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

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

Brentwood, TN had the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree of 65 cities in 2023, at 74.5%. Hartsville, TN had the lowest, at 10.1%. The median was 29.4% and the figure for Tennessee was 30.4%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest74.5Brentwood, TN
Lowest10.1Hartsville, TN
Median29.465 cities
Tennessee30.4History

Top 40 cities, 2023

Brentwood, TN: 74.5 %Brentwood, TN74.5Germantown, TN: 71.2 %Germantown, TN71.2Nolensville, TN: 68.3 %Nolensville, TN68.3Farragut, TN: 65.1 %Farragut, TN65.1Franklin, TN: 64.3 %Franklin, TN64.3Collierville, TN: 60.6 %Collierville, TN60.6Lakeland, TN: 55.7 %Lakeland, TN55.7Arlington, TN: 50.1 %Arlington, TN50.1Mount Juliet, TN: 49.5 %Mount Juliet, TN49.5Collegedale, TN: 47.7 %Collegedale, TN47.7Nashville, TN: 46.9 %Nashville, TN46.9Spring Hill, TN: 46 %Spring Hill, TN46Hendersonville, TN: 43.6 %Hendersonville, TN43.6Red Bank, TN: 43.4 %Red Bank, TN43.4Johnson City, TN: 41.8 %Johnson City, TN41.8Murfreesboro, TN: 41.1 %Murfreesboro, TN41.1Oak Ridge, TN: 39.4 %Oak Ridge, TN39.4Bartlett, TN: 37.5 %Bartlett, TN37.5Maryville, TN: 37 %Maryville, TN37Fairview, TN: 36.9 %Fairview, TN36.9Chattanooga, TN: 35.5 %Chattanooga, TN35.5Cookeville, TN: 35.4 %Cookeville, TN35.4Knoxville, TN: 33.7 %Knoxville, TN33.7Goodlettsville, TN: 32.7 %Goodlettsville, TN32.7Gallatin, TN: 32 %Gallatin, TN32Cleveland, TN: 31.1 %Cleveland, TN31.1Alcoa, TN: 31 %Alcoa, TN31Kingsport, TN: 31 %Kingsport, TN31Clarksville, TN: 30.6 %Clarksville, TN30.6Oakland, TN: 30.6 %Oakland, TN30.6Lebanon, TN: 30 %Lebanon, TN30Bristol, TN: 29.8 %Bristol, TN29.8Martin, TN: 29.4 %Martin, TN29.4Smyrna, TN: 28.2 %Smyrna, TN28.2Memphis, TN: 28.2 %Memphis, TN28.2Atoka, TN: 27.7 %Atoka, TN27.7Tullahoma, TN: 27.3 %Tullahoma, TN27.3Jackson, TN: 26.6 %Jackson, TN26.6Manchester, TN: 25.7 %Manchester, TN25.7White House, TN: 25.7 %White House, TN25.7Brentwood, TN: 74.5 %Brentwood, TN74.5Germantown, TN: 71.2 %Germantown, TN71.2Nolensville, TN: 68.3 %Nolensville, TN68.3Farragut, TN: 65.1 %Farragut, TN65.1Franklin, TN: 64.3 %Franklin, TN64.3Collierville, TN: 60.6 %Collierville, TN60.6Lakeland, TN: 55.7 %Lakeland, TN55.7Arlington, TN: 50.1 %Arlington, TN50.1Mount Juliet, TN: 49.5 %Mount Juliet, TN49.5Collegedale, TN: 47.7 %Collegedale, TN47.7Nashville, TN: 46.9 %Nashville, TN46.9Spring Hill, TN: 46 %Spring Hill, TN46Hendersonville, TN: 43.6 %Hendersonville, TN43.6Red Bank, TN: 43.4 %Red Bank, TN43.4Johnson City, TN: 41.8 %Johnson City, TN41.8Murfreesboro, TN: 41.1 %Murfreesboro, TN41.1Oak Ridge, TN: 39.4 %Oak Ridge, TN39.4Bartlett, TN: 37.5 %Bartlett, TN37.5Maryville, TN: 37 %Maryville, TN37Fairview, TN: 36.9 %Fairview, TN36.9Chattanooga, TN: 35.5 %Chattanooga, TN35.5Cookeville, TN: 35.4 %Cookeville, TN35.4Knoxville, TN: 33.7 %Knoxville, TN33.7Goodlettsville, TN: 32.7 %Goodlettsville, TN32.7Gallatin, TN: 32 %Gallatin, TN32Cleveland, TN: 31.1 %Cleveland, TN31.1Alcoa, TN: 31 %Alcoa, TN31Kingsport, TN: 31 %Kingsport, TN31Clarksville, TN: 30.6 %Clarksville, TN30.6Oakland, TN: 30.6 %Oakland, TN30.6Lebanon, TN: 30 %Lebanon, TN30Bristol, TN: 29.8 %Bristol, TN29.8Martin, TN: 29.4 %Martin, TN29.4Smyrna, TN: 28.2 %Smyrna, TN28.2Memphis, TN: 28.2 %Memphis, TN28.2Atoka, TN: 27.7 %Atoka, TN27.7Tullahoma, TN: 27.3 %Tullahoma, TN27.3Jackson, TN: 26.6 %Jackson, TN26.6Manchester, TN: 25.7 %Manchester, TN25.7White House, TN: 25.7 %White House, TN25.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Brentwood, TN74.5-0.9 pts
2Germantown, TN71.2+1.6 pts
3Nolensville, TN68.3-3.3 pts
4Farragut, TN65.1-0.3 pts
5Franklin, TN64.3+0.9 pts
6Collierville, TN60.6+0.2 pts
7Lakeland, TN55.7+3.8 pts
8Arlington, TN50.1+0.1 pts
9Mount Juliet, TN49.5+1.6 pts
10Collegedale, TN47.7+1.6 pts
11Nashville, TN46.9+1.5 pts
12Spring Hill, TN46-2.7 pts
13Hendersonville, TN43.6+1.9 pts
14Red Bank, TN43.4+3.9 pts
15Johnson City, TN41.8+1.2 pts
16Murfreesboro, TN41.1+0.6 pts
17Oak Ridge, TN39.4+1.5 pts
18Bartlett, TN37.5+1.5 pts
19Maryville, TN37-0.2 pts
20Fairview, TN36.9+1.4 pts
21Chattanooga, TN35.5+1.4 pts
22Cookeville, TN35.4+1.2 pts
23Knoxville, TN33.7+0.6 pts
24Goodlettsville, TN32.7-1.9 pts
25Gallatin, TN32+1.1 pts
26Cleveland, TN31.1+0.3 pts
27Alcoa, TN31-0.4 pts
28Kingsport, TN31+0.9 pts
29Clarksville, TN30.6+1.7 pts
30Oakland, TN30.6+0.4 pts
31Lebanon, TN30-0 pts
32Bristol, TN29.8+0.1 pts
33Martin, TN29.4+2.2 pts
34Smyrna, TN28.2+0.6 pts
35Memphis, TN28.2+0.3 pts
36Atoka, TN27.7-2.8 pts
37Tullahoma, TN27.3-0.2 pts
38Jackson, TN26.6-0.3 pts
39Manchester, TN25.7+2 pts
39White House, TN25.7+1.6 pts
41Winchester, TN25.3-1 pts
42Elizabethton, TN25.2+0.9 pts
43Greeneville, TN25+1.8 pts
44Columbia, TN23.9+2.5 pts
45La Vergne, TN23.7-0 pts
46East Ridge, TN23.1+1.7 pts
47Dyersburg, TN23-0.1 pts
48Athens, TN22.6-0.3 pts
49Sevierville, TN21.8+0.2 pts
50Soddy-Daisy, TN21.7-0.9 pts
51Union City, TN20.9+1.7 pts
52Millington, TN20+0.8 pts
53Lenoir City, TN19.9-1.6 pts
54Paris, TN19.5-0.1 pts
55Crossville, TN18.40 pts
56Clinton, TN18.1-0.4 pts
57Dickson, TN18.1+1.9 pts
58Springfield, TN17.3+1.2 pts
59Lawrenceburg, TN16.6-0.4 pts
60Lewisburg, TN16.5+0.5 pts
61Morristown, TN14.8-0.8 pts
62Portland, TN14.2+0.1 pts
63McMinnville, TN13.7-0.7 pts
64Shelbyville, TN11.6-1.4 pts
65Hartsville, TN10.1+0.4 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. 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_tennessee_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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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?

Brentwood, TN, with 74.5% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Hartsville, TN, with 10.1% 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.

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

Cities in Tennessee: more rankings