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 2023, at 63.6%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 23.3%. The median was 34.1% and the figure for the United States was 35%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest63.6District of Columbia
Lowest23.3West Virginia
Median34.151 states
United States35History

All states, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 63.6 %63.6MassachusettsMassachusetts: 46.6 %46.6ColoradoColorado: 44.7 %44.7New JerseyNew Jersey: 42.9 %42.9MarylandMaryland: 42.7 %42.7VermontVermont: 42.6 %42.6ConnecticutConnecticut: 41.9 %41.9VirginiaVirginia: 41.5 %41.5New HampshireNew Hampshire: 39.8 %39.8New YorkNew York: 39.6 %39.6MinnesotaMinnesota: 38.8 %38.8WashingtonWashington: 38.8 %38.8Rhode IslandRhode Island: 37.3 %37.3IllinoisIllinois: 37.2 %37.2UtahUtah: 36.9 %36.9CaliforniaCalifornia: 36.5 %36.5OregonOregon: 36.2 %36.2HawaiiHawaii: 35.5 %35.5MaineMaine: 35.3 %35.3DelawareDelaware: 35.3 %35.3KansasKansas: 35.2 %35.2North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 34.7 %34.7MontanaMontana: 34.5 %34.5PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 34.5 %34.5GeorgiaGeorgia: 34.2 %34.2NebraskaNebraska: 34.1 %34.1FloridaFlorida: 33.2 %33.2TexasTexas: 33.1 %33.1WisconsinWisconsin: 32.8 %32.8ArizonaArizona: 32.6 %32.6North DakotaNorth Dakota: 32.3 %32.3MissouriMissouri: 31.9 %31.9MichiganMichigan: 31.8 %31.8South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 31.5 %31.5AlaskaAlaska: 31.2 %31.2IdahoIdaho: 31.2 %31.2South DakotaSouth Dakota: 31.1 %31.1OhioOhio: 31 %31IowaIowa: 30.9 %30.9TennesseeTennessee: 30.4 %30.4New MexicoNew Mexico: 30.2 %30.2WyomingWyoming: 29.9 %29.9IndianaIndiana: 28.8 %28.8OklahomaOklahoma: 27.8 %27.8AlabamaAlabama: 27.8 %27.8NevadaNevada: 27.4 %27.4KentuckyKentucky: 27 %27LouisianaLouisiana: 26.6 %26.6ArkansasArkansas: 25.1 %25.1MississippiMississippi: 24.2 %24.2West VirginiaWest Virginia: 23.3 %23.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2023 (%)Change on 2022
1District of Columbia63.6+0.9 pts
2Massachusetts46.6+0.7 pts
3Colorado44.7+1 pts
4New Jersey42.9+0.7 pts
5Maryland42.7+0.5 pts
6Vermont42.6+0.9 pts
7Connecticut41.9+0.6 pts
8Virginia41.5+0.5 pts
9New Hampshire39.8+0.8 pts
10New York39.6+0.8 pts
11Minnesota38.8+0.6 pts
12Washington38.8+0.8 pts
13Rhode Island37.3+1 pts
14Illinois37.2+0.5 pts
15Utah36.9+0.8 pts
16California36.5+0.6 pts
17Oregon36.2+0.7 pts
18Hawaii35.5+0.8 pts
19Maine35.3+1.2 pts
20Delaware35.3+0.8 pts
21Kansas35.2+0.5 pts
22North Carolina34.7+0.9 pts
23Montana34.5+0.6 pts
24Pennsylvania34.5+0.7 pts
25Georgia34.2+0.6 pts
26Nebraska34.1+0.7 pts
27Florida33.2+0.9 pts
28Texas33.1+0.8 pts
29Wisconsin32.8+0.7 pts
30Arizona32.6+0.8 pts
31North Dakota32.3+0.9 pts
32Missouri31.9+0.7 pts
33Michigan31.8+0.6 pts
34South Carolina31.5+0.8 pts
35Alaska31.2+0.5 pts
36Idaho31.2+1 pts
37South Dakota31.1+0.7 pts
38Ohio31+0.6 pts
39Iowa30.9+0.6 pts
40Tennessee30.4+0.7 pts
41New Mexico30.2+1.1 pts
42Wyoming29.9+0.9 pts
43Indiana28.8+0.6 pts
44Oklahoma27.8+0.5 pts
45Alabama27.8+0.6 pts
46Nevada27.4+0.8 pts
47Kentucky27+0.5 pts
48Louisiana26.6+0.4 pts
49Arkansas25.1+0.4 pts
50Mississippi24.2+0.3 pts
51West Virginia23.3+0.6 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 63.6% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

West Virginia, with 23.3% 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. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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

US states: more rankings