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

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

Dawes County had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 93 counties in 2021, at 17.4%. Hayes County had the lowest, at 1.9%. The median was 6.3% and the figure for Nebraska was 11.4%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest17.4Dawes County
Lowest1.9Hayes County
Median6.393 counties
Nebraska11.4History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 10 %Antelope County: 5.8 %Arthur County: 8.8 %Banner County: 9.8 %Blaine County: 5.2 %Boone County: 6.1 %Box Butte County: 3.8 %Boyd County: 5.7 %Brown County: 7 %Buffalo County: 11.8 %Burt County: 5.2 %Butler County: 5.1 %Cass County: 10.5 %Cedar County: 6.3 %Chase County: 6.3 %Cherry County: 7.4 %Cheyenne County: 5.7 %Clay County: 5.9 %Colfax County: 3.4 %Cuming County: 6.2 %Custer County: 6.5 %Dakota County: 3.5 %Dawes County: 17.4 %Dawson County: 4.3 %Deuel County: 5.2 %Dixon County: 5.4 %Dodge County: 7.1 %Douglas County: 14.7 %Dundy County: 11.6 %Fillmore County: 7.9 %Franklin County: 5.4 %Frontier County: 5.7 %Furnas County: 6.4 %Gage County: 5.4 %Garden County: 8.5 %Garfield County: 5.5 %Gosper County: 8.4 %Grant County: 5.8 %Greeley County: 4.1 %Hall County: 7.3 %Hamilton County: 8.7 %Harlan County: 6.6 %Hayes County: 1.9 %Hitchcock County: 6.3 %Holt County: 7.5 %Hooker County: 2.1 %Howard County: 3.8 %Jefferson County: 3.7 %Johnson County: 6.3 %Kearney County: 5.5 %Keith County: 6.2 %Keya Paha County: 7.4 %Kimball County: 4.5 %Knox County: 6.2 %Lancaster County: 14.8 %Lincoln County: 7.4 %Logan County: 2.8 %Loup County: 5.7 %McPherson County: 4.6 %Madison County: 7.4 %Merrick County: 5.3 %Morrill County: 5.2 %Nance County: 7.1 %Nemaha County: 8.6 %Nuckolls County: 7.4 %Otoe County: 8.6 %Pawnee County: 6.6 %Perkins County: 2.8 %Phelps County: 8.1 %Pierce County: 5.6 %Platte County: 7.3 %Polk County: 5 %Red Willow County: 6.6 %Richardson County: 5.9 %Rock County: 6.5 %Saline County: 6.2 %Sarpy County: 15 %Saunders County: 8.9 %Scotts Bluff County: 7.6 %Seward County: 8.8 %Sheridan County: 4.7 %Sherman County: 6.4 %Sioux County: 6.1 %Stanton County: 5.4 %Thayer County: 6.8 %Thomas County: 5.6 %Thurston County: 5.5 %Valley County: 6.4 %Washington County: 10.1 %Wayne County: 12.7 %Webster County: 7.2 %Wheeler County: 8.4 %York County: 8.3 %
  • Under 5.1
  • 5.1 to 5.7
  • 5.7 to 6.3
  • 6.3 to 7.3
  • 7.3 to 8.6
  • 8.6 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

