Data / Rankings / Graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over / Counties in Minnesota

Counties in Minnesota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over

Olmsted County had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 87 counties in 2021, at 20.9%. Red Lake County had the lowest, at 3.1%. The median was 6.8% and the figure for Minnesota was 13%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest20.9Olmsted County
Lowest3.1Red Lake County
Median6.887 counties
Minnesota13History

Map of counties, 2021

Aitkin County: 5.3 %Anoka County: 9 %Becker County: 8 %Beltrami County: 12 %Benton County: 6.5 %Big Stone County: 7.4 %Blue Earth County: 12.1 %Brown County: 6.2 %Carlton County: 8.1 %Carver County: 15.9 %Cass County: 7.3 %Chippewa County: 5.6 %Chisago County: 6.2 %Clay County: 10.8 %Clearwater County: 5.5 %Cook County: 16.5 %Cottonwood County: 5.9 %Crow Wing County: 8.5 %Dakota County: 13.7 %Dodge County: 7.4 %Douglas County: 8.4 %Faribault County: 4.4 %Fillmore County: 6.8 %Freeborn County: 4.8 %Goodhue County: 9 %Grant County: 5 %Hennepin County: 19.3 %Houston County: 7.4 %Hubbard County: 10.2 %Isanti County: 5.2 %Itasca County: 8.8 %Jackson County: 5 %Kanabec County: 5.2 %Kandiyohi County: 7.7 %Kittson County: 7.6 %Koochiching County: 4.5 %Lac qui Parle County: 5.2 %Lake County: 8.8 %Lake of the Woods County: 5.2 %Le Sueur County: 6.8 %Lincoln County: 6.1 %Lyon County: 7 %McLeod County: 6.1 %Mahnomen County: 3.8 %Marshall County: 4.5 %Martin County: 6.4 %Meeker County: 6 %Mille Lacs County: 5.1 %Morrison County: 5.2 %Mower County: 7.5 %Murray County: 5.4 %Nicollet County: 12 %Nobles County: 4.1 %Norman County: 4.5 %Olmsted County: 20.9 %Otter Tail County: 8.3 %Pennington County: 5.4 %Pine County: 4.5 %Pipestone County: 6.2 %Polk County: 7.8 %Pope County: 7.3 %Ramsey County: 17.4 %Red Lake County: 3.1 %Redwood County: 4.8 %Renville County: 3.3 %Rice County: 11 %Rock County: 6.9 %Roseau County: 3.9 %St. Louis County: 10.9 %Scott County: 12.4 %Sherburne County: 7.3 %Sibley County: 3.5 %Stearns County: 9.8 %Steele County: 8.5 %Stevens County: 7.6 %Swift County: 4.1 %Todd County: 3.9 %Traverse County: 3.7 %Wabasha County: 8.6 %Wadena County: 3.7 %Waseca County: 5.9 %Washington County: 16.6 %Watonwan County: 4.9 %Wilkin County: 5.3 %Winona County: 11.1 %Wright County: 9.2 %Yellow Medicine County: 5.6 %
  • Under 4.6
  • 4.6 to 5.4
  • 5.4 to 6.8
  • 6.8 to 7.9
  • 7.9 to 11
  • 11 and over
%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Olmsted County: 20.9 %Olmsted County20.9Hennepin County: 19.3 %Hennepin County19.3Ramsey County: 17.4 %Ramsey County17.4Washington County: 16.6 %Washington County16.6Cook County: 16.5 %Cook County16.5Carver County: 15.9 %Carver County15.9Dakota County: 13.7 %Dakota County13.7Scott County: 12.4 %Scott County12.4Blue Earth County: 12.1 %Blue Earth County12.1Nicollet County: 12 %Nicollet County12Beltrami County: 12 %Beltrami County12Winona County: 11.1 %Winona County11.1Rice County: 11 %Rice County11St. Louis County: 10.9 %St. Louis County10.9Clay County: 10.8 %Clay County10.8Hubbard County: 10.2 %Hubbard County10.2Stearns County: 9.8 %Stearns County9.8Wright County: 9.2 %Wright County9.2Anoka County: 9 %Anoka County9Goodhue County: 9 %Goodhue County9Lake County: 8.8 %Lake County8.8Itasca County: 8.8 %Itasca County8.8Wabasha County: 8.6 %Wabasha County8.6Crow Wing County: 8.5 %Crow Wing County8.5Steele County: 8.5 %Steele County8.5Douglas County: 8.4 %Douglas County8.4Otter Tail County: 8.3 %Otter Tail County8.3Carlton County: 8.1 %Carlton County8.1Becker County: 8 %Becker County8Polk County: 7.8 %Polk County7.8Kandiyohi County: 7.7 %Kandiyohi County7.7Stevens County: 7.6 %Stevens County7.6Kittson County: 7.6 %Kittson County7.6Mower County: 7.5 %Mower County7.5Big Stone County: 7.4 %Big Stone County7.4Dodge County: 7.4 %Dodge County7.4Houston County: 7.4 %Houston County7.4Pope County: 7.3 %Pope County7.3Cass County: 7.3 %Cass County7.3Sherburne County: 7.3 %Sherburne County7.3Olmsted County: 20.9 %Olmsted County20.9Hennepin County: 19.3 %Hennepin County19.3Ramsey County: 17.4 %Ramsey County17.4Washington County: 16.6 %Washington County16.6Cook County: 16.5 %Cook County16.5Carver County: 15.9 %Carver County15.9Dakota County: 13.7 %Dakota County13.7Scott County: 12.4 %Scott County12.4Blue Earth County: 12.1 %Blue Earth County12.1Nicollet County: 12 %Nicollet County12Beltrami County: 12 %Beltrami County12Winona County: 11.1 %Winona County11.1Rice County: 11 %Rice County11St. Louis County: 10.9 %St. Louis County10.9Clay County: 10.8 %Clay County10.8Hubbard County: 10.2 %Hubbard County10.2Stearns County: 9.8 %Stearns County9.8Wright County: 9.2 %Wright County9.2Anoka County: 9 %Anoka County9Goodhue County: 9 %Goodhue