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

Cities in North Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2024

Chapel Hill, NC had the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree of 93 cities in 2024, at 76.6%. Eden, NC had the lowest, at 11.9%. The median was 37.1% and the figure for North Carolina was 35.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest76.6Chapel Hill, NC
Lowest11.9Eden, NC
Median37.193 cities
North Carolina35.7History

Top 40 cities, 2024

Chapel Hill, NC: 76.6 %Chapel Hill, NC76.6Davidson, NC: 75.8 %Davidson, NC75.8Morrisville, NC: 72.7 %Morrisville, NC72.7Cary, NC: 70.5 %Cary, NC70.5Carrboro, NC: 69.9 %Carrboro, NC69.9Apex, NC: 69.5 %Apex, NC69.5Weddington, NC: 68 %Weddington, NC68Holly Springs, NC: 67.3 %Holly Springs, NC67.3Cornelius, NC: 62.2 %Cornelius, NC62.2Rolesville, NC: 62.2 %Rolesville, NC62.2Pinehurst, NC: 60.9 %Pinehurst, NC60.9Wake Forest, NC: 59.5 %Wake Forest, NC59.5Summerfield, NC: 59.5 %Summerfield, NC59.5Huntersville, NC: 57.5 %Huntersville, NC57.5Durham, NC: 57.3 %Durham, NC57.3Boone, NC: 56.8 %Boone, NC56.8Harrisburg, NC: 56.5 %Harrisburg, NC56.5Matthews, NC: 55.2 %Matthews, NC55.2Waxhaw, NC: 55 %Waxhaw, NC55Raleigh, NC: 54 %Raleigh, NC54Fuquay-Varina, NC: 54 %Fuquay-Varina, NC54Stallings, NC: 53.7 %Stallings, NC53.7Asheville, NC: 53.4 %Asheville, NC53.4Southern Pines, NC: 53 %Southern Pines, NC53Elon, NC: 51.5 %Elon, NC51.5Belmont, NC: 51.1 %Belmont, NC51.1Clemmons, NC: 49.4 %Clemmons, NC49.4Knightdale, NC: 48.9 %Knightdale, NC48.9Charlotte, NC: 48 %Charlotte, NC48Lewisville, NC: 47.8 %Lewisville, NC47.8Wilmington, NC: 46.8 %Wilmington, NC46.8Garner, NC: 46.5 %Garner, NC46.5Mooresville, NC: 45.5 %Mooresville, NC45.5Pineville, NC: 44.9 %Pineville, NC44.9Leland, NC: 43.7 %Leland, NC43.7Winterville, NC: 41.2 %Winterville, NC41.2Greensboro, NC: 41 %Greensboro, NC41Concord, NC: 40.9 %Concord, NC40.9Mebane, NC: 40.4 %Mebane, NC40.4Clayton, NC: 40.4 %Clayton, NC40.4Chapel Hill, NC: 76.6 %Chapel Hill, NC76.6Davidson, NC: 75.8 %Davidson, NC75.8Morrisville, NC: 72.7 %Morrisville, NC72.7Cary, NC: 70.5 %Cary, NC70.5Carrboro, NC: 69.9 %Carrboro, NC69.9Apex, NC: 69.5 %Apex, NC69.5Weddington, NC: 68 %Weddington, NC68Holly Springs, NC: 67.3 %Holly Springs, NC67.3Cornelius, NC: 62.2 %Cornelius, NC62.2Rolesville, NC: 62.2 %Rolesville, NC62.2Pinehurst, NC: 60.9 %Pinehurst, NC60.9Wake Forest, NC: 59.5 %Wake Forest, NC59.5Summerfield, NC: 59.5 %Summerfield, NC59.5Huntersville, NC: 57.5 %Huntersville, NC57.5Durham, NC: 57.3 %Durham, NC57.3Boone, NC: 56.8 %Boone, NC56.8Harrisburg, NC: 56.5 %Harrisburg, NC56.5Matthews, NC: 55.2 %Matthews, NC55.2Waxhaw, NC: 55 %Waxhaw, NC55Raleigh, NC: 54 %Raleigh, NC54Fuquay-Varina, NC: 54 %Fuquay-Varina, NC54Stallings, NC: 53.7 %Stallings, NC53.7Asheville, NC: 53.4 %Asheville, NC53.4Southern Pines, NC: 53 %Southern Pines, NC53Elon, NC: 51.5 %Elon, NC51.5Belmont, NC: 51.1 %Belmont, NC51.1Clemmons, NC: 49.4 %Clemmons, NC49.4Knightdale, NC: 48.9 %Knightdale, NC48.9Charlotte, NC: 48 %Charlotte, NC48Lewisville, NC: 47.8 %Lewisville, NC47.8Wilmington, NC: 46.8 %Wilmington, NC46.8Garner, NC: 46.5 %Garner, NC46.5Mooresville, NC: 45.5 %Mooresville, NC45.5Pineville, NC: 44.9 %Pineville, NC44.9Leland, NC: 43.7 %Leland, NC43.7Winterville, NC: 41.2 %Winterville, NC41.2Greensboro, NC: 41 %Greensboro, NC41Concord, NC: 40.9 %Concord, NC40.9Mebane, NC: 40.4 %Mebane, NC40.4Clayton, NC: 40.4 %Clayton, NC40.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Chapel Hill, NC76.6-0.6 pts
2Davidson, NC75.8+0.2 pts
3Morrisville, NC72.7-1.2 pts
4Cary, NC70.5+0.3 pts
5Carrboro, NC69.9-0.5 pts
6Apex, NC69.5+2.9 pts
7Weddington, NC68+2.1 pts
8Holly Springs, NC67.3-0.4 pts
9Cornelius, NC62.2+2.6 pts
