Data / Rankings / Graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over / Cities in Kentucky

Cities in Kentucky by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024

St. Matthews, KY had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 42 cities in 2024, at 26.5%. Shively, KY had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 11.7% and the figure for Kentucky was 11.4%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest26.5St. Matthews, KY
Lowest2.9Shively, KY
Median11.742 cities
Kentucky11.4History

All cities, 2024

St. Matthews, KY: 26.5 %St. Matthews, KY26.5Fort Thomas, KY: 23.6 %Fort Thomas, KY23.6Lexington, KY: 21 %Lexington, KY21Lyndon, KY: 17.8 %Lyndon, KY17.8La Grange, KY: 16.5 %La Grange, KY16.5Jeffersontown, KY: 16.2 %Jeffersontown, KY16.2Murray, KY: 15.5 %Murray, KY15.5Versailles, KY: 15.3 %Versailles, KY15.3Richmond, KY: 14.2 %Richmond, KY14.2Louisville, KY: 14 %Louisville, KY14Bowling Green, KY: 13.2 %Bowling Green, KY13.2Alexandria, KY: 13.2 %Alexandria, KY13.2Berea, KY: 13 %Berea, KY13Newport, KY: 12.8 %Newport, KY12.8Ashland, KY: 12.6 %Ashland, KY12.6Georgetown, KY: 12.5 %Georgetown, KY12.5Paris, KY: 12.5 %Paris, KY12.5Danville, KY: 12.4 %Danville, KY12.4Paducah, KY: 12.2 %Paducah, KY12.2Frankfort, KY: 12.1 %Frankfort, KY12.1Bardstown, KY: 11.8 %Bardstown, KY11.8Elizabethtown, KY: 11.6 %Elizabethtown, KY11.6Erlanger, KY: 11.5 %Erlanger, KY11.5Madisonville, KY: 11.4 %Madisonville, KY11.4Independence, KY: 11.2 %Independence, KY11.2Covington, KY: 10.7 %Covington, KY10.7Owensboro, KY: 10.4 %Owensboro, KY10.4Nicholasville, KY: 10.1 %Nicholasville, KY10.1Somerset, KY: 9.6 %Somerset, KY9.6Mount Washington, KY: 9.2 %Mount Washington, KY9.2Florence, KY: 8.9 %Florence, KY8.9Shelbyville, KY: 8.9 %Shelbyville, KY8.9Winchester, KY: 8.1 %Winchester, KY8.1Hopkinsville, KY: 8 %Hopkinsville, KY8Lawrenceburg, KY: 8 %Lawrenceburg, KY8Franklin, KY: 7.6 %Franklin, KY7.6Campbellsville, KY: 7.6 %Campbellsville, KY7.6Glasgow, KY: 6.7 %Glasgow, KY6.7Henderson, KY: 6.2 %Henderson, KY6.2Radcliff, KY: 5.2 %Radcliff, KY5.2Shepherdsville, KY: 5.2 %Shepherdsville, KY5.2Shively, KY: 2.9 %Shively, KY2.9St. Matthews, KY: 26.5 %St. Matthews, KY26.5Fort Thomas, KY: 23.6 %Fort Thomas, KY23.6Lexington, KY: 21 %Lexington, KY21Lyndon, KY: 17.8 %Lyndon, KY17.8La Grange, KY: 16.5 %La Grange, KY16.5Jeffersontown, KY: 16.2 %Jeffersontown, KY16.2Murray, KY: 15.5 %Murray, KY15.5Versailles, KY: 15.3 %Versailles, KY15.3Richmond, KY: 14.2 %Richmond, KY14.2Louisville, KY: 14 %Louisville, KY14Bowling Green, KY: 13.2 %Bowling Green, KY13.2Alexandria, KY: 13.2 %Alexandria, KY13.2Berea, KY: 13 %Berea, KY13Newport, KY: 12.8 %Newport, KY12.8Ashland, KY: 12.6 %Ashland, KY12.6Georgetown, KY: 12.5 %Georgetown, KY12.5Paris, KY: 12.5 %Paris, KY12.5Danville, KY: 12.4 %Danville, KY12.4Paducah, KY: 12.2 %Paducah, KY12.2Frankfort, KY: 12.1 %Frankfort, KY12.1Bardstown, KY: 11.8 %Bardstown, KY11.8Elizabethtown, KY: 11.6 %Elizabethtown, KY11.6Erlanger, KY: 11.5 %Erlanger, KY11.5Madisonville, KY: 11.4 %Madisonville, KY11.4Independence, KY: 11.2 %Independence, KY11.2Covington, KY: 10.7 %Covington, KY10.7Owensboro, KY: 10.4 %Owensboro, KY10.4Nicholasville, KY: 10.1 %Nicholasville, KY10.1Somerset, KY: 9.6 %Somerset, KY9.6Mount Washington, KY: 9.2 %Mount Washington, KY9.2Florence, KY: 8.9 %Florence, KY8.9Shelbyville, KY: 8.9 %Shelbyville, KY8.9Winchester, KY: 8.1 %Winchester, KY8.1Hopkinsville, KY: 8 %Hopkinsville, KY8Lawrenceburg, KY: 8 %Lawrenceburg, KY8Franklin, KY: 7.6 %Franklin, KY7.6Campbellsville, KY: 7.6 %Campbellsville, KY7.6Glasgow, KY: 6.7 %Glasgow, KY6.7Henderson, KY: 6.2 %Henderson, KY6.2Radcliff, KY: 5.2 %Radcliff, KY5.2Shepherdsville, KY: 5.2 %Shepherdsville, KY5.2Shively, KY: 2.9 %Shively, KY2.9
