The most educated states
Share of adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher, from the Census ACS 5-year estimates.
Top of the list: District of Columbia at 64.2%. Bottom: West Virginia at 24.1%.
| # | State | Bachelor's or higher | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 64.2% | $109,870 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 47.3% | $103,960 |
| 3 | Colorado | 45.7% | $95,470 |
| 4 | Vermont | 43.8% | $81,203 |
| 5 | New Jersey | 43.6% | $103,556 |
| 6 | Maryland | 43.4% | $103,678 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 42.5% | $95,781 |
| 8 | Virginia | 42.2% | $93,170 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 40.6% | $99,031 |
| 10 | New York | 40.2% | $85,974 |
| 11 | Washington | 39.6% | $98,141 |
| 12 | Minnesota | 39.4% | $89,062 |
| 13 | Illinois | 37.8% | $83,390 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | 37.7% | $87,796 |
| 15 | Utah | 37.7% | $95,166 |
| 16 | California | 37.1% | $99,122 |
| 17 | Oregon | 36.8% | $83,011 |
| 18 | Maine | 36.2% | $74,733 |
| 19 | Hawaii | 36.1% | $100,389 |
| 20 | Delaware | 35.8% | $84,954 |
| 21 | North Carolina | 35.7% | $72,388 |
| 22 | Kansas | 35.6% | $74,275 |
| 23 | Montana | 35.2% | $72,509 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | 35.2% | $77,971 |
| 25 | Georgia | 34.9% | $77,353 |
| 26 | Nebraska | 34.6% | $76,475 |
| 27 | Florida | 34.1% | $74,568 |
| 28 | Texas | 33.8% | $78,476 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | 33.4% | $77,485 |
| 30 | Arizona | 33.3% | $79,964 |
| 31 | North Dakota | 32.7% | $76,657 |
| 32 | Michigan | 32.4% | $72,875 |
| 33 | Missouri | 32.4% | $70,702 |
| 34 | South Carolina | 32.1% | $69,324 |
| 35 | South Dakota | 31.9% | $75,081 |
| 36 | Idaho | 31.8% | $77,800 |
| 37 | Alaska | 31.7% | $92,788 |
| 38 | Ohio | 31.5% | $71,389 |
| 39 | Iowa | 31.4% | $75,059 |
| 40 | Tennessee | 31.1% | $69,595 |
| 41 | New Mexico | 31.0% | $64,059 |
| 42 | Wyoming | 30.6% | $76,176 |
| 43 | Indiana | 29.5% | $71,957 |
| 44 | Alabama | 28.4% | $63,999 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | 28.3% | $65,039 |
| 46 | Nevada | 27.9% | $78,260 |
| 47 | Kentucky | 27.6% | $63,726 |
| 48 | Louisiana | 27.0% | $60,756 |
| 49 | Arkansas | 25.7% | $60,773 |
| 50 | Mississippi | 25.1% | $56,447 |
| 51 | West Virginia | 24.1% | $59,608 |
US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates (summary file) · B01003, B01002, B25031, B19301, B17001, B15003, B08013, B08303, B08301, B28002, B27010, B25040 · 2020–2024 · rel. December 2025 · Official data
Understanding the most educated states
Across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, bachelor's or higher spans from 64.2% in the District of Columbia at the top of the list to 24.1% in West Virginia at the bottom. The three at the top are the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Colorado; the three at the bottom are Arkansas, Mississippi, and West Virginia.
The District of Columbia stands apart: 64% of adults there hold at least a bachelor's degree. Among the states, Massachusetts leads at 47%, followed by Colorado, Vermont, New Jersey, and Maryland, all above 43%. West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kentucky are at the bottom, between 24% and 28%. Nationally the share is about 36%.
Education and income move together closely, as the second column shows. States with more graduates tend to have more professional jobs and higher pay, and they also tend to have higher housing costs. That makes this ranking a rough guide to the kind of labor market a state offers, not just its schools.
The figures cover adults 25 and older, so they reflect where graduates live, not where they studied. States that attract college-educated movers rank higher than their own universities alone would suggest, and states that lose young graduates rank lower.