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

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

Mercer Island, WA had the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree of 91 cities in 2021, at 77.5%. Grandview, WA had the lowest, at 5.1%. The median was 29.7% and the figure for Washington was 37.3%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest77.5Mercer Island, WA
Lowest5.1Grandview, WA
Median29.791 cities
Washington37.3History

Top 40 cities, 2021

Mercer Island, WA: 77.5 %Mercer Island, WA77.5Sammamish, WA: 76 %Sammamish, WA76Bainbridge Island, WA: 73.9 %Bainbridge Island, WA73.9Redmond, WA: 73.1 %Redmond, WA73.1Newcastle, WA: 70.8 %Newcastle, WA70.8Issaquah, WA: 70.5 %Issaquah, WA70.5Bellevue, WA: 70 %Bellevue, WA70Snoqualmie, WA: 66.2 %Snoqualmie, WA66.2Seattle, WA: 65.9 %Seattle, WA65.9Lake Forest Park, WA: 64.2 %Lake Forest Park, WA64.2Kirkland, WA: 62.1 %Kirkland, WA62.1Pullman, WA: 61.7 %Pullman, WA61.7Woodinville, WA: 61 %Woodinville, WA61Kenmore, WA: 57.7 %Kenmore, WA57.7Bothell, WA: 55.5 %Bothell, WA55.5Mukilteo, WA: 52.9 %Mukilteo, WA52.9Camas, WA: 52.6 %Camas, WA52.6Port Townsend, WA: 51.9 %Port Townsend, WA51.9Shoreline, WA: 51.6 %Shoreline, WA51.6Mill Creek, WA: 51.2 %Mill Creek, WA51.2Edmonds, WA: 49 %Edmonds, WA49Gig Harbor, WA: 48 %Gig Harbor, WA48Bellingham, WA: 46.4 %Bellingham, WA46.4Olympia, WA: 46.3 %Olympia, WA46.3Liberty Lake, WA: 46.2 %Liberty Lake, WA46.2Richland, WA: 45 %Richland, WA45Anacortes, WA: 44.5 %Anacortes, WA44.5Cheney, WA: 43.6 %Cheney, WA43.6University Place, WA: 43.5 %University Place, WA43.5Poulsbo, WA: 43.1 %Poulsbo, WA43.1Maple Valley, WA: 42.4 %Maple Valley, WA42.4Ellensburg, WA: 41.8 %Ellensburg, WA41.8West Richland, WA: 39.7 %West Richland, WA39.7Mountlake Terrace, WA: 38.6 %Mountlake Terrace, WA38.6Tumwater, WA: 38.1 %Tumwater, WA38.1Renton, WA: 35.2 %Renton, WA35.2Ridgefield, WA: 34.3 %Ridgefield, WA34.3Ferndale, WA: 32.9 %Ferndale, WA32.9Lacey, WA: 32.9 %Lacey, WA32.9Spokane, WA: 32.4 %Spokane, WA32.4Mercer Island, WA: 77.5 %Mercer Island, WA77.5Sammamish, WA: 76 %Sammamish, WA76Bainbridge Island, WA: 73.9 %Bainbridge Island, WA73.9Redmond, WA: 73.1 %Redmond, WA73.1Newcastle, WA: 70.8 %Newcastle, WA70.8Issaquah, WA: 70.5 %Issaquah, WA70.5Bellevue, WA: 70 %Bellevue, WA70Snoqualmie, WA: 66.2 %Snoqualmie, WA66.2Seattle, WA: 65.9 %Seattle, WA65.9Lake Forest Park, WA: 64.2 %Lake Forest Park, WA64.2Kirkland, WA: 62.1 %Kirkland, WA62.1Pullman, WA: 61.7 %Pullman, WA61.7Woodinville, WA: 61 %Woodinville, WA61Kenmore, WA: 57.7 %Kenmore, WA57.7Bothell, WA: 55.5 %Bothell, WA55.5Mukilteo, WA: 52.9 %Mukilteo, WA52.9Camas, WA: 52.6 %Camas, WA52.6Port Townsend, WA: 51.9 %Port Townsend, WA51.9Shoreline, WA: 51.6 %Shoreline, WA51.6Mill Creek, WA: 51.2 %Mill Creek, WA51.2Edmonds, WA: 49 %Edmonds, WA49Gig Harbor, WA: 48 %Gig Harbor, WA48Bellingham, WA: 46.4 %Bellingham, WA46.4Olympia, WA: 46.3 %Olympia, WA46.3Liberty Lake, WA: 46.2 %Liberty Lake, WA46.2Richland, WA: 45 %Richland, WA45Anacortes, WA: 44.5 %Anacortes, WA44.5Cheney, WA: 43.6 %Cheney, WA43.6University Place, WA: 43.5 %University Place, WA43.5Poulsbo, WA: 43.1 %Poulsbo, WA43.1Maple Valley, WA: 42.4 %Maple Valley, WA42.4Ellensburg, WA: 41.8 %Ellensburg, WA41.8West Richland, WA: 39.7 %West Richland, WA39.7Mountlake Terrace, WA: 38.6 %Mountlake Terrace, WA38.6Tumwater, WA: 38.1 %Tumwater, WA38.1Renton, WA: 35.2 %Renton, WA35.2Ridgefield, WA: 34.3 %Ridgefield, WA34.3Ferndale, WA: 32.9 %Ferndale, WA32.9Lacey, WA: 32.9 %Lacey, WA32.9Spokane, WA: 32.4 %Spokane, WA32.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021 (%)