10Rolesville, NC62.2-4.4 pts
11Pinehurst, NC60.9-1.1 pts
12Wake Forest, NC59.5+1.7 pts
13Summerfield, NC59.5+0.1 pts
14Huntersville, NC57.5+0.2 pts
15Durham, NC57.3+1.6 pts
16Boone, NC56.8+3.8 pts
17Harrisburg, NC56.5+0.8 pts
18Matthews, NC55.2+1.2 pts
19Waxhaw, NC55+0.1 pts
20Raleigh, NC54+1.1 pts
21Fuquay-Varina, NC54+1.1 pts
22Stallings, NC53.7+2.8 pts
23Asheville, NC53.4+1.4 pts
24Southern Pines, NC53-1.7 pts
25Elon, NC51.5-1.8 pts
26Belmont, NC51.1+5.4 pts
27Clemmons, NC49.4+0.3 pts
28Knightdale, NC48.9+4.7 pts
29Charlotte, NC48+0.5 pts
30Lewisville, NC47.8+2.8 pts
31Wilmington, NC46.8+1 pts
32Garner, NC46.5+0.7 pts
33Mooresville, NC45.5+0.2 pts
34Pineville, NC44.9-1.7 pts
35Leland, NC43.7+4.7 pts
36Winterville, NC41.2-1.3 pts
37Greensboro, NC41+1.1 pts
38Concord, NC40.9-0.8 pts
39Mebane, NC40.4-0.3 pts
40Clayton, NC40.4+4.8 pts
41Mint Hill, NC40.4+2 pts
42Indian Trail, NC40.2-0.9 pts
43Winston-Salem, NC39.5+2.3 pts
44Greenville, NC39.1-0.2 pts
45Wendell, NC38.2+0.9 pts
46Hendersonville, NC38.1+0.2 pts
47Hickory, NC37.1+1.2 pts
48Kernersville, NC37+0.8 pts
49Mount Holly, NC36.7-1.3 pts
50Morehead City, NC35.6+1 pts
51High Point, NC34+0.1 pts
52Waynesville, NC33+1.6 pts
53Aberdeen, NC31.9-4.1 pts
54Zebulon, NC30.9+6.9 pts
55Salisbury, NC29.9+3 pts
56Kannapolis, NC29.7+1.6 pts
57Burlington, NC29.6+0.8 pts
58New Bern, NC29.4-0.2 pts
59Fayetteville, NC29+0.4 pts
60Elizabeth City, NC27.2-0.8 pts
61Statesville, NC26.9-0 pts
62Smithfield, NC26.7+0.7 pts
63Gastonia, NC26.6-1.1 pts
63Shelby, NC26.60 pts
65Tarboro, NC26.6+1.2 pts
66Jacksonville, NC26.3+1.2 pts
67Morganton, NC26.1+3.1 pts
68Spring Lake, NC25.2+0.4 pts
69Graham, NC24.7+1.2 pts
70Wilson, NC24.5+1.7 pts
71Monroe, NC24.1+2.5 pts
72Lincolnton, NC24+4.6 pts
73Hope Mills, NC23.4-0.2 pts
74Mount Airy, NC23.1-1.2 pts
75Rocky Mount, NC22.9+1.4 pts
76Archdale, NC22.9+0.2 pts
77Roanoke Rapids, NC22+0.2 pts
78Reidsville, NC21.9-0 pts
79Sanford, NC21.6-0.7 pts
80Lenoir, NC21.2+0.6 pts
81Goldsboro, NC21-0.4 pts
82Newton, NC21+1.7 pts
83Albemarle, NC20.4-1.1 pts
84Laurinburg, NC20.1+1.3 pts
85Lumberton, NC19.2-2.1 pts
86Asheboro, NC19.1-1.1 pts
87Havelock, NC18.7+1.8 pts
88Kings Mountain, NC17.8+0.7 pts
89Kinston, NC16.4+0.3 pts
90Henderson, NC15.5-0.8 pts
91Thomasville, NC15.3-0.3 pts
92Lexington, NC12.9-0.4 pts
93Eden, NC11.9-2.1 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. 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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 North Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 North Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/north-carolina-cities. 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 North Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/north-carolina-cities.

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 North Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/north-carolina-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2024,
  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 North Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/north-carolina-cities. 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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 North Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/north-carolina-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/north-carolina-cities.
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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Chapel Hill, NC, with 76.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Eden, NC, with 11.9% in 2024.

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.

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

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings