 34.9%
#26 Nebraska 34.6%
#27 Florida 34.1%
#28 Texas 33.8%
#29 Wisconsin 33.4%
#30 Arizona 33.3%
#31 North Dakota 32.7%
#32 Michigan 32.4%
#33 Missouri 32.4%
#34 South Carolina 32.1%
#35 South Dakota 31.9%
#36 Idaho 31.8%
#37 Alaska 31.7%
#38 Ohio 31.5%
#39 Iowa 31.4%
#40 Tennessee 31.1%
#41 New Mexico 31.0%
#42 Wyoming 30.6%
#43 Puerto Rico 29.8%
#44 Indiana 29.5%
#45 Alabama 28.4%
#46 Oklahoma 28.3%
#47 Nevada 27.9%
#48 Kentucky 27.6%
#49 Louisiana 27.0%
#50 Arkansas 25.7%
#51 Mississippi 25.1%
#52 West Virginia 24.1%

Based on the American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates. All values are estimates subject to margin of error. For more information, see our methodology.