Data / Rankings / Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over / US states

US states by share of adults with a bachelor's degree

District of Columbia had the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree of 51 states in 2021, at 61.4%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 21.8%. The median was 33% and the figure for the United States was 33.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest61.4District of Columbia
Lowest21.8West Virginia
Median3351 states
United States33.7History

All states, 2021

CSVChart (SVG)

District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 61.4 %61.4MassachusettsMassachusetts: 45.2 %45.2ColoradoColorado: 42.8 %42.8MarylandMaryland: 41.6 %41.6New JerseyNew Jersey: 41.5 %41.5VermontVermont: 40.9 %40.9ConnecticutConnecticut: 40.6 %40.6VirginiaVirginia: 40.3 %40.3New HampshireNew Hampshire: 38.2 %38.2New YorkNew York: 38.1 %38.1MinnesotaMinnesota: 37.6 %37.6WashingtonWashington: 37.3 %37.3IllinoisIllinois: 36.2 %36.2UtahUtah: 35.4 %35.4Rhode IslandRhode Island: 35.3 %35.3CaliforniaCalifornia: 35.3 %35.3OregonOregon: 35 %35KansasKansas: 34.4 %34.4HawaiiHawaii: 34.3 %34.3MontanaMontana: 33.7 %33.7DelawareDelaware: 33.7 %33.7MaineMaine: 33.6 %33.6PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 33.1 %33.1North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 33 %33GeorgiaGeorgia: 33 %33NebraskaNebraska: 33 %33FloridaFlorida: 31.5 %31.5TexasTexas: 31.5 %31.5WisconsinWisconsin: 31.5 %31.5ArizonaArizona: 31.2 %31.2North DakotaNorth Dakota: 31.1 %31.1MissouriMissouri: 30.7 %30.7MichiganMichigan: 30.6 %30.6AlaskaAlaska: 30.6 %30.6South DakotaSouth Dakota: 30 %30South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 29.8 %29.8IowaIowa: 29.7 %29.7OhioOhio: 29.7 %29.7IdahoIdaho: 29.1 %29.1TennesseeTennessee: 29 %29New MexicoNew Mexico: 28.5 %28.5WyomingWyoming: 28.5 %28.5IndianaIndiana: 27.8 %27.8OklahomaOklahoma: 26.9 %26.9AlabamaAlabama: 26.7 %26.7NevadaNevada: 26.1 %26.1KentuckyKentucky: 25.7 %25.7LouisianaLouisiana: 25.5 %25.5ArkansasArkansas: 24.3 %24.3MississippiMississippi: 23.3 %23.3West VirginiaWest Virginia: 21.8 %21.8
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2021 (%)
1District of Columbia61.4
2Massachusetts45.2
3Colorado42.8
4Maryland41.6
5New Jersey41.5
6Vermont40.9
7Connecticut40.6
8Virginia40.3
9New Hampshire38.2
10New York38.1
11Minnesota37.6
12Washington37.3
13Illinois36.2
14Utah35.4
15Rhode Island35.3
16California35.3
17Oregon35
18Kansas34.4
19Hawaii34.3
20Montana33.7
21Delaware33.7
22Maine33.6
23Pennsylvania33.1
24North Carolina33
25Georgia33
26Nebraska33
27Florida31.5
27Texas31.5
29Wisconsin31.5
30Arizona31.2
31North Dakota31.1
32Missouri30.7
33Michigan30.6
34Alaska30.6
35South Dakota30
36South Carolina29.8
37Iowa29.7
38Ohio29.7
39Idaho29.1
40Tennessee29
41New Mexico28.5
42Wyoming28.5
43Indiana27.8
44Oklahoma26.9
45Alabama26.7
46Nevada26.1
47Kentucky25.7
48Louisiana25.5
49Arkansas24.3
50Mississippi23.3
51West Virginia21.8

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. Calculated from counts in ACS table B15003, which are stored as inputs.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

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

District of Columbia, with 61.4% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

West Virginia, with 21.8% in 2021.

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. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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

US states: more rankings