Most and least educated states
Massachusetts is the most educated state: 49.2% of adults 25 and older held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2025, followed by Colorado (47.1%). West Virginia is the least educated (24.7%), then Mississippi (26.9%). The District of Columbia, a single city, is above every state at 64.9%; the national figure is 37.4%1.
Data as of October 29, 2026 (newest release used on this page).
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B15003; Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files. Darker states are higher; DC is the dot. Period: 2025.
| 1 | District of Columbia | 64.9% | ±2.2 | 1st | Higher | Not significant | 92.8% | 38.7% | 2.8% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Massachusetts | 49.2% | ±0.6 | 2nd | Higher | +0.9% | 92.2% | 23.2% | 7.2% |
| 3 | Colorado | 47.1% | ±0.6 | 3rd | Higher | Not significant | 93.6% | 18.4% | 8.7% |
| 4 | Maryland | 45.5% | ±0.6 | 4th–6th | Higher | +0.8% | 91.9% | 21.8% | 6.7% |
| 5 | New Jersey | 45.0% | ±0.5 | 4th–7th | Higher | Not significant | 91.4% | 18.8% | 6.7% |
| 6 | Virginia | 44.7% | ±0.5 | 5th–7th | Higher | +1.4% | 92.6% | 20.1% | 8.2% |
| 7 | Vermont | 44.5% | ±1.5 | 4th–8th | Higher | Not significant | 95.4% | 20.1% | 9.4% |
| 8 | Connecticut | 43.6% | ±0.8 | 7th–8th | Higher | Not significant | 92.3% | 19.8% | 7.2% |
| 9 | New York | 42.0% | ±0.3 | 9th–10th | Higher | +0.8% | 88.8% | 18.7% | 8.6% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 41.5% | ±1.1 | 9th–13th | Higher | Not significant | 94.9% | 17.6% | 9.9% |
| 11 | Washington | 41.4% | ±0.5 | 10th–12th | Higher | Not significant | 92.7% | 16.7% | 9.8% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 40.8% | ±0.5 | 10th–13th | Higher | +0.8% | 94.7% | 14.5% | 11.8% |
| 13 | Rhode Island | 39.9% | ±1.4 | 11th–19th | Higher | Not significant | 89.8% | 16.6% | 8.2% |
| =14 | Illinois | 39.1% | ±0.4 | 13th–19th | Higher | Not significant | 91.7% | 16.0% | 8.7% |
| =14 | Utah | 39.1% | ±0.7 | 13th–19th | Higher | Not significant | 93.5% | 14.4% | 10.4% |
| 16 | Delaware | 39.0% | ±1.4 | 13th–20th | Higher | +3.0% | 93.2% | 17.5% | 9.0% |
| 17 | Hawaii | 38.9% | ±1.0 | 13th–20th | Higher | Not significant | 93.8% | 14.4% | 10.8% |
| 18 | California | 38.8% | ±0.2 | 13th–19th | Higher | +0.7% | 86.2% | 15.3% | 7.8% |
| 19 | Maine | 38.6% | ±1.1 | 13th–20th | Higher | +1.5% | 95.0% | 14.8% | 9.8% |
| 20 | North Carolina | 38.1% | ±0.5 | 17th–20th | Higher | +1.0% | 91.3% | 14.8% | 10.3% |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | 37.1% | ±0.4 | 21st–25th | Not significant | +0.7% | 92.4% | 15.2% | 8.9% |
| =22 | Florida | 36.7% | ±0.3 | 21st–27th | Lower | +0.9% | 91.3% | 14.3% | 10.3% |
| =22 | Kansas | 36.7% | ±0.7 | 21st–27th | Not significant | Not significant | 92.7% | 13.8% | 9.1% |
| 24 | Oregon | 36.6% | ±0.6 | 21st–27th | Lower | −1.2% | 92.2% | 14.5% | 9.5% |
| 25 | Georgia | 36.3% | ±0.5 | 22nd–27th | Lower | Not significant | 90.7% | 14.8% | 8.3% |
| =26 | Montana | 36.2% | ±1.2 | 21st–29th | Not significant | Not significant | 94.6% | 13.0% | 9.6% |
| =26 | Nebraska | 36.2% | ±0.8 | 22nd–28th | Lower | Not significant | 93.2% | 13.6% | 11.4% |
| 28 | Texas | 35.5% | ±0.3 | 26th–30th | Lower | Not significant | 87.8% | 13.3% | 8.0% |
