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

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

Boone County had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 115 counties in 2021, at 21.4%. Dade County had the lowest, at 2.1%. The median was 6.3% and the figure for Missouri was 11.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest21.4Boone County
Lowest2.1Dade County
Median6.3115 counties
Missouri11.8History

Map of counties, 2021

Adair County: 17.8 %Andrew County: 10.6 %Atchison County: 5.9 %Audrain County: 5.1 %Barry County: 4.5 %Barton County: 6.2 %Bates County: 4.6 %Benton County: 6.8 %Bollinger County: 4.5 %Boone County: 21.4 %Buchanan County: 6.8 %Butler County: 5 %Caldwell County: 4.4 %Callaway County: 8.1 %Camden County: 7 %Cape Girardeau County: 11.8 %Carroll County: 6.7 %Carter County: 5.2 %Cass County: 8.7 %Cedar County: 6.4 %Chariton County: 7 %Christian County: 12 %Clark County: 4.2 %Clay County: 11.6 %Clinton County: 6.5 %Cole County: 12.2 %Cooper County: 7.7 %Crawford County: 3.6 %Dade County: 2.1 %Dallas County: 6 %Daviess County: 6.7 %DeKalb County: 5.1 %Dent County: 5.9 %Douglas County: 4.4 %Dunklin County: 5.9 %Franklin County: 7.9 %Gasconade County: 6.5 %Gentry County: 7.1 %Greene County: 11.7 %Grundy County: 4.7 %Harrison County: 6 %Henry County: 6.1 %Hickory County: 3.9 %Holt County: 7.6 %Howard County: 13.1 %Howell County: 7.2 %Iron County: 5.1 %Jackson County: 12 %Jasper County: 7.1 %Jefferson County: 7.5 %Johnson County: 12.7 %Knox County: 5.8 %Laclede County: 5.2 %Lafayette County: 8.6 %Lawrence County: 4.2 %Lewis County: 4.8 %Lincoln County: 4.8 %Linn County: 6.5 %Livingston County: 7.4 %McDonald County: 3.3 %Macon County: 5.7 %Madison County: 5.9 %Maries County: 6.4 %Marion County: 9.7 %Mercer County: 6 %Miller County: 6.2 %Mississippi County: 4.5 %Moniteau County: 5.4 %Monroe County: 3.2 %Montgomery County: 5.2 %Morgan County: 4.7 %New Madrid County: 6.5 %Newton County: 7.3 %Nodaway County: 10.4 %Oregon County: 7.1 %Osage County: 5.4 %Ozark County: 4.4 %Pemiscot County: 4.9 %Perry County: 5.6 %Pettis County: 7.6 %Phelps County: 14.4 %Pike County: 5.1 %Platte County: 17.2 %Polk County: 7.4 %Pulaski County: 11.4 %Putnam County: 7.2 %Ralls County: 4.9 %Randolph County: 6.2 %Ray County: 4.7 %Reynolds County: 2.9 %Ripley County: 3.3 %St. Charles County: 15.2 %St. Clair County: 4.1 %Ste. Genevieve County: 7.3 %St. Francois County: 6.5 %St. Louis County: 19.6 %Saline County: 8.1 %Schuyler County: 2.2 %Scotland County: 4.9 %Scott County: 7 %Shannon County: 6.8 %Shelby County: 6.3 %Stoddard County: 4.1 %Stone County: 6.9 %Sullivan County: 5.4 %Taney County: 6.8 %Texas County: 6.4 %Vernon County: 7.5 %Warren County: 6.1 %Washington County: 4.6 %Wayne County: 4.1 %Webster County: 6.3 %Worth County: 6.1 %Wright County: 3.8 %St. Louis city: 16.7 %
  • Under 4.5
  • 4.5 to 5.3
  • 5.3 to 6.3
  • 6.3 to 7
  • 7 to 8.7
  • 8.7 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