Dawes County: 17.4 %Dawes County17.4Sarpy County: 15 %Sarpy County15Lancaster County: 14.8 %Lancaster County14.8Douglas County: 14.7 %Douglas County14.7Wayne County: 12.7 %Wayne County12.7Buffalo County: 11.8 %Buffalo County11.8Dundy County: 11.6 %Dundy County11.6Cass County: 10.5 %Cass County10.5Washington County: 10.1 %Washington County10.1Adams County: 10 %Adams County10Banner County: 9.8 %Banner County9.8Saunders County: 8.9 %Saunders County8.9Seward County: 8.8 %Seward County8.8Arthur County: 8.8 %Arthur County8.8Hamilton County: 8.7 %Hamilton County8.7Nemaha County: 8.6 %Nemaha County8.6Otoe County: 8.6 %Otoe County8.6Garden County: 8.5 %Garden County8.5Gosper County: 8.4 %Gosper County8.4Wheeler County: 8.4 %Wheeler County8.4York County: 8.3 %York County8.3Phelps County: 8.1 %Phelps County8.1Fillmore County: 7.9 %Fillmore County7.9Scotts Bluff County: 7.6 %Scotts Bluff County7.6Holt County: 7.5 %Holt County7.5Keya Paha County: 7.4 %Keya Paha County7.4Lincoln County: 7.4 %Lincoln County7.4Nuckolls County: 7.4 %Nuckolls County7.4Madison County: 7.4 %Madison County7.4Cherry County: 7.4 %Cherry County7.4Hall County: 7.3 %Hall County7.3Platte County: 7.3 %Platte County7.3Webster County: 7.2 %Webster County7.2Dodge County: 7.1 %Dodge County7.1Nance County: 7.1 %Nance County7.1Brown County: 7 %Brown County7Thayer County: 6.8 %Thayer County6.8Pawnee County: 6.6 %Pawnee County6.6Red Willow County: 6.6 %Red Willow County6.6Harlan County: 6.6 %Harlan County6.6Dawes County: 17.4 %Dawes County17.4Sarpy County: 15 %Sarpy County15Lancaster County: 14.8 %Lancaster County14.8Douglas County: 14.7 %Douglas County14.7Wayne County: 12.7 %Wayne County12.7Buffalo County: 11.8 %Buffalo County11.8Dundy County: 11.6 %Dundy County11.6Cass County: 10.5 %Cass County10.5Washington County: 10.1 %Washington County10.1Adams County: 10 %Adams County10Banner County: 9.8 %Banner County9.8Saunders County: 8.9 %Saunders County8.9Seward County: 8.8 %Seward County8.8Arthur County: 8.8 %Arthur County8.8Hamilton County: 8.7 %Hamilton County8.7Nemaha County: 8.6 %Nemaha County8.6Otoe County: 8.6 %Otoe County8.6Garden County: 8.5 %Garden County8.5Gosper County: 8.4 %Gosper County8.4Wheeler County: 8.4 %Wheeler County8.4York County: 8.3 %York County8.3Phelps County: 8.1 %Phelps County8.1Fillmore County: 7.9 %Fillmore County7.9Scotts Bluff County: 7.6 %Scotts Bluff County7.6Holt County: 7.5 %Holt County7.5Keya Paha County: 7.4 %Keya Paha County7.4Lincoln County: 7.4 %Lincoln County7.4Nuckolls County: 7.4 %Nuckolls County7.4Madison County: 7.4 %Madison County7.4Cherry County: 7.4 %Cherry County7.4Hall County: 7.3 %Hall County7.3Platte County: 7.3 %Platte County7.3Webster County: 7.2 %Webster County7.2Dodge County: 7.1 %Dodge County7.1Nance County: 7.1 %Nance County7.1Brown County: 7 %Brown County7Thayer County: 6.8 %Thayer County6.8Pawnee County: 6.6 %Pawnee County6.6Red Willow County: 6.6 %Red Willow County6.6Harlan County: 6.6 %Harlan County6.6
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Dawes County17.4
2Sarpy County15
3Lancaster County14.8
4Douglas County14.7
5Wayne County12.7
6Buffalo County11.8
7Dundy County11.6
8Cass County10.5
9Washington County10.1
10Adams County10
11Banner County9.8
12Saunders County8.9
13Seward County8.8
14Arthur County8.8
15Hamilton County8.7
16Nemaha County8.6
17Otoe County8.6
18Garden County8.5
19Gosper County8.4
20Wheeler County8.4
21York County8.3
22Phelps County8.1
23Fillmore County7.9
24Scotts Bluff County7.6
25Holt County7.5
26Keya Paha County7.4
26Lincoln County7.4
28Nuckolls County7.4
29Madison County7.4
30Cherry County7.4
31Hall County7.3
32Platte County7.3
33Webster County7.2
34Dodge County7.1
35Nance County7.1
36Brown County7
37Thayer County6.8
38Pawnee County6.6
38Red Willow County6.6
40Harlan County6.6
41Rock County6.5
42Custer County6.5
43Sherman County6.4
44Furnas County6.4
44Valley County6.4
46Chase County6.3
47Hitchcock County6.3
48Cedar County6.3
48Johnson County6.3
50Cuming County6.2
51Saline County6.2
52Keith County6.2
53Knox County6.2
54Sioux County6.1
55Boone County6.1
56Clay County5.9
57Richardson County5.9
58Antelope County5.8
59Grant County5.8
60Frontier County5.7
61Cheyenne County5.7
62Boyd County5.7
62Loup County5.7
64Thomas County5.6
65Pierce County5.6
66Garfield County5.5
67Thurston County5.5
68Kearney County5.5
69Franklin County5.4
70Dixon County5.4
71Gage County5.4
72Stanton County5.4
73Merrick County5.3
74Deuel County5.2
75Burt County5.2
76Blaine County5.2
76Morrill County5.2
78Butler County5.1
79Polk County5
80Sheridan County4.7
81McPherson County4.6
82Kimball County4.5
83Dawson County4.3
84Greeley County4.1
85Box Butte County3.8
86Howard County3.8
87Jefferson County3.7
88Dakota County3.5
89Colfax County3.4
90Logan County2.8
91Perkins County2.8
92Hooker County2.1
93Hayes County1.9

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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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/nebraska-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 Nebraska 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/nebraska-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 Nebraska 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/nebraska-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

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

Dawes County, with 17.4% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Hayes County, with 1.9% 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 Nebraska: more rankings