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

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

Whitefish Bay, WI had the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree of 96 cities in 2021, at 81.3%. Wisconsin Rapids, WI had the lowest, at 14.7%. The median was 34.7% and the figure for Wisconsin was 31.5%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest81.3Whitefish Bay, WI
Lowest14.7Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Median34.796 cities
Wisconsin31.5History

Top 40 cities, 2021

Whitefish Bay, WI: 81.3 %Whitefish Bay, WI81.3Shorewood, WI: 78.5 %Shorewood, WI78.5Mequon, WI: 70.6 %Mequon, WI70.6Middleton, WI: 63 %Middleton, WI63Brookfield, WI: 62.4 %Brookfield, WI62.4Wauwatosa, WI: 60.6 %Wauwatosa, WI60.6Verona, WI: 60.4 %Verona, WI60.4Cedarburg, WI: 59.9 %Cedarburg, WI59.9Madison, WI: 58.5 %Madison, WI58.5Waunakee, WI: 58.3 %Waunakee, WI58.3Glendale, WI: 57.5 %Glendale, WI57.5Fitchburg, WI: 57 %Fitchburg, WI57Pewaukee, WI: 54.1 %Pewaukee, WI54.1Sun Prairie, WI: 49.6 %Sun Prairie, WI49.6Sussex, WI: 48.8 %Sussex, WI48.8Oregon, WI: 48.3 %Oregon, WI48.3Menomonee Falls, WI: 47.7 %Menomonee Falls, WI47.7Greendale, WI: 47 %Greendale, WI47New Berlin, WI: 46.1 %New Berlin, WI46.1Richfield, WI: 45.7 %Richfield, WI45.7Hudson, WI: 45.3 %Hudson, WI45.3Germantown, WI: 44.9 %Germantown, WI44.9Hobart, WI: 44.6 %Hobart, WI44.6Oconomowoc, WI: 44.4 %Oconomowoc, WI44.4Grafton, WI: 44.4 %Grafton, WI44.4Hartland, WI: 43.1 %Hartland, WI43.1Platteville, WI: 42.4 %Platteville, WI42.4Waukesha, WI: 41.6 %Waukesha, WI41.6Windsor, WI: 41.5 %Windsor, WI41.5Franklin, WI: 41.5 %Franklin, WI41.5Muskego, WI: 41.5 %Muskego, WI41.5River Falls, WI: 41.3 %River Falls, WI41.3Menomonie, WI: 40.4 %Menomonie, WI40.4Plover, WI: 40.2 %Plover, WI40.2De Pere, WI: 39.4 %De Pere, WI39.4Onalaska, WI: 39 %Onalaska, WI39Pleasant Prairie, WI: 39 %Pleasant Prairie, WI39Suamico, WI: 38.9 %Suamico, WI38.9Harrison, WI: 38.9 %Harrison, WI38.9Stevens Point, WI: 38.3 %Stevens Point, WI38.3Whitefish Bay, WI: 81.3 %Whitefish Bay, WI81.3Shorewood, WI: 78.5 %Shorewood, WI78.5Mequon, WI: 70.6 %Mequon, WI70.6Middleton, WI: 63 %Middleton, WI63Brookfield, WI: 62.4 %Brookfield, WI62.4Wauwatosa, WI: 60.6 %Wauwatosa, WI60.6Verona, WI: 60.4 %Verona, WI60.4Cedarburg, WI: 59.9 %Cedarburg, WI59.9Madison, WI: 58.5 %Madison, WI58.5Waunakee, WI: 58.3 %Waunakee, WI58.3Glendale, WI: 57.5 %Glendale, WI57.5Fitchburg, WI: 57 %Fitchburg, WI57Pewaukee, WI: 54.1 %Pewaukee, WI54.1Sun Prairie, WI: 49.6 %Sun Prairie, WI49.6Sussex, WI: 48.8 %Sussex, WI48.8Oregon, WI: 48.3 %Oregon, WI48.3Menomonee Falls, WI: 47.7 %Menomonee Falls, WI47.7Greendale, WI: 47 %Greendale, WI47New Berlin, WI: 46.1 %New Berlin, WI46.1Richfield, WI: 45.7 %Richfield, WI45.7Hudson, WI: 45.3 %Hudson, WI45.3Germantown, WI: 44.9 %Germantown, WI44.9Hobart, WI: 44.6 %Hobart, WI44.6Oconomowoc, WI: 44.4 %Oconomowoc, WI44.4Grafton, WI: 44.4 %Grafton, WI44.4Hartland, WI: 43.1 %Hartland, WI43.1Platteville, WI: 42.4 %Platteville, WI42.4Waukesha, WI: 41.6 %Waukesha, WI41.6Windsor, WI: 41.5 %Windsor, WI41.5Franklin, WI: 41.5 %Franklin, WI41.5Muskego, WI: 41.5 %Muskego, WI41.5River Falls, WI: 41.3 %River Falls, WI41.3Menomonie, WI: 40.4 %Menomonie, WI40.4Plover, WI: 40.2 %Plover, WI40.2De Pere, WI: 39.4 %De Pere, WI39.4Onalaska, WI: 39 %Onalaska, WI39Pleasant Prairie, WI: 39 %Pleasant Prairie, WI39Suamico, WI: 38.9 %Suamico, WI38.9Harrison, WI: 38.9 %Harrison, WI38.9Stevens Point, WI: 38.3 %Stevens Point, WI38.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021 (%)
1Whitefish Bay, WI81.3
2Shorewood, WI78.5
3Mequon, WI70.6
4Middleton, WI63
5Brookfield, WI62.4
6Wauwatosa, WI60.6
7Verona, WI60.4
8Cedarburg, WI59.9
9Madison, WI58.5
10Waunakee, WI58.3
11Glendale, WI57.5
12Fitchburg, WI57
13Pewaukee, WI54.1
14Sun Prairie, WI49.6
15Sussex, WI48.8
16Oregon, WI48.3
17Menomonee Falls, WI47.7
18Greendale, WI47
19New Berlin, WI46.1
20Richfield, WI45.7
21Hudson, WI45.3
22Germantown, WI44.9
23Hobart, WI44.6
24Oconomowoc, WI44.4
25Grafton, WI44.4
26Hartland, WI43.1
27Platteville, WI42.4
28Waukesha, WI41.6
29Windsor, WI41.5
30Franklin, WI41.5
31Muskego, WI41.5
32River Falls, WI41.3
33Menomonie, WI40.4
34Plover, WI40.2
35De Pere, WI39.4
36Onalaska, WI39
36Pleasant Prairie, WI39
38Suamico, WI38.9
39Harrison, WI38.9
40Stevens Point, WI38.3
41DeForest, WI38.1
42Brown Deer, WI37.6
43Oak Creek, WI37.2
44Whitewater, WI37.1
45Stoughton, WI36.7
46Port Washington, WI36.3
47Allouez, WI36.1
48Appleton, WI34.9
49La Crosse, WI34.5
50Mount Pleasant, WI34
51Howard, WI33.8
52Ashwaubenon, WI33.6
53Eau Claire, WI33.6
54Neenah, WI31.6
55Caledonia, WI31.6
56Bellevue, WI31.3
57Wausau, WI30.7
58Fox Crossing, WI30.6
59Holmen, WI30
60Greenfield, WI30
61West Bend, WI29
62Hartford, WI28.7
63Cudahy, WI27.5
64Superior, WI27.4
65Kenosha, WI27.4
66Oshkosh, WI27.2
67Salem Lakes, WI27.1
68Marshfield, WI27.1
69New Richmond, WI27
70Fort Atkinson, WI26.8
71Baraboo, WI26.3
72Janesville, WI26.2
73Burlington, WI26.2
74Little Chute, WI26.1
75West Allis, WI25.7
76Milwaukee, WI25.5
77Elkhorn, WI25.4
78South Milwaukee, WI25.3
79Green Bay, WI25.1
80Kaukauna, WI24.1
81Manitowoc, WI23.6
82Menasha, WI23.4
83Fond du Lac, WI23
84Weston, WI22.6
85Beaver Dam, WI22.3
86Chippewa Falls, WI22.2
87Sheboygan, WI21.9
88Two Rivers, WI21.4
89Monroe, WI21.3
90Reedsburg, WI21.2
91Marinette, WI19.4
92Racine, WI19.2
93Watertown, WI18.7
94Beloit, WI17.7
95Waupun, WI17.1
96Wisconsin Rapids, WI14.7

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. 2 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2021 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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/wisconsin-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 Wisconsin 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/wisconsin-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 Wisconsin 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/wisconsin-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_wisconsin_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 Wisconsin 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/wisconsin-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 Wisconsin 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/wisconsin-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/bachelors-degree-or-higher/wisconsin-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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Rank Cities in Wisconsin 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?

Whitefish Bay, WI, with 81.3% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Wisconsin Rapids, WI, with 14.7% 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. 2 cities have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

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

Cities in Wisconsin: more rankings