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

Cities in North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over

Chapel Hill, NC had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 93 cities in 2023, at 45.2%. Albemarle, NC had the lowest, at 3.7%. The median was 12.6% and the figure for North Carolina was 12.9%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest45.2Chapel Hill, NC
Lowest3.7Albemarle, NC
Median12.693 cities
North Carolina12.9History

Top 40 cities, 2023

Chapel Hill, NC: 45.2 %Chapel Hill, NC45.2Carrboro, NC: 43.5 %Carrboro, NC43.5Davidson, NC: 35.5 %Davidson, NC35.5Morrisville, NC: 34.6 %Morrisville, NC34.6Cary, NC: 32.9 %Cary, NC32.9Rolesville, NC: 29.4 %Rolesville, NC29.4Boone, NC: 28.4 %Boone, NC28.4Apex, NC: 27.6 %Apex, NC27.6Durham, NC: 26.9 %Durham, NC26.9Pinehurst, NC: 26.8 %Pinehurst, NC26.8Weddington, NC: 26.4 %Weddington, NC26.4Holly Springs, NC: 26.3 %Holly Springs, NC26.3Elon, NC: 24.1 %Elon, NC24.1Southern Pines, NC: 22.6 %Southern Pines, NC22.6Wake Forest, NC: 22.6 %Wake Forest, NC22.6Summerfield, NC: 22.1 %Summerfield, NC22.1Asheville, NC: 21.5 %Asheville, NC21.5Cornelius, NC: 20.6 %Cornelius, NC20.6Raleigh, NC: 20.4 %Raleigh, NC20.4Huntersville, NC: 20.2 %Huntersville, NC20.2Waxhaw, NC: 19.8 %Waxhaw, NC19.8Harrisburg, NC: 19 %Harrisburg, NC19Greenville, NC: 18.1 %Greenville, NC18.1Clemmons, NC: 17.8 %Clemmons, NC17.8Garner, NC: 17.4 %Garner, NC17.4Winterville, NC: 17.1 %Winterville, NC17.1Stallings, NC: 17.1 %Stallings, NC17.1Charlotte, NC: 17 %Charlotte, NC17Wilmington, NC: 16.7 %Wilmington, NC16.7Concord, NC: 16.5 %Concord, NC16.5Matthews, NC: 16.4 %Matthews, NC16.4Belmont, NC: 16.2 %Belmont, NC16.2Knightdale, NC: 15.9 %Knightdale, NC15.9Greensboro, NC: 15.7 %Greensboro, NC15.7Winston-Salem, NC: 15.6 %Winston-Salem, NC15.6Fuquay-Varina, NC: 15.3 %Fuquay-Varina, NC15.3New Bern, NC: 14.6 %New Bern, NC14.6Hendersonville, NC: 14.4 %Hendersonville, NC14.4Wendell, NC: 14.2 %Wendell, NC14.2Aberdeen, NC: 14 %Aberdeen, NC14Chapel Hill, NC: 45.2 %Chapel Hill, NC45.2Carrboro, NC: 43.5 %Carrboro, NC43.5Davidson, NC: 35.5 %Davidson, NC35.5Morrisville, NC: 34.6 %Morrisville, NC34.6Cary, NC: 32.9 %Cary, NC32.9Rolesville, NC: 29.4 %Rolesville, NC29.4Boone, NC: 28.4 %Boone, NC28.4Apex, NC: 27.6 %Apex, NC27.6Durham, NC: 26.9 %Durham, NC26.9Pinehurst, NC: 26.8 %Pinehurst, NC26.8Weddington, NC: 26.4 %Weddington, NC26.4Holly Springs, NC: 26.3 %Holly Springs, NC26.3Elon, NC: 24.1 %Elon, NC24.1Southern Pines, NC: 22.6 %Southern Pines, NC22.6Wake Forest, NC: 22.6 %Wake Forest, NC22.6Summerfield, NC: 22.1 %Summerfield, NC22.1Asheville, NC: 21.5 %Asheville, NC21.5Cornelius, NC: 20.6 %Cornelius, NC20.6Raleigh, NC: 20.4 %Raleigh, NC20.4Huntersville, NC: 20.2 %Huntersville, NC20.2Waxhaw, NC: 19.8 %Waxhaw, NC19.8Harrisburg, NC: 19 %Harrisburg, NC19Greenville, NC: 18.1 %Greenville, NC18.1Clemmons, NC: 17.8 %Clemmons, NC17.8Garner, NC: 17.4 %Garner, NC17.4Winterville, NC: 17.1 %Winterville, NC17.1Stallings, NC: 17.1 %Stallings, NC17.1Charlotte, NC: 17 %Charlotte, NC17Wilmington, NC: 16.7 %Wilmington, NC16.7Concord, NC: 16.5 %Concord, NC16.5Matthews, NC: 16.4 %Matthews, NC16.4Belmont, NC: 16.2 %Belmont, NC16.2Knightdale, NC: 15.9 %Knightdale, NC15.9Greensboro, NC: 15.7 %Greensboro, NC15.7Winston-Salem, NC: 15.6 %Winston-Salem, NC15.6Fuquay-Varina, NC: 15.3 %Fuquay-Varina, NC15.3New Bern, NC: 14.6 %New Bern, NC14.6Hendersonville, NC: 14.4 %Hendersonville, NC14.4Wendell, NC: 14.2 %Wendell, NC14.2Aberdeen, NC: 14 %Aberdeen, NC14
