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 2022, at 62.6%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 22.7%. The median was 33.5% and the figure for the United States was 34.3%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest62.6District of Columbia
Lowest22.7West Virginia
Median33.551 states
United States34.3History

All states, 2022

CSVChart (SVG)

District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 62.6 %62.6MassachusettsMassachusetts: 45.9 %45.9ColoradoColorado: 43.7 %43.7New JerseyNew Jersey: 42.3 %42.3MarylandMaryland: 42.2 %42.2VermontVermont: 41.7 %41.7ConnecticutConnecticut: 41.4 %41.4VirginiaVirginia: 41 %41New HampshireNew Hampshire: 39.1 %39.1New YorkNew York: 38.8 %38.8MinnesotaMinnesota: 38.2 %38.2WashingtonWashington: 38 %38IllinoisIllinois: 36.7 %36.7Rhode IslandRhode Island: 36.3 %36.3UtahUtah: 36.1 %36.1CaliforniaCalifornia: 35.9 %35.9OregonOregon: 35.5 %35.5HawaiiHawaii: 34.7 %34.7KansasKansas: 34.7 %34.7DelawareDelaware: 34.5 %34.5MaineMaine: 34.1 %34.1MontanaMontana: 34 %34North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 33.9 %33.9PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 33.8 %33.8GeorgiaGeorgia: 33.6 %33.6NebraskaNebraska: 33.5 %33.5FloridaFlorida: 32.3 %32.3TexasTexas: 32.3 %32.3WisconsinWisconsin: 32 %32ArizonaArizona: 31.8 %31.8North DakotaNorth Dakota: 31.4 %31.4MissouriMissouri: 31.2 %31.2MichiganMichigan: 31.1 %31.1AlaskaAlaska: 30.8 %30.8South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 30.6 %30.6OhioOhio: 30.4 %30.4South DakotaSouth Dakota: 30.4 %30.4IowaIowa: 30.3 %30.3IdahoIdaho: 30.2 %30.2TennesseeTennessee: 29.7 %29.7New MexicoNew Mexico: 29.1 %29.1WyomingWyoming: 29 %29IndianaIndiana: 28.2 %28.2OklahomaOklahoma: 27.3 %27.3AlabamaAlabama: 27.2 %27.2NevadaNevada: 26.6 %26.6KentuckyKentucky: 26.5 %26.5LouisianaLouisiana: 26.1 %26.1ArkansasArkansas: 24.7 %24.7MississippiMississippi: 23.9 %23.9West VirginiaWest Virginia: 22.7 %22.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2022 (%)Change on 2021
1District of Columbia62.6+1.2 pts
2Massachusetts45.9+0.7 pts
3Colorado43.7+0.9 pts
4New Jersey42.3+0.8 pts
5Maryland42.2+0.7 pts
6Vermont41.7+0.9 pts
7Connecticut41.4+0.8 pts
8Virginia41+0.6 pts
9New Hampshire39.1+0.8 pts
10New York38.8+0.7 pts
11Minnesota38.2+0.6 pts
12Washington38+0.7 pts
13Illinois36.7+0.5 pts
14Rhode Island36.3+1 pts
15Utah36.1+0.7 pts
16California35.9+0.6 pts
17Oregon35.5+0.4 pts
18Hawaii34.7+0.4 pts
19Kansas34.7+0.3 pts
20Delaware34.5+0.8 pts
21Maine34.1+0.5 pts
22Montana34+0.3 pts
23North Carolina33.9+0.8 pts
24Pennsylvania33.8+0.6 pts
25Georgia33.6+0.6 pts
26Nebraska33.5+0.5 pts
27Florida32.3+0.8 pts
28Texas32.3+0.7 pts
29Wisconsin32+0.5 pts
30Arizona31.8+0.6 pts
31North Dakota31.4+0.3 pts
32Missouri31.2+0.5 pts
33Michigan31.1+0.5 pts
34Alaska30.8+0.2 pts
35South Carolina30.6+0.8 pts
36Ohio30.4+0.7 pts
36South Dakota30.4+0.4 pts
38Iowa30.3+0.6 pts
39Idaho30.2+1.1 pts
40Tennessee29.7+0.7 pts
41New Mexico29.1+0.5 pts
42Wyoming29+0.5 pts
43Indiana28.2+0.4 pts
44Oklahoma27.3+0.4 pts
45Alabama27.2+0.5 pts
46Nevada26.6+0.5 pts
47Kentucky26.5+0.8 pts
48Louisiana26.1+0.6 pts
49Arkansas24.7+0.4 pts
50Mississippi23.9+0.6 pts
51West Virginia22.7+0.9 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. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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 62.6% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

West Virginia, with 22.7% 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. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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

US states: more rankings