Boone County: 21.4 %Boone County21.4St. Louis County: 19.6 %St. Louis County19.6Adair County: 17.8 %Adair County17.8Platte County: 17.2 %Platte County17.2St. Louis city: 16.7 %St. Louis city16.7St. Charles County: 15.2 %St. Charles County15.2Phelps County: 14.4 %Phelps County14.4Howard County: 13.1 %Howard County13.1Johnson County: 12.7 %Johnson County12.7Cole County: 12.2 %Cole County12.2Christian County: 12 %Christian County12Jackson County: 12 %Jackson County12Cape Girardeau County: 11.8 %Cape Girardeau County11.8Greene County: 11.7 %Greene County11.7Clay County: 11.6 %Clay County11.6Pulaski County: 11.4 %Pulaski County11.4Andrew County: 10.6 %Andrew County10.6Nodaway County: 10.4 %Nodaway County10.4Marion County: 9.7 %Marion County9.7Cass County: 8.7 %Cass County8.7Lafayette County: 8.6 %Lafayette County8.6Callaway County: 8.1 %Callaway County8.1Saline County: 8.1 %Saline County8.1Franklin County: 7.9 %Franklin County7.9Cooper County: 7.7 %Cooper County7.7Pettis County: 7.6 %Pettis County7.6Holt County: 7.6 %Holt County7.6Vernon County: 7.5 %Vernon County7.5Jefferson County: 7.5 %Jefferson County7.5Livingston County: 7.4 %Livingston County7.4Polk County: 7.4 %Polk County7.4Ste. Genevieve County: 7.3 %Ste. Genevieve County7.3Newton County: 7.3 %Newton County7.3Putnam County: 7.2 %Putnam County7.2Howell County: 7.2 %Howell County7.2Jasper County: 7.1 %Jasper County7.1Gentry County: 7.1 %Gentry County7.1Oregon County: 7.1 %Oregon County7.1Chariton County: 7 %Chariton County7Scott County: 7 %Scott County7Boone County: 21.4 %Boone County21.4St. Louis County: 19.6 %St. Louis County19.6Adair County: 17.8 %Adair County17.8Platte County: 17.2 %Platte County17.2St. Louis city: 16.7 %St. Louis city16.7St. Charles County: 15.2 %St. Charles County15.2Phelps County: 14.4 %Phelps County14.4Howard County: 13.1 %Howard County13.1Johnson County: 12.7 %Johnson County12.7Cole County: 12.2 %Cole County12.2Christian County: 12 %Christian County12Jackson County: 12 %Jackson County12Cape Girardeau County: 11.8 %Cape Girardeau County11.8Greene County: 11.7 %Greene County11.7Clay County: 11.6 %Clay County11.6Pulaski County: 11.4 %Pulaski County11.4Andrew County: 10.6 %Andrew County10.6Nodaway County: 10.4 %Nodaway County10.4Marion County: 9.7 %Marion County9.7Cass County: 8.7 %Cass County8.7Lafayette County: 8.6 %Lafayette County8.6Callaway County: 8.1 %Callaway County8.1Saline County: 8.1 %Saline County8.1Franklin County: 7.9 %Franklin County7.9Cooper County: 7.7 %Cooper County7.7Pettis County: 7.6 %Pettis County7.6Holt County: 7.6 %Holt County7.6Vernon County: 7.5 %Vernon County7.5Jefferson County: 7.5 %Jefferson County7.5Livingston County: 7.4 %Livingston County7.4Polk County: 7.4 %Polk County7.4Ste. Genevieve County: 7.3 %Ste. Genevieve County7.3Newton County: 7.3 %Newton County7.3Putnam County: 7.2 %Putnam County7.2Howell County: 7.2 %Howell County7.2Jasper County: 7.1 %Jasper County7.1Gentry County: 7.1 %Gentry County7.1Oregon County: 7.1 %Oregon County7.1Chariton County: 7 %Chariton County7Scott County: 7 %Scott County7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Boone County21.4
2St. Louis County19.6
3Adair County17.8
4Platte County17.2
5St. Louis city16.7
6St. Charles County15.2
7Phelps County14.4
8Howard County13.1
9Johnson County12.7
10Cole County12.2
11Christian County12
12Jackson County12
13Cape Girardeau County11.8
14Greene County11.7
15Clay County11.6
16Pulaski County11.4
17Andrew County10.6
18Nodaway County10.4
19Marion County9.7
20Cass County8.7
21Lafayette County8.6
22Callaway County8.1
23Saline County8.1
24Franklin County7.9
25Cooper County7.7
26Pettis County7.6
27Holt County7.6
28Vernon County7.5
29Jefferson County7.5
30Livingston County7.4
31Polk County7.4
32Ste. Genevieve County7.3
33Newton County7.3
34Putnam County7.2
35Howell County7.2
36Jasper County7.1
37Gentry County7.1
38Oregon County7.1
39Chariton County7
39Scott County7
41Camden County7
42Stone County6.9
43Benton County6.8
43Shannon County6.8
45Taney County6.8
46Buchanan County6.8
47Daviess County6.7
48Carroll County6.7
49Linn County6.5
50Gasconade County6.5
50New Madrid County6.5
50St. Francois County6.5
53Clinton County6.5
54Cedar County6.4
54Maries County6.4
56Texas County6.4
57Shelby County6.3
58Webster County6.3
59Miller County6.2
60Randolph County6.2
61Barton County6.2
62Henry County6.1
62Worth County6.1
64Warren County6.1
65Mercer County6
66Dallas County6
67Harrison County6
68Madison County5.9
69Dent County5.9
69Dunklin County5.9
71Atchison County5.9
72Knox County5.8
73Macon County5.7
74Perry County5.6
75Moniteau County5.4
76Osage County5.4
77Sullivan County5.4
78Laclede County5.2
79Montgomery County5.2
80Carter County5.2
81DeKalb County5.1
82Pike County5.1
83Audrain County5.1
83Iron County5.1
85Butler County5
86Scotland County4.9
87Pemiscot County4.9
87Ralls County4.9
89Lewis County4.8
90Lincoln County4.8
91Morgan County4.7
92Grundy County4.7
92Ray County4.7
94Washington County4.6
95Bates County4.6
96Bollinger County4.5
97Barry County4.5
98Mississippi County4.5
99Caldwell County4.4
100Douglas County4.4
101Ozark County4.4
102Clark County4.2
103Lawrence County4.2
104Stoddard County4.1
105Wayne County4.1
106St. Clair County4.1
107Hickory County3.9
108Wright County3.8
109Crawford County3.6
110Ripley County3.3
111McDonald County3.3
112Monroe County3.2
113Reynolds County2.9
114Schuyler County2.2
115Dade County2.1

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 Missouri 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 Missouri 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/missouri-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 Missouri 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/missouri-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 Missouri 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/missouri-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_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 Missouri 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/missouri-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 Missouri 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/missouri-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/missouri-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 Missouri 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?

Boone County, with 21.4% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Dade County, with 2.1% 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 Missouri: more rankings