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

Cities in Tennessee by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024

Brentwood, TN had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 65 cities in 2024, at 32.5%. McMinnville, TN had the lowest, at 4%. The median was 11.2% and the figure for Tennessee was 11.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest32.5Brentwood, TN
Lowest4McMinnville, TN
Median11.265 cities
Tennessee11.7History

Top 40 cities, 2024

Brentwood, TN: 32.5 %Brentwood, TN32.5Germantown, TN: 32.2 %Germantown, TN32.2Farragut, TN: 28.8 %Farragut, TN28.8Collierville, TN: 26.9 %Collierville, TN26.9Nolensville, TN: 26 %Nolensville, TN26Franklin, TN: 24.8 %Franklin, TN24.8Collegedale, TN: 23.5 %Collegedale, TN23.5Lakeland, TN: 20.3 %Lakeland, TN20.3Johnson City, TN: 19.4 %Johnson City, TN19.4Nashville, TN: 18.5 %Nashville, TN18.5Oak Ridge, TN: 18.2 %Oak Ridge, TN18.2Red Bank, TN: 17.8 %Red Bank, TN17.8Arlington, TN: 16.5 %Arlington, TN16.5Maryville, TN: 16.1 %Maryville, TN16.1Hendersonville, TN: 16.1 %Hendersonville, TN16.1Mount Juliet, TN: 15.8 %Mount Juliet, TN15.8Cookeville, TN: 15.4 %Cookeville, TN15.4Murfreesboro, TN: 15.3 %Murfreesboro, TN15.3Spring Hill, TN: 14.8 %Spring Hill, TN14.8Knoxville, TN: 13.8 %Knoxville, TN13.8Goodlettsville, TN: 13.6 %Goodlettsville, TN13.6Martin, TN: 13.6 %Martin, TN13.6Chattanooga, TN: 13.5 %Chattanooga, TN13.5Bartlett, TN: 13.2 %Bartlett, TN13.2Tullahoma, TN: 12.7 %Tullahoma, TN12.7Cleveland, TN: 12.5 %Cleveland, TN12.5Fairview, TN: 12.1 %Fairview, TN12.1Kingsport, TN: 12 %Kingsport, TN12Gallatin, TN: 11.9 %Gallatin, TN11.9Jackson, TN: 11.5 %Jackson, TN11.5Alcoa, TN: 11.3 %Alcoa, TN11.3Memphis, TN: 11.3 %Memphis, TN11.3Greeneville, TN: 11.2 %Greeneville, TN11.2Clarksville, TN: 11.1 %Clarksville, TN11.1Lebanon, TN: 10.6 %Lebanon, TN10.6Atoka, TN: 10.3 %Atoka, TN10.3Manchester, TN: 10.2 %Manchester, TN10.2Bristol, TN: 10.1 %Bristol, TN10.1Winchester, TN: 9.9 %Winchester, TN9.9Millington, TN: 8.7 %Millington, TN8.7Brentwood, TN: 32.5 %Brentwood, TN32.5Germantown, TN: 32.2 %Germantown, TN32.2Farragut, TN: 28.8 %Farragut, TN28.8Collierville, TN: 26.9 %Collierville, TN26.9Nolensville, TN: 26 %Nolensville, TN26Franklin, TN: 24.8 %Franklin, TN24.8Collegedale, TN: 23.5 %Collegedale, TN23.5Lakeland, TN: 20.3 %Lakeland, TN20.3Johnson City, TN: 19.4 %Johnson City, TN19.4Nashville, TN: 18.5 %Nashville, TN18.5Oak Ridge, TN: 18.2 %Oak Ridge, TN18.2Red Bank, TN: 17.8 %Red Bank, TN17.8Arlington, TN: 16.5 %Arlington, TN16.5Maryville, TN: 16.1 %Maryville, TN16.1Hendersonville, TN: 16.1 %Hendersonville, TN16.1Mount Juliet, TN: 15.8 %Mount Juliet, TN15.8Cookeville, TN: 15.4 %Cookeville, TN15.4Murfreesboro, TN: 15.3 %Murfreesboro, TN15.3Spring Hill, TN: 14.8 %Spring Hill, TN14.8Knoxville, TN: 13.8 %Knoxville, TN13.8Goodlettsville, TN: 13.6 %Goodlettsville, TN13.6Martin, TN: 13.6 %Martin, TN13.6Chattanooga, TN: 13.5 %Chattanooga, TN13.5Bartlett, TN: 13.2 %Bartlett, TN13.2Tullahoma, TN: 12.7 %Tullahoma, TN12.7Cleveland, TN: 12.5 %Cleveland, TN12.5Fairview, TN: 12.1 %Fairview, TN12.1Kingsport, TN: 12 %Kingsport, TN12Gallatin, TN: 11.9 %Gallatin, TN11.9Jackson, TN: 11.5 %Jackson, TN11.5Alcoa, TN: 11.3 %Alcoa, TN11.3Memphis, TN: 11.3 %Memphis, TN11.3Greeneville, TN: 11.2 %Greeneville, TN11.2Clarksville, TN: 11.1 %Clarksville, TN11.1Lebanon, TN: 10.6 %Lebanon, TN10.6Atoka, TN: 10.3 %Atoka, TN10.3Manchester, TN: 10.2 %Manchester, TN10.2Bristol, TN: 10.1 %Bristol, TN10.1Winchester, TN: 9.9 %Winchester, TN9.9Millington, TN: 8.7 %Millington, TN8.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Brentwood, TN32.5-0.6 pts
2Germantown, TN32.2-0.8 pts
3Farragut, TN28.8+1.7 pts
4Collierville, TN26.9+1.9 pts
5Nolensville, TN26+1.3 pts
6Franklin, TN24.8+0.3 pts
7Collegedale, TN23.5+1.7 pts
8Lakeland, TN20.3-3.2 pts
9Johnson City, TN19.4-0.4 pts
10Nashville, TN18.5+0.6 pts
11Oak Ridge, TN18.2+0.4 pts
12Red Bank, TN17.8+2.6 pts
13Arlington, TN16.5-2 pts
14Maryville, TN16.1+0.4 pts
15Hendersonville, TN16.1+1.5 pts
16Mount Juliet, TN15.8-0.8 pts
17Cookeville, TN15.4+0.6 pts
18Murfreesboro, TN15.3+1 pts
19Spring Hill, TN14.8+2.1 pts
20Knoxville, TN13.8+0.5 pts
21Goodlettsville, TN13.6+1