County9Lake County: 8.8 %Lake County8.8Itasca County: 8.8 %Itasca County8.8Wabasha County: 8.6 %Wabasha County8.6Crow Wing County: 8.5 %Crow Wing County8.5Steele County: 8.5 %Steele County8.5Douglas County: 8.4 %Douglas County8.4Otter Tail County: 8.3 %Otter Tail County8.3Carlton County: 8.1 %Carlton County8.1Becker County: 8 %Becker County8Polk County: 7.8 %Polk County7.8Kandiyohi County: 7.7 %Kandiyohi County7.7Stevens County: 7.6 %Stevens County7.6Kittson County: 7.6 %Kittson County7.6Mower County: 7.5 %Mower County7.5Big Stone County: 7.4 %Big Stone County7.4Dodge County: 7.4 %Dodge County7.4Houston County: 7.4 %Houston County7.4Pope County: 7.3 %Pope County7.3Cass County: 7.3 %Cass County7.3Sherburne County: 7.3 %Sherburne County7.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Olmsted County20.9
2Hennepin County19.3
3Ramsey County17.4
4Washington County16.6
5Cook County16.5
6Carver County15.9
7Dakota County13.7
8Scott County12.4
9Blue Earth County12.1
10Nicollet County12
11Beltrami County12
12Winona County11.1
13Rice County11
14St. Louis County10.9
15Clay County10.8
16Hubbard County10.2
17Stearns County9.8
18Wright County9.2
19Anoka County9
20Goodhue County9
21Lake County8.8
22Itasca County8.8
23Wabasha County8.6
24Crow Wing County8.5
25Steele County8.5
26Douglas County8.4
27Otter Tail County8.3
28Carlton County8.1
29Becker County8
30Polk County7.8
31Kandiyohi County7.7
32Stevens County7.6
33Kittson County7.6
34Mower County7.5
35Big Stone County7.4
36Dodge County7.4
37Houston County7.4
38Pope County7.3
39Cass County7.3
40Sherburne County7.3
41Lyon County7
42Rock County6.9
43Fillmore County6.8
44Le Sueur County6.8
45Benton County6.5
46Martin County6.4
47Brown County6.2
48Pipestone County6.2
49Chisago County6.2
50McLeod County6.1
51Lincoln County6.1
52Meeker County6
53Waseca County5.9
54Cottonwood County5.9
55Yellow Medicine County5.6
56Chippewa County5.6
57Clearwater County5.5
58Pennington County5.4
59Murray County5.4
60Aitkin County5.3
61Wilkin County5.3
62Isanti County5.2
62Kanabec County5.2
62Morrison County5.2
65Lake of the Woods County5.2
66Lac qui Parle County5.2
67Mille Lacs County5.1
68Grant County5
69Jackson County5
70Watonwan County4.9
71Freeborn County4.8
72Redwood County4.8
73Koochiching County4.5
73Marshall County4.5
73Pine County4.5
76Norman County4.5
77Faribault County4.4
78Nobles County4.1
79Swift County4.1
80Roseau County3.9
81Todd County3.9
82Mahnomen County3.8
83Wadena County3.7
84Traverse County3.7
85Sibley County3.5
86Renville County3.3
87Red Lake County3.1

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 counties 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. 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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Minnesota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Minnesota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 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/graduate-or-professional-degree/minnesota-counties?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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Minnesota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 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/graduate-or-professional-degree/minnesota-counties?period=2021.

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, Counties in Minnesota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 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/graduate-or-professional-degree/minnesota-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_minnesota_by_2021,
  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: Counties in Minnesota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 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/graduate-or-professional-degree/minnesota-counties?period=2021. 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. 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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Minnesota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 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/graduate-or-professional-degree/minnesota-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/minnesota-counties?period=2021.
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. 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 Counties in Minnesota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

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

Olmsted County, with 20.9% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Red Lake County, with 3.1% 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 master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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

Counties in Minnesota: more rankings