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Chapel Hill, NC45.2-0.8 pts
2Carrboro, NC43.5+1.5 pts
3Davidson, NC35.5+2.3 pts
4Morrisville, NC34.6+1.4 pts
5Cary, NC32.9+0.8 pts
6Rolesville, NC29.4+2.9 pts
7Boone, NC28.4+0.8 pts
8Apex, NC27.60 pts
9Durham, NC26.9+1.1 pts
10Pinehurst, NC26.8+0.9 pts
11Weddington, NC26.4+1.1 pts
12Holly Springs, NC26.3+1.8 pts
13Elon, NC24.1+0.5 pts
14Southern Pines, NC22.6-1.2 pts
15Wake Forest, NC22.6+0.7 pts
16Summerfield, NC22.1+1 pts
17Asheville, NC21.5-0.2 pts
18Cornelius, NC20.6+1 pts
19Raleigh, NC20.4+0.4 pts
20Huntersville, NC20.2+0.7 pts
21Waxhaw, NC19.8+0.7 pts
22Harrisburg, NC19+2.3 pts
23Greenville, NC18.1+1 pts
24Clemmons, NC17.8-0.4 pts
25Garner, NC17.4+0.6 pts
26Winterville, NC17.1+0.3 pts
27Stallings, NC17.1+1.1 pts
28Charlotte, NC17+0.4 pts
29Wilmington, NC16.7+1.2 pts
30Concord, NC16.5+2.2 pts
31Matthews, NC16.4+2.2 pts
32Belmont, NC16.2+0.6 pts
33Knightdale, NC15.9-0 pts
34Greensboro, NC15.7+0.3 pts
35Winston-Salem, NC15.6+0.5 pts
36Fuquay-Varina, NC15.3+1.5 pts
37New Bern, NC14.6+0.5 pts
38Hendersonville, NC14.4-0.1 pts
39Wendell, NC14.2+0.4 pts
40Aberdeen, NC14+1.7 pts
41Mooresville, NC13.5+0.5 pts
42Mint Hill, NC13.5+1.8 pts
43Kernersville, NC13.5+0.1 pts
44Indian Trail, NC13.5-0.5 pts
45Leland, NC13.4-0.4 pts
46Hickory, NC12.9-0.4 pts
47Pineville, NC12.6+1 pts
48Waynesville, NC12.5-0.3 pts
49Mebane, NC12.3-0.4 pts
50High Point, NC12.3+0.1 pts
51Mount Holly, NC12+0.2 pts
52Clayton, NC11.8-1 pts
53Lewisville, NC11.6+0.5 pts
54Morehead City, NC11.5-1.9 pts
55Shelby, NC10.9+1.9 pts
56Salisbury, NC10.3+0.9 pts
57Morganton, NC10.2-0.1 pts
58Fayetteville, NC10+0.2 pts
59Kannapolis, NC9.8+0.9 pts
60Elizabeth City, NC9.5+0.5 pts
61Mount Airy, NC9.5-0.3 pts
62Statesville, NC9.2+1 pts
63Wilson, NC9.1+0.7 pts
64Lumberton, NC8.9-0.5 pts
65Tarboro, NC8.8+0.1 pts
66Gastonia, NC8.7+0.2 pts
67Burlington, NC8.6+0.9 pts
68Goldsboro, NC8.5+0.2 pts
69Hope Mills, NC8.1+1.4 pts
70Smithfield, NC8+0.3 pts
71Jacksonville, NC7.9-0.6 pts
72Rocky Mount, NC7.8+0.4 pts
73Zebulon, NC7.4+1 pts
74Roanoke Rapids, NC7.3-1.7 pts
75Archdale, NC7.2-0.3 pts
76Laurinburg, NC7.1-0.5 pts
77Kinston, NC6.8+1.5 pts
78Asheboro, NC6.7+0.7 pts
79Reidsville, NC6.6+0.9 pts
80Sanford, NC6.6+0.6 pts
81Graham, NC6.5+0.6 pts
82Monroe, NC6.4-0.3 pts
83Spring Lake, NC5.8-1.1 pts
84Lincolnton, NC5.8-0.2 pts
85Kings Mountain, NC5.5+0.1 pts
86Havelock, NC5.4-0.1 pts
87Newton, NC5.2+0.1 pts
88Lenoir, NC4.7+1.6 pts
89Thomasville, NC4.7+0.1 pts
90Lexington, NC4.4+0.5 pts
91Eden, NC4.3-0.2 pts
92Henderson, NC4-0.5 pts
93Albemarle, NC3.7-1.9 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-cities?period=2023. 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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-cities?period=2023.

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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2023,
  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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-cities?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-cities?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

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

Chapel Hill, NC, with 45.2% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Albemarle, NC, with 3.7% in 2023.

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 North Carolina: more rankings