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

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

Orange County had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 100 counties in 2022, at 34.1%. Anson County had the lowest, at 2.7%. The median was 7.4% and the figure for North Carolina was 12.5%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest34.1Orange County
Lowest2.7Anson County
Median7.4100 counties
North Carolina12.5History

Map of counties, 2022

Alamance County: 8.4 %Alexander County: 4.3 %Alleghany County: 7.3 %Anson County: 2.7 %Ashe County: 8.2 %Avery County: 8.7 %Beaufort County: 7.3 %Bertie County: 5.7 %Bladen County: 6.2 %Brunswick County: 12 %Buncombe County: 17.5 %Burke County: 7.4 %Cabarrus County: 12.5 %Caldwell County: 4.9 %Camden County: 8 %Carteret County: 12 %Caswell County: 5.6 %Catawba County: 7.5 %Chatham County: 21.8 %Cherokee County: 8 %Chowan County: 9.1 %Clay County: 11.2 %Cleveland County: 7.1 %Columbus County: 4.8 %Craven County: 10.5 %Cumberland County: 9.5 %Currituck County: 8.5 %Dare County: 14.6 %Davidson County: 6.1 %Davie County: 8.8 %Duplin County: 4.5 %Durham County: 24.8 %Edgecombe County: 4.8 %Forsyth County: 13.9 %Franklin County: 7.5 %Gaston County: 7.4 %Gates County: 3.6 %Graham County: 3.7 %Granville County: 7.5 %Greene County: 3.4 %Guilford County: 14 %Halifax County: 5.7 %Harnett County: 7.6 %Haywood County: 11.2 %Henderson County: 12.8 %Hertford County: 6.6 %Hoke County: 6.5 %Hyde County: 2.8 %Iredell County: 10.2 %Jackson County: 12.5 %Johnston County: 7.1 %Jones County: 3.9 %Lee County: 6.4 %Lenoir County: 4.6 %Lincoln County: 7.5 %McDowell County: 5.5 %Macon County: 8.4 %Madison County: 11.1 %Martin County: 4.3 %Mecklenburg County: 16.8 %Mitchell County: 8.3 %Montgomery County: 6.5 %Moore County: 16.3 %Nash County: 6.7 %New Hanover County: 15.1 %Northampton County: 7 %Onslow County: 8.1 %Orange County: 34.1 %Pamlico County: 12 %Pasquotank County: 8.9 %Pender County: 9.4 %Perquimans County: 8.7 %Person County: 4.9 %Pitt County: 13.2 %Polk County: 11.9 %Randolph County: 4.9 %Richmond County: 6.6 %Robeson County: 5.1 %Rockingham County: 4.9 %Rowan County: 5.9 %Rutherford County: 6.8 %Sampson County: 4.5 %Scotland County: 5.4 %Stanly County: 5.5 %Stokes County: 5.6 %Surry County: 6 %Swain County: 8.6 %Transylvania County: 13.3 %Tyrrell County: 4.5 %Union County: 13 %Vance County: 5.7 %Wake County: 21.9 %Warren County: 5.9 %Washington County: 3.4 %Watauga County: 20.4 %Wayne County: 6.1 %Wilkes County: 4.8 %Wilson County: 7.4 %Yadkin County: 3.4 %Yancey County: 8 %
  • Under 4.8
  • 4.8 to 6
  • 6 to 7.4
  • 7.4 to 8.7
  • 8.7 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2022. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2022