| 29 | Wisconsin | 35.2% | ±0.5 | 27th–32nd | Lower | Not significant | 93.9% | 12.7% | 11.3% |
| 30 | South Carolina | 34.5% | ±0.6 | 29th–34th | Lower | +1.2% | 90.9% | 12.9% | 10.2% |
| =31 | Arizona | 34.3% | ±0.5 | 30th–37th | Lower | Not significant | 90.5% | 13.4% | 9.2% |
| =31 | North Dakota | 34.3% | ±1.3 | 28th–38th | Lower | Not significant | 94.2% | 10.5% | 14.4% |
| 33 | Michigan | 33.9% | ±0.4 | 30th–38th | Lower | +0.6% | 92.7% | 13.6% | 9.8% |
| =34 | Missouri | 33.7% | ±0.5 | 31st–38th | Lower | Not significant | 92.4% | 13.4% | 8.6% |
| =34 | Wyoming | 33.7% | ±1.6 | 29th–41st | Lower | Not significant | 94.8% | 13.0% | 11.3% |
| 36 | Idaho | 33.2% | ±0.9 | 32nd–41st | Lower | Not significant | 92.6% | 11.3% | 10.5% |
| 37 | South Dakota | 33.0% | ±1.2 | 31st–41st | Lower | Not significant | 93.7% | 10.8% | 13.2% |
| 38 | Alaska | 32.9% | ±1.4 | 31st–42nd | Lower | Not significant | 94.1% | 13.3% | 9.8% |
| 39 | Tennessee | 32.8% | ±0.6 | 35th–41st | Lower | Not significant | 91.0% | 12.4% | 8.1% |
| 40 | Iowa | 32.6% | ±0.6 | 35th–41st | Lower | Not significant | 93.7% | 11.1% | 12.5% |
| 41 | Ohio | 32.5% | ±0.3 | 35th–41st | Lower | Not significant | 92.7% | 13.0% | 9.4% |
| 42 | New Mexico | 31.4% | ±0.9 | 41st–44th | Lower | Not significant | 88.6% | 14.0% | 8.9% |
| 43 | Alabama | 31.1% | ±0.6 | 42nd–44th | Lower | +1.2% | 89.6% | 12.3% | 9.5% |
| 44 | Indiana | 30.7% | ±0.5 | 42nd–44th | Lower | Not significant | 91.2% | 11.2% | 9.2% |
| 45 | Nevada | 29.0% | ±0.8 | 45th–49th | Lower | Not significant | 89.4% | 10.4% | 9.0% |
| 46 | Arkansas | 28.8% | ±0.7 | 45th–49th | Lower | +1.7% | 90.7% | 11.3% | 8.6% |
| =47 | Kentucky | 28.7% | ±0.6 | 45th–49th | Lower | +0.8% | 90.1% | 12.1% | 9.1% |
| =47 | Oklahoma | 28.7% | ±0.5 | 45th–49th | Lower | Not significant | 90.5% | 10.5% | 8.4% |
| 49 | Louisiana | 28.3% | ±0.6 | 45th–49th | Lower | Not significant | 88.3% | 10.4% | 7.5% |
| 50 | Mississippi | 26.9% | ±0.6 | 50th | Lower | Not significant | 88.3% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| 51 | West Virginia | 24.7% | ±0.8 | 51st | Lower | Not significant | 90.3% | 9.9% | 8.2% |
| United States | 37.4% | ±0.1 | 90.6% | 15.0% | 8.9% |
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B15003. Period: 2025. "=" marks a tie at the displayed precision. Rank range: the ranks consistent with the 90% margins of error (Census Bureau method). "Compared with US" and changes use the Census Bureau significance test at 90% confidence; "Not significant" means the difference is within the margins of error.
What "most educated" means here
The ranking orders states by one measure: the share of adults 25 and older whose highest level of schooling is a bachelor's degree or more. It comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2025, which asks about each person in sampled households the highest degree or level of school they have completed. The table adds three related shares for the same adults: a high school diploma or GED or more, a graduate or professional degree, and an associate's degree as the highest degree.
The measure counts people where they live now, not where they studied. A state with many college graduates may have trained them itself or drawn them from elsewhere; the survey does not say which.
Nationally, 37.4% (±0.1 percentage points) of adults had a bachelor's degree or higher in 2025, up from 36.8% in 2024. Across the states the share runs from 24.7% in West Virginia to 64.9% in the District of Columbia, and the median state sits at 36.2%. 20 states, counting DC, are significantly above the national share and 281 are significantly below it; Pennsylvania, Kansas and Montana are not statistically different from it.
The top of the list: the Northeast, Maryland, Virginia and Colorado
Massachusetts leads the states at 49.2% (±0.6 percentage points), 11.8 percentage points above the US figure (37.4%). Colorado is clearly third overall at 47.1% and the only western state in the top ten. The other seven states in the top ten are on the East Coast, from Virginia to New Hampshire: Maryland (45.5%), New Jersey (45.0%), Virginia (44.7%), Vermont (44.5%), Connecticut (43.6%), New York (42.0%) and New Hampshire (41.5%1).
The order inside that group is less firm than the table suggests. Maryland ranks between 4th and 6th once the margins of error are taken into account, New Jersey between 4th and 7th and Vermont, with a smaller sample, between 4th and 8th1.
The District of Columbia, at 64.9% (±2.2 percentage points), is 27.5 percentage points above the US figure (37.4%)1. It is a single city with no rural areas, so it is not directly comparable with a whole state.
Graduate degrees sharpen the eastern lead. Massachusetts (23.2%), Maryland (21.8%), Vermont and Virginia (both 20.1%) and Connecticut (19.8%) have the highest shares of adults with a master's, professional or doctoral degree. Colorado drops to 9th highest on this measure (between 7th and 11th1): its lead is built on bachelor's degrees rather than advanced ones.
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B15003. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.
Show the numbers
| State | Graduate or professional degree | MOE |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 38.7% | ±1.7 |
| Massachusetts | 23.2% | ±0.4 |
| Maryland | 21.8% | ±0.4 |
| Vermont | 20.1% | ±1.1 |
| Virginia | 20.1% | ±0.3 |
| Connecticut | 19.8% | ±0.5 |
| New Jersey | 18.8% | ±0.3 |
| New York | 18.7% | ±0.2 |
| Colorado | 18.4% | ±0.4 |
| New Hampshire | 17.6% | ±0.8 |
| Delaware | 17.5% | ±1.0 |
| Washington | 16.7% | ±0.3 |
| United States | 15.0% | ±0.1 |
The bottom of the list: the South and the West
West Virginia has the lowest share at 24.7% (±0.8 percentage points), 12.7 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%) and lower than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia). It is also lowest on graduate degrees (9.9%). Mississippi is second lowest at 26.9%1.
Behind them, five states are statistically close together, each ranking between 45th and 49th: Louisiana (28.3%), Oklahoma (28.7%), Kentucky (28.7%), Arkansas (28.8%) and Nevada (29.0%1). Indiana, Alabama and New Mexico complete the bottom ten.
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B15003. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.
Show the numbers
| State | Bachelor's degree or higher | MOE |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 37.4% | ±0.1 |
| New Mexico | 31.4% | ±0.9 |
| Alabama | 31.1% | ±0.6 |
| Indiana | 30.7% | ±0.5 |
| Nevada | 29.0% | ±0.8 |
| Arkansas | 28.8% | ±0.7 |
| Kentucky | 28.7% | ±0.6 |
| Oklahoma | 28.7% | ±0.5 |
| Louisiana | 28.3% | ±0.6 |
| Mississippi | 26.9% | ±0.6 |
| West Virginia | 24.7% | ±0.8 |
Each region has a spread of its own. In the Northeast the share runs from Massachusetts (49.2%) down to Pennsylvania (37.1%); in the Midwest from Minnesota (40.8%) to Indiana (30.7%); in the West from Colorado (47.1%) to Nevada (29.0%1). The South holds both ends of the national list, from the District of Columbia to West Virginia.