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024 (%)Change on 2023
1St. Matthews, KY26.5+0.5 pts
2Fort Thomas, KY23.6+0.5 pts
3Lexington, KY21+0.1 pts
4Lyndon, KY17.8-0.4 pts
5La Grange, KY16.5+2.6 pts
6Jeffersontown, KY16.2+0.9 pts
7Murray, KY15.5-0.7 pts
8Versailles, KY15.3-1.1 pts
9Richmond, KY14.2+0.3 pts
10Louisville, KY14+0.4 pts
11Bowling Green, KY13.2+0.5 pts
12Alexandria, KY13.2-0.2 pts
13Berea, KY13+1.3 pts
14Newport, KY12.8-0.8 pts
15Ashland, KY12.6-0.5 pts
16Georgetown, KY12.5+1 pts
16Paris, KY12.5+1.8 pts
18Danville, KY12.4+0.2 pts
19Paducah, KY12.2-0.5 pts
20Frankfort, KY12.1-0.5 pts
21Bardstown, KY11.8+1.8 pts
22Elizabethtown, KY11.60 pts
23Erlanger, KY11.5-0.2 pts
24Madisonville, KY11.4+0.9 pts
25Independence, KY11.2-0.3 pts
26Covington, KY10.7-0.7 pts
27Owensboro, KY10.4+0.3 pts
28Nicholasville, KY10.1-0.4 pts
29Somerset, KY9.6+1.2 pts
30Mount Washington, KY9.2+0.5 pts
31Florence, KY8.9-0.4 pts
31Shelbyville, KY8.90 pts
33Winchester, KY8.1+1.1 pts
34Hopkinsville, KY8+1.5 pts
35Lawrenceburg, KY8+0.8 pts
36Franklin, KY7.6+2.4 pts
37Campbellsville, KY7.6-1.8 pts
38Glasgow, KY6.7-1.4 pts
39Henderson, KY6.20 pts
40Radcliff, KY5.2+0.6 pts
41Shepherdsville, KY5.2+1 pts
42Shively, KY2.9-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 and over whose highest degree is a 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.

A subset of bachelors_degree_share, which also counts people whose highest degree is a bachelor's.

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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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 Kentucky by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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 Kentucky by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/kentucky-cities. 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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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 Kentucky by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/kentucky-cities.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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 Kentucky by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/kentucky-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_kentucky_by_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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 Kentucky by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/kentucky-cities. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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 Kentucky by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/kentucky-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/kentucky-cities.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over?

St. Matthews, KY, with 26.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over?

Shively, KY, with 2.9% in 2024.

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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree 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.

Graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over: other rankings

Cities in Kentucky: more rankings