Orange County: 34.1 %Orange County34.1Durham County: 24.8 %Durham County24.8Wake County: 21.9 %Wake County21.9Chatham County: 21.8 %Chatham County21.8Watauga County: 20.4 %Watauga County20.4Buncombe County: 17.5 %Buncombe County17.5Mecklenburg County: 16.8 %Mecklenburg County16.8Moore County: 16.3 %Moore County16.3New Hanover County: 15.1 %New Hanover County15.1Dare County: 14.6 %Dare County14.6Guilford County: 14 %Guilford County14Forsyth County: 13.9 %Forsyth County13.9Transylvania County: 13.3 %Transylvania County13.3Pitt County: 13.2 %Pitt County13.2Union County: 13 %Union County13Henderson County: 12.8 %Henderson County12.8Cabarrus County: 12.5 %Cabarrus County12.5Jackson County: 12.5 %Jackson County12.5Pamlico County: 12 %Pamlico County12Brunswick County: 12 %Brunswick County12Carteret County: 12 %Carteret County12Polk County: 11.9 %Polk County11.9Clay County: 11.2 %Clay County11.2Haywood County: 11.2 %Haywood County11.2Madison County: 11.1 %Madison County11.1Craven County: 10.5 %Craven County10.5Iredell County: 10.2 %Iredell County10.2Cumberland County: 9.5 %Cumberland County9.5Pender County: 9.4 %Pender County9.4Chowan County: 9.1 %Chowan County9.1Pasquotank County: 8.9 %Pasquotank County8.9Davie County: 8.8 %Davie County8.8Avery County: 8.7 %Avery County8.7Perquimans County: 8.7 %Perquimans County8.7Swain County: 8.6 %Swain County8.6Currituck County: 8.5 %Currituck County8.5Macon County: 8.4 %Macon County8.4Alamance County: 8.4 %Alamance County8.4Mitchell County: 8.3 %Mitchell County8.3Ashe County: 8.2 %Ashe County8.2Orange County: 34.1 %Orange County34.1Durham County: 24.8 %Durham County24.8Wake County: 21.9 %Wake County21.9Chatham County: 21.8 %Chatham County21.8Watauga County: 20.4 %Watauga County20.4Buncombe County: 17.5 %Buncombe County17.5Mecklenburg County: 16.8 %Mecklenburg County16.8Moore County: 16.3 %Moore County16.3New Hanover County: 15.1 %New Hanover County15.1Dare County: 14.6 %Dare County14.6Guilford County: 14 %Guilford County14Forsyth County: 13.9 %Forsyth County13.9Transylvania County: 13.3 %Transylvania County13.3Pitt County: 13.2 %Pitt County13.2Union County: 13 %Union County13Henderson County: 12.8 %Henderson County12.8Cabarrus County: 12.5 %Cabarrus County12.5Jackson County: 12.5 %Jackson County12.5Pamlico County: 12 %Pamlico County12Brunswick County: 12 %Brunswick County12Carteret County: 12 %Carteret County12Polk County: 11.9 %Polk County11.9Clay County: 11.2 %Clay County11.2Haywood County: 11.2 %Haywood County11.2Madison County: 11.1 %Madison County11.1Craven County: 10.5 %Craven County10.5Iredell County: 10.2 %Iredell County10.2Cumberland County: 9.5 %Cumberland County9.5Pender County: 9.4 %Pender County9.4Chowan County: 9.1 %Chowan County9.1Pasquotank County: 8.9 %Pasquotank County8.9Davie County: 8.8 %Davie County8.8Avery County: 8.7 %Avery County8.7Perquimans County: 8.7 %Perquimans County8.7Swain County: 8.6 %Swain County8.6Currituck County: 8.5 %Currituck County8.5Macon County: 8.4 %Macon County8.4Alamance County: 8.4 %Alamance County8.4Mitchell County: 8.3 %Mitchell County8.3Ashe County: 8.2 %Ashe County8.2
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Orange County34.1-0.5 pts
2Durham County24.8+0.6 pts
3Wake County21.9+0.5 pts
4Chatham County21.8+1.1 pts
5Watauga County20.4+0.3 pts
6Buncombe County17.5+0.7 pts
7Mecklenburg County16.8+0.4 pts
8Moore County16.3+0.3 pts
9New Hanover County15.1+0.4 pts
10Dare County14.6+1 pts
11Guilford County14+0.6 pts
12Forsyth County13.9+0.8 pts
13Transylvania County13.3+0.2 pts
14Pitt County13.2+1 pts
15Union County13+0.7 pts
16Henderson County12.8+0.6 pts
17Cabarrus County12.5+0.2 pts
18Jackson County12.50 pts
19Pamlico County12+1.5 pts
20Brunswick County12+0.6 pts
21Carteret County12-0 pts
22Polk County11.9-0.4 pts
23Clay County11.20 pts
24Haywood County11.2+0.3 pts
25Madison County11.1+0.6 pts
26Craven County10.5+0.3 pts
27Iredell County10.2+0.5 pts
28Cumberland County9.5+0.5 pts
29Pender County9.4-0.5 pts
30Chowan County9.1+0.8 pts
31Pasquotank County8.9+0.3 pts
32Davie County8.8-0.1 pts
33Avery County8.7-0.5 pts
34Perquimans County8.7-0.2 pts
35Swain County8.6+0.3 pts
36Currituck County8.5+0.7 pts
37Macon County8.4+0.3 pts
38Alamance County8.4+0.5 pts
39Mitchell County8.3-0.3 pts
40Ashe County8.2+1 pts
41Onslow County8.1+0.2 pts
42Yancey County8+0.5 pts
43Camden County8-0.4 pts
43Cherokee County8-0.1 pts
45Harnett County7.6+0.1 pts
46Franklin County7.5+0.4 pts
47Catawba County7.5-0.1 pts
48Granville County7.5-0 pts
48Lincoln County7.5-0.2 pts
50Wilson County7.4+0.6 pts
51Burke County7.4+0.6 pts
51Gaston County7.4+0.2 pts
53Alleghany County7.3-0.4 pts
54Beaufort County7.3-0.3 pts
55Johnston County7.1+0.2 pts
56Cleveland County7.1+0.2 pts
57Northampton County7+0.8 pts
58Rutherford County6.8+0.2 pts
59Nash County6.7+0.5 pts
60Hertford County6.6-0.9 pts
61Richmond County6.6+0.2 pts
62Montgomery County6.5+1.5 pts
63Hoke County6.5+0.1 pts
64Lee County6.4-0.4 pts
65Bladen County6.2+0.5 pts
66Wayne County6.1+0.2 pts
67Davidson County6.1+0.7 pts
68Surry County6-0.2 pts
69Rowan County5.90 pts
70Warren County5.9+0.7 pts
71Bertie County5.7-0.1 pts
72Halifax County5.7+0.7 pts
73Vance County5.7-0 pts
74Stokes County5.6+0.3 pts
75Caswell County5.60 pts
76McDowell County5.5-0 pts
77Stanly County5.5+0.3 pts
78Scotland County5.4-0.2 pts
79Robeson County5.1+0.1 pts
80Caldwell County4.9-0.4 pts
81Rockingham County4.9-0.2 pts
82Person County4.9-0.1 pts
82Randolph County4.9+0.3 pts
84Columbus County4.8+0.3 pts
85Edgecombe County4.80 pts
86Wilkes County4.8-0.2 pts
87Lenoir County4.6+0.3 pts
88Duplin County4.5+0.2 pts
89Sampson County4.5-0 pts
90Tyrrell County4.5+0.4 pts
91Alexander County4.3+0.1 pts
91Martin County4.3-0.5 pts
93Jones County3.9+0.1 pts
94Graham County3.7-1.1 pts
95Gates County3.6-0.8 pts
96Washington County3.4+1 pts
97Greene County3.4+0.3 pts
97Yadkin County3.4+0.3 pts
99Hyde County2.8+0.1 pts
100Anson County2.7-0.4 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 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.

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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2022,
  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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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 North Carolina by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.
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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties 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 county has the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over?

Orange County, with 34.1% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Anson County, with 2.7% in 2022.

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 North Carolina: more rankings