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 2023, at 80.7%. Lawrence, MA had the lowest, at 16.5%. The median was 34.9% and the figure for Massachusetts was 46.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest80.7Newton, MA
Lowest16.5Lawrence, MA
Median34.954 cities
Massachusetts46.6History

All cities, 2023

Newton, MA: 80.7 %Newton, MA80.7Cambridge, MA: 80.2 %Cambridge, MA80.2Amherst Town, MA: 73.8 %Amherst Town, MA73.8Somerville, MA: 68 %Somerville, MA68Newburyport, MA: 65.9 %Newburyport, MA65.9Melrose, MA: 62 %Melrose, MA62Northampton, MA: 61.3 %Northampton, MA61.3Medford, MA: 57.6 %Medford, MA57.6Franklin Town, MA: 56.4 %Franklin Town, MA56.4Waltham, MA: 56.4 %Waltham, MA56.4Boston, MA: 54.1 %Boston, MA54.1Beverly, MA: 52.3 %Beverly, MA52.3Salem, MA: 49.6 %Salem, MA49.6Framingham, MA: 49.4 %Framingham, MA49.4Quincy, MA: 48.7 %Quincy, MA48.7Woburn, MA: 47.3 %Woburn, MA47.3Braintree Town, MA: 47.1 %Braintree Town, MA47.1North Attleborough Town, MA: 46.8 %North Attleborough Town, MA46.8Malden, MA: 44.9 %Malden, MA44.9Weymouth Town, MA: 43.1 %Weymouth Town, MA43.1Winthrop Town, MA: 42.9 %Winthrop Town, MA42.9Barnstable Town, MA: 42.3 %Barnstable Town, MA42.3Marlborough, MA: 40.6 %Marlborough, MA40.6Bridgewater Town, MA: 39.7 %Bridgewater Town, MA39.7Gloucester, MA: 38.8 %Gloucester, MA38.8Greenfield, MA: 37.8 %Greenfield, MA37.8West Springfield Town, MA: 34.9 %West Springfield Town, MA34.9Agawam Town, MA: 34.9 %Agawam Town, MA34.9Randolph Town, MA: 34.7 %Randolph Town, MA34.7Pittsfield, MA: 34.2 %Pittsfield, MA34.2Worcester, MA: 34.1 %Worcester, MA34.1Peabody, MA: 33.9 %Peabody, MA33.9Attleboro, MA: 33.7 %Attleboro, MA33.7Westfield, MA: 32.6 %Westfield, MA32.6Leominster, MA: 32.3 %Leominster, MA32.3Haverhill, MA: 31.7 %Haverhill, MA31.7Lowell, MA: 29.9 %Lowell, MA29.9North Adams, MA: 27 %North Adams, MA27Revere, MA: 24.7 %Revere, MA24.7Fitchburg, MA: 24.5 %Fitchburg, MA24.5Taunton, MA: 24.4 %Taunton, MA24.4Holyoke, MA: 24.3 %Holyoke, MA24.3Palmer Town, MA: 24 %Palmer Town, MA24Everett, MA: 23.5 %Everett, MA23.5Lynn, MA: 23.3 %Lynn, MA23.3Chicopee, MA: 23.2 %Chicopee, MA23.2Gardner, MA: 22.8 %Gardner, MA22.8Chelsea, MA: 22 %Chelsea, MA22Brockton, MA: 21.3 %Brockton, MA21.3Springfield, MA: 19.7 %Springfield, MA19.7Southbridge Town, MA: 17.7 %Southbridge Town, MA17.7Fall River, MA: 16.8 %Fall River, MA16.8New Bedford, MA: 16.8 %New Bedford, MA16.8Lawrence, MA: 16.5 %Lawrence, MA16.5Newton, MA: 80.7 %Newton, MA80.7Cambridge, MA: 80.2 %Cambridge, MA80.2Amherst Town, MA: 73.8 %Amherst Town, MA73.8Somerville, MA: 68 %Somerville, MA68Newburyport, MA: 65.9 %Newburyport, MA65.9Melrose, MA: 62 %Melrose, MA62Northampton, MA: 61.3 %Northampton, MA61.3Medford, MA: 57.6 %Medford, MA57.6Franklin Town, MA: 56.4 %Franklin Town, MA56.4Waltham, MA: 56.4 %Waltham, MA56.4Boston, MA: 54.1 %Boston, MA54.1Beverly, MA: 52.3 %Beverly, MA52.3Salem, MA: 49.6 %Salem, MA49.6Framingham, MA: 49.4 %Framingham, MA49.4Quincy, MA: 48.7 %Quincy, MA48.7Woburn, MA: 47.3 %Woburn, MA47.3Braintree Town, MA: 47.1 %Braintree Town, MA47.1North Attleborough Town, MA: 46.8 %North Attleborough Town, MA46.8Malden, MA: 44.9 %Malden, MA44.9Weymouth Town, MA: 43.1 %Weymouth Town, MA43.1Winthrop Town, MA: 42.9 %Winthrop Town, MA42.9Barnstable Town, MA: 42.3 %Barnstable Town, MA42.3Marlborough, MA: 