1Mercer Island, WA77.5
2Sammamish, WA76
3Bainbridge Island, WA73.9
4Redmond, WA73.1
5Newcastle, WA70.8
6Issaquah, WA70.5
7Bellevue, WA70
8Snoqualmie, WA66.2
9Seattle, WA65.9
10Lake Forest Park, WA64.2
11Kirkland, WA62.1
12Pullman, WA61.7
13Woodinville, WA61
14Kenmore, WA57.7
15Bothell, WA55.5
16Mukilteo, WA52.9
17Camas, WA52.6
18Port Townsend, WA51.9
19Shoreline, WA51.6
20Mill Creek, WA51.2
21Edmonds, WA49
22Gig Harbor, WA48
23Bellingham, WA46.4
24Olympia, WA46.3
25Liberty Lake, WA46.2
26Richland, WA45
27Anacortes, WA44.5
28Cheney, WA43.6
29University Place, WA43.5
30Poulsbo, WA43.1
31Maple Valley, WA42.4
32Ellensburg, WA41.8
33West Richland, WA39.7
34Mountlake Terrace, WA38.6
35Tumwater, WA38.1
36Renton, WA35.2
37Ridgefield, WA34.3
38Ferndale, WA32.9
39Lacey, WA32.9
40Spokane, WA32.4
41Port Orchard, WA32.2
42Covington, WA31.8
43Tacoma, WA31.3
44Vancouver, WA30.5
45Washougal, WA30.5
46Federal Way, WA29.7
47Lake Stevens, WA29.6
48Des Moines, WA29.4
49Edgewood, WA29.3
50Burien, WA29
51Lynnwood, WA28.9
52Port Angeles, WA28.3
53Oak Harbor, WA28.1
54Snohomish, WA28.1
55Kent, WA27.8
56Bonney Lake, WA27.7
57Wenatchee, WA27.2
58Auburn, WA26.6
59Walla Walla, WA26.5
60Bremerton, WA26.4
61Everett, WA26.1
62Kennewick, WA26.1
63Sumner, WA25.8
64Enumclaw, WA25.7
65Puyallup, WA25.7
66Tukwila, WA25.6
67Lynden, WA25.5
68Mount Vernon, WA25.4
69Fife, WA25.2
70Spokane Valley, WA24.4
71Battle Ground, WA24.1
72SeaTac, WA24
73Lakewood, WA23.4
74Moses Lake, WA22.6
75Burlington, WA22.6
76Arlington, WA20.9
77Marysville, WA20.7
78East Wenatchee, WA20.6
79Monroe, WA20.1
80Yelm, WA20
81Pasco, WA19.9
82Yakima, WA19
83Sedro-Woolley, WA17.8
84Aberdeen, WA16.7
85Longview, WA16.1
86Centralia, WA15.8
87Airway Heights, WA14.6
88Shelton, WA13.9
89Kelso, WA11
90Sunnyside, WA6.8
91Grandview, WA5.1

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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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 Washington by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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 Washington by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/washington-cities?period=2021. 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 Washington by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/washington-cities?period=2021.

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 Washington by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/washington-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_washington_by_2021,
  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 Washington by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/washington-cities?period=2021. 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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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 Washington by share of adults with a bachelor's degree, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/washington-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/washington-cities?period=2021.
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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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?

Mercer Island, WA, with 77.5% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Grandview, WA, with 5.1% 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, 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 Washington: more rankings