High school completion tells a different story
At the high school level the order changes. The two most populous states, California and Texas3, have the lowest shares of adults with a high school diploma or GED: 86.2% (±0.4 percentage points) and 87.8% (±0.5 percentage points). California is 1.4 percentage points above the US figure (37.4%) on bachelor's degrees but the lowest in the nation on high school completion. New York is in a similar position: 9th highest on bachelor's degrees, 1.8 percentage points below the US figure (90.6%) on high school completion. Only 6 states are significantly below the national share of 90.6%1: the three already named, plus New Mexico, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The top of the high school list is in the North: Vermont (95.4%), Maine (95.0%), New Hampshire (94.9%), Wyoming (94.8%) and Minnesota (94.7%). Shares this close to the ceiling are hard to separate with a survey: Vermont ranks anywhere between 1st and 17th, so no single state can be named the leader. The District of Columbia, first on bachelor's degrees, is not statistically different from the US figure (90.6%)1 on high school completion.
West Virginia shows the other side of the gap. Its share of high school graduates is not statistically different from the US figure (90.6%)1, while its bachelor's share is the lowest in the country. Its distance from other states is in degrees beyond high school, not in finishing school.
Associate's degrees: the northern Plains
Counting only adults whose highest degree is an associate's, the leaders are North Dakota (14.4%), South Dakota (13.2%) and Iowa (12.5%), against 8.9% nationally. All three sit below the middle of the bachelor's ranking: North Dakota's bachelor's share is 3.1 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%), South Dakota's 4.4 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%) and Iowa's 4.8 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%)1. A ranking that also counted associate's degrees would place these states higher.
The lowest associate's shares are in the District of Columbia (2.8%), New Jersey and Maryland (both 6.7%1), all three in the top five for bachelor's degrees.
Degree shares since 2005
The national share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher was 27.2% in 2005 and 37.4% in 2025. In Massachusetts the share went from 36.9% to 49.2%; in the District of Columbia from 45.3% to 64.9%; in Colorado from 35.5% to 47.1%; and in West Virginia from 16.9%4 to 24.7%1. The lowest state in 2025 is still below where the national figure stood in 2005.
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.
Show the numbers
| Year | Massachusetts | Colorado | West Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 36.9% ±0.4 | 35.5% ±0.5 | 16.9% ±0.5 | 27.2% ±0.1 |
| 2006 | 37.0% ±0.4 | 34.3% ±0.4 | 16.5% ±0.5 | 27.0% ±0.1 |
| 2007 | 37.9% ±0.4 | 35.0% ±0.5 | 17.3% ±0.6 | 27.5% ±0.1 |
| 2008 | 38.1% ±0.4 | 35.6% ±0.4 | 17.1% ±0.5 | 27.7% ±0.1 |
| 2009 | 38.2% ±0.4 | 35.9% ±0.4 | 17.3% ±0.5 | 27.9% ±0.1 |
| 2010 | 39.0% ±0.4 | 36.4% ±0.5 | 17.5% ±0.5 | 28.2% ±0.1 |
| 2011 | 39.1% ±0.4 | 36.7% ±0.5 | 18.5% ±0.5 | 28.5% ±0.1 |
| 2012 | 39.3% ±0.4 | 37.5% ±0.5 | 18.6% ±0.5 | 29.1% ±0.1 |
| 2013 | 40.3% ±0.4 | 37.8% ±0.4 | 18.9% ±0.6 | 29.6% ±0.1 |
| 2014 | 41.2% ±0.4 | 38.3% ±0.4 | 19.2% ±0.5 | 30.1% ±0.1 |
| 2015 | 41.5% ±0.4 | 39.2% ±0.4 | 19.6% ±0.5 | 30.6% ±0.1 |
| 2016 | 42.7% ±0.4 | 39.9% ±0.4 | 20.8% ±0.6 | 31.3% ±0.1 |
| 2017 | 43.4% ±0.4 | 41.2% ±0.4 | 20.2% ±0.6 | 32.0% ±0.1 |
| 2018 | 44.5% ±0.4 | 41.7% ±0.4 | 21.3% ±0.6 | 32.6% ±0.1 |
| 2019 | 45.0% ±0.5 | 42.7% ±0.4 | 21.1% ±0.6 | 33.1% ±0.1 |
| 2021 | 46.6% ±0.5 | 44.4% ±0.5 | 24.1% ±0.7 | 35.0% ±0.1 |
| 2022 | 46.6% ±0.5 | 45.9% ±0.5 | 24.8% ±0.7 | 35.7% ±0.1 |
| 2023 | 47.8% ±0.5 | 46.4% ±0.5 | 24.0% ±0.7 | 36.2% ±0.1 |
| 2024 | 48.3% ±0.5 | 47.8% ±0.5 | 24.4% ±0.7 | 36.8% ±0.1 |
| 2025 | 49.2% ±0.6 | 47.1% ±0.5 | 24.7% ±0.8 | 37.4% ±0.1 |
From 2024 to 2025 most states' shares did not change by a statistically significant amount. Among those that did, Delaware reached 39.0%, up from 36.0% in 2024, and Arkansas 28.8%, up from 27.1% in 2024. Oregon was the one state where the share went down: 36.6%, down from 37.8% in 20241.
Adult education levels are not school rankings
Many searches for "education rankings by state" are about schools, not adults. This page does not rate schools. A related federal measure published by state is the National Center for Education Statistics' adjusted cohort graduation rate: the share of public high school students who graduate with a regular diploma within four years of starting ninth grade. For the 2021–22 school year it was 87%5 nationally.
The two measures point in opposite directions at the extremes. West Virginia had the highest graduation rate (91%) and the District of Columbia the lowest (76%), the reverse of their places on adult degrees. Colorado, third on adult bachelor's degrees, had a graduation rate of 82%, while Iowa and Kentucky, both in the bottom half for adult degrees, were both at 90%5.
| State | Bachelor's degree or higher | High school graduate or higher | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 64.9% ±2.2 | 92.8% ±2.9 | 76% |
| Massachusetts | 49.2% ±0.6 | 92.2% ±0.8 | 90% |
| Colorado | 47.1% ±0.6 | 93.6% ±0.9 | 82% |
| Iowa | 32.6% ±0.6 | 93.7% ±1.0 | 90% |
| Kentucky | 28.7% ±0.6 | 90.1% ±0.9 | 90% |
| Mississippi | 26.9% ±0.6 | 88.3% ±1.2 | 89% |
| West Virginia | 24.7% ±0.8 | 90.3% ±1.4 | 91% |
| United States | 37.4% ±0.1 | 90.6% ±0.2 | 87% |
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B15003; Department of Education, NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 219.46. ± is the 90% margin of error.
The graduation rate describes today's students in public schools; adult attainment describes everyone 25 and older who lives in the state, including people who studied elsewhere. Neither measures the quality of a school system. New Mexico and Oklahoma have no published rate for 2021–22. The full list is on the high school graduation rate ranking.
Reading the ranking
- Margins of error. Every share is a survey estimate with a 90% margin of error, shown in the table. States whose ranges of ranks overlap should not be put in a strict order; the rank range column shows which ranks each state's estimate supports.
- Adults 25 and older only. Younger adults, many of them still in college, are not counted.
- Highest level only. Each adult is counted once, at their highest degree. The associate's share and the bachelor's share do not overlap, and the graduate share is part of the bachelor's-or-higher share.
- Composite "most educated" indexes. Some published lists combine attainment with school test scores, college quality or spending into one score. Their order can differ from this one, which uses a single Census measure that can be checked against the source table.
- Latest year: 2025. The next ACS 1-year release, for 2026, is expected around September 2027.
Questions about education levels by state
What is the most educated state in the US?
Massachusetts, where 49.2% (±0.6 percentage points) of adults 25 and older have at least a bachelor's degree, the highest of any state (the District of Columbia is higher). It also leads the states on graduate and professional degrees (23.2%1). These are 2025 American Community Survey estimates.
What is the least educated state?
West Virginia: 24.7% (±0.8 percentage points) of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher, the lowest in the nation and 12.7 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%). On high school completion, however, West Virginia is not statistically different from the US figure (90.6%)1.
Which state has the lowest share of high school graduates?
California, where 86.2% (±0.4 percentage points) of adults 25 and older have a high school diploma, a GED or more, followed by Texas (87.8%). Nationally the share is 90.6%1.
What percentage of Americans have a college degree?
In 2025, 37.4% of adults 25 and older had a bachelor's degree or higher and 15.0% had a master's, professional or doctoral degree. Another 8.9%1 had an associate's degree as their highest degree.
Related rankings
Sources
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B15003; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
- Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files; table cb_2024_us_state_20m; 2024; released April 10, 2025. www2.census.gov
- Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025; released January 27, 2026. www2.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025; 2005-2025 (no standard 2020 1-year release); released October 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Department of Education, NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 219.46; school year 2021-22. nces.ed.gov
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.