40.6 %Marlborough, MA40.6Bridgewater Town, MA: 39.7 %Bridgewater Town, MA39.7Gloucester, MA: 38.8 %Gloucester, MA38.8Greenfield, MA: 37.8 %Greenfield, MA37.8West Springfield Town, MA: 34.9 %West Springfield Town, MA34.9Agawam Town, MA: 34.9 %Agawam Town, MA34.9Randolph Town, MA: 34.7 %Randolph Town, MA34.7Pittsfield, MA: 34.2 %Pittsfield, MA34.2Worcester, MA: 34.1 %Worcester, MA34.1Peabody, MA: 33.9 %Peabody, MA33.9Attleboro, MA: 33.7 %Attleboro, MA33.7Westfield, MA: 32.6 %Westfield, MA32.6Leominster, MA: 32.3 %Leominster, MA32.3Haverhill, MA: 31.7 %Haverhill, MA31.7Lowell, MA: 29.9 %Lowell, MA29.9North Adams, MA: 27 %North Adams, MA27Revere, MA: 24.7 %Revere, MA24.7Fitchburg, MA: 24.5 %Fitchburg, MA24.5Taunton, MA: 24.4 %Taunton, MA24.4Holyoke, MA: 24.3 %Holyoke, MA24.3Palmer Town, MA: 24 %Palmer Town, MA24Everett, MA: 23.5 %Everett, MA23.5Lynn, MA: 23.3 %Lynn, MA23.3Chicopee, MA: 23.2 %Chicopee, MA23.2Gardner, MA: 22.8 %Gardner, MA22.8Chelsea, MA: 22 %Chelsea, MA22Brockton, MA: 21.3 %Brockton, MA21.3Springfield, MA: 19.7 %Springfield, MA19.7Southbridge Town, MA: 17.7 %Southbridge Town, MA17.7Fall River, MA: 16.8 %Fall River, MA16.8New Bedford, MA: 16.8 %New Bedford, MA16.8Lawrence, MA: 16.5 %Lawrence, MA16.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Newton, MA80.7+0.3 pts
2Cambridge, MA80.2+0.3 pts
3Amherst Town, MA73.8+1.5 pts
4Somerville, MA68+0.9 pts
5Newburyport, MA65.9+1.3 pts
6Melrose, MA62+0.7 pts
7Northampton, MA61.3-1.6 pts
8Medford, MA57.6+1.6 pts
9Franklin Town, MA56.4+0.8 pts
10Waltham, MA56.4-0.1 pts
11Boston, MA54.1+0.7 pts
12Beverly, MA52.3-0.1 pts
13Salem, MA49.6+1.4 pts
14Framingham, MA49.4-0.7 pts
15Quincy, MA48.7+1.8 pts
16Woburn, MA47.3-0.4 pts
17Braintree Town, MA47.1+1 pts
18North Attleborough Town, MA46.8+1.1 pts
19Malden, MA44.9+1.3 pts
20Weymouth Town, MA43.1+2.1 pts
21Winthrop Town, MA42.9-0.8 pts
22Barnstable Town, MA42.3+2.8 pts
23Marlborough, MA40.6-0.1 pts
24Bridgewater Town, MA39.7-2.2 pts
25Gloucester, MA38.8-0.9 pts
26Greenfield, MA37.8+0.8 pts
27West Springfield Town, MA34.9-1.6 pts
28Agawam Town, MA34.9+0.4 pts
29Randolph Town, MA34.7+2.3 pts
30Pittsfield, MA34.2-0.1 pts
31Worcester, MA34.1+1 pts
32Peabody, MA33.9-1 pts
33Attleboro, MA33.7+1.4 pts
34Westfield, MA32.60 pts
35Leominster, MA32.3-0.8 pts
36Haverhill, MA31.7+1.6 pts
37Lowell, MA29.9+1.5 pts
38North Adams, MA27+0.7 pts
39Revere, MA24.70 pts
40Fitchburg, MA24.5+0.8 pts
41Taunton, MA24.4+1.5 pts
42Holyoke, MA24.3+2.1 pts
43Palmer Town, MA24-0.6 pts
44Everett, MA23.5-0.1 pts
45Lynn, MA23.3+1.4 pts
46Chicopee, MA23.2+0.4 pts
47Gardner, MA22.8+3.4 pts
48Chelsea, MA22+0.4 pts
49Brockton, MA21.3+0.6 pts
50Springfield, MA19.7-0.3 pts
51Southbridge Town, MA17.7+0.7 pts
52Fall River, MA16.8+1 pts
53New Bedford, MA16.8+0.4 pts
54Lawrence, MA16.5+1.5 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 2023 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2023. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/massachusetts-cities?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 80.7% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Lawrence, MA, with 16.5% in 2023.

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 2023 and are not ranked.

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

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings