Data / Rankings / Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by share of adults with a bachelor's degree

Newton, MA had the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree of 54 cities in 2022, at 80.4%. Lawrence, MA had the lowest, at 15%. The median was 35.7% and the figure for Massachusetts was 45.9%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest80.4Newton, MA
Lowest15Lawrence, MA
Median35.754 cities
Massachusetts45.9History

All cities, 2022

Newton, MA: 80.4 %Newton, MA80.4Cambridge, MA: 79.9 %Cambridge, MA79.9Amherst Town, MA: 72.3 %Amherst Town, MA72.3Somerville, MA: 67.2 %Somerville, MA67.2Newburyport, MA: 64.6 %Newburyport, MA64.6Northampton, MA: 62.9 %Northampton, MA62.9Melrose, MA: 61.3 %Melrose, MA61.3Waltham, MA: 56.6 %Waltham, MA56.6Medford, MA: 56 %Medford, MA56Franklin Town, MA: 55.6 %Franklin Town, MA55.6Boston, MA: 53.4 %Boston, MA53.4Beverly, MA: 52.4 %Beverly, MA52.4Framingham, MA: 50.2 %Framingham, MA50.2Salem, MA: 48.3 %Salem, MA48.3Woburn, MA: 47.7 %Woburn, MA47.7Quincy, MA: 46.9 %Quincy, MA46.9Braintree Town, MA: 46.1 %Braintree Town, MA46.1North Attleborough Town, MA: 45.8 %North Attleborough Town, MA45.8Winthrop Town, MA: 43.7 %Winthrop Town, MA43.7Malden, MA: 43.6 %Malden, MA43.6Bridgewater Town, MA: 41.9 %Bridgewater Town, MA41.9Weymouth Town, MA: 41 %Weymouth Town, MA41Marlborough, MA: 40.7 %Marlborough, MA40.7Gloucester, MA: 39.6 %Gloucester, MA39.6Barnstable Town, MA: 39.5 %Barnstable Town, MA39.5Greenfield, MA: 37 %Greenfield, MA37West Springfield Town, MA: 36.5 %West Springfield Town, MA36.5Peabody, MA: 34.9 %Peabody, MA34.9Agawam Town, MA: 34.5 %Agawam Town, MA34.5Pittsfield, MA: 34.2 %Pittsfield, MA34.2Leominster, MA: 33.1 %Leominster, MA33.1Worcester, MA: 33.1 %Worcester, MA33.1Westfield, MA: 32.6 %Westfield, MA32.6Randolph Town, MA: 32.4 %Randolph Town, MA32.4Attleboro, MA: 32.3 %Attleboro, MA32.3Haverhill, MA: 30 %Haverhill, MA30Lowell, MA: 28.3 %Lowell, MA28.3North Adams, MA: 26.3 %North Adams, MA26.3Revere, MA: 24.7 %Revere, MA24.7Palmer Town, MA: 24.6 %Palmer Town, MA24.6Fitchburg, MA: 23.7 %Fitchburg, MA23.7Everett, MA: 23.6 %Everett, MA23.6Taunton, MA: 22.9 %Taunton, MA22.9Chicopee, MA: 22.9 %Chicopee, MA22.9Holyoke, MA: 22.2 %Holyoke, MA22.2Lynn, MA: 21.9 %Lynn, MA21.9Chelsea, MA: 21.6 %Chelsea, MA21.6Brockton, MA: 20.7 %Brockton, MA20.7Springfield, MA: 20 %Springfield, MA20Gardner, MA: 19.4 %Gardner, MA19.4Southbridge Town, MA: 17 %Southbridge Town, MA17New Bedford, MA: 16.4 %New Bedford, MA16.4Fall River, MA: 15.8 %Fall River, MA15.8Lawrence, MA: 15 %Lawrence, MA15Newton, MA: 80.4 %Newton, MA80.4Cambridge, MA: 79.9 %Cambridge, MA79.9Amherst Town, MA: 72.3 %Amherst Town, MA72.3Somerville, MA: 67.2 %Somerville, MA67.2Newburyport, MA: 64.6 %Newburyport, MA64.6Northampton, MA: 62.9 %Northampton, MA62.9Melrose, MA: 61.3 %Melrose, MA61.3Waltham, MA: 56.6 %Waltham, MA56.6Medford, MA: 56 %Medford, MA56Franklin Town, MA: 55.6 %Franklin Town, MA55.6Boston, MA: 53.4 %Boston, MA53.4Beverly, MA: 52.4 %Beverly, MA52.4Framingham, MA: 50.2 %Framingham, MA50.2Salem, MA: 48.3 %Salem, MA48.3Woburn, MA: 47.7 %Woburn, MA47.7Quincy, MA: 46.9 %Quincy, MA46.9Braintree Town, MA: 46.1 %Braintree Town, MA46.1North Attleborough Town, MA: 45.8 %North Attleborough Town, MA45.8Winthrop Town, MA: 43.7 %Winthrop Town, MA43.7Malden, MA: 43.6 %Malden, MA43.6Bridgewater Town, MA: 41.9 %Bridgewater Town, MA41.9Weymouth Town, MA: 41 %Weymouth Town, MA41Marlborough, MA: 40.7 %Marlborough, MA40.7Gloucester, MA: 39.6 %Gloucester, MA39.6Barnstable Town, MA: 39.5 %Barnstable Town, MA39.5Greenfield, MA: 37 %Greenfield, MA37West Springfield Town, MA: 36.5 %West Springfield Town, MA36.5Peabody, MA: 34.9 %Peabody, MA34.9Agawam Town, MA: 34.5 %Agawam Town, MA34.5Pittsfield, MA: 34.2 %Pittsfield, MA34.2Leominster, MA: 33.1 %Leominster, MA33.1Worcester, MA: 33.1 %Worcester, MA33.1Westfield, MA: 32.6 %Westfield, MA32.6Randolph Town, MA: 32.4 %Randolph Town, MA32.4Attleboro, MA: 32.3 %Attleboro, MA32.3Haverhill, MA: 30 %Haverhill, MA30Lowell, MA: 28.3 %Lowell, MA28.3North Adams, MA: 26.3 %North Adams, MA26.3Revere, MA: 24.7 %Revere, MA24.7Palmer Town, MA: 24.6 %Palmer Town, MA24.6Fitchburg, MA: 23.7 %Fitchburg, MA23.7Everett, MA: 23.6 %Everett, MA23.6Taunton, MA: 22.9 %Taunton, MA22.9Chicopee, MA: 22.9 %Chicopee, MA22.9Holyoke, MA: 22.2 %Holyoke, MA22.2Lynn, MA: 21.9 %Lynn, MA21.9Chelsea, MA: 21.6 %Chelsea, MA21.6Brockton, MA: 20.7 %Brockton, MA20.7Springfield, MA: 20 %Springfield, MA20Gardner, MA: 19.4 %Gardner, MA19.4Southbridge Town, MA: 17 %Southbridge Town, MA17New Bedford, MA: 16.4 %New Bedford, MA16.4Fall River, MA: 15.8 %Fall River, MA15.8Lawrence, MA: 15 %Lawrence, MA15
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Newton, MA80.4+0.2 pts
2Cambridge, MA79.9-0.1 pts
3Amherst Town, MA72.3+1.5 pts
4Somerville, MA67.2+1.3 pts
5Newburyport, MA64.6+0.2 pts
6Northampton, MA62.9+0.6 pts
7Melrose, MA61.3-0.7 pts
8Waltham, MA56.6+1 pts
9Medford, MA56+0.2 pts
10Franklin Town, MA55.6+1 pts
11Boston, MA53.4+1.2 pts
12Beverly, MA52.4+1.9 pts
13Framingham, MA50.2-0.5 pts
14Salem, MA48.3-0.3 pts
15Woburn, MA47.7+1.4 pts
16Quincy, MA46.9+1.2 pts
17Braintree Town, MA46.1-0.1 pts
18North Attleborough Town, MA45.8+1.2 pts
19Winthrop Town, MA43.7+1.3 pts
20Malden, MA43.6+0.6 pts
21Bridgewater Town, MA41.9+2.2 pts
22Weymouth Town, MA41+0.3 pts
23Marlborough, MA40.7+0.4 pts
24Gloucester, MA39.6+0.1 pts
25Barnstable Town, MA39.5-0.1 pts
26Greenfield, MA37+2 pts
27West Springfield Town, MA36.5+0.9 pts
28Peabody, MA34.90 pts
29Agawam Town, MA34.5-0.8 pts
30Pittsfield, MA34.2+1.2 pts
31Leominster, MA33.1+1.3 pts
32Worcester, MA33.1+0.8 pts
33Westfield, MA32.60 pts
34Randolph Town, MA32.4+1.9 pts
35Attleboro, MA32.3+0.6 pts
36Haverhill, MA30+0.2 pts
37Lowell, MA28.3+0.9 pts
38North Adams, MA26.3+1.6 pts
39Revere, MA24.7+0.1 pts
40Palmer Town, MA24.6-0.3 pts
41Fitchburg, MA23.70 pts
42Everett, MA23.6-0.8 pts
43Taunton, MA22.9+0.4 pts
44Chicopee, MA22.9+0.8 pts
45Holyoke, MA22.2+0.1 pts
46Lynn, MA21.9+0.9 pts
47Chelsea, MA21.6+0.8 pts
48Brockton, MA20.7+0.6 pts
49Springfield, MA20+0.5 pts
50Gardner, MA19.4+0.4 pts
51Southbridge Town, MA17+0.3 pts
52New Bedford, MA16.4-0.5 pts
53Fall River, MA15.8+0.2 pts
54Lawrence, MA15+1.4 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 and over whose highest degree is a bachelor's, master's, professional school or doctorate degree, as a percentage of all people aged 25 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Excludes associate degrees and college without a degree. Not comparable with EU tertiary attainment, which includes short-cycle tertiary education and usually covers ages 25 to 64.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. 4 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2022 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Massachusetts by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Massachusetts by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Massachusetts by share of adults with a bachelor's degree using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree?

Newton, MA, with 80.4% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest share of adults with a bachelor's degree?

Lawrence, MA, with 15% in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 4 cities have no value for 2022 and are not ranked.

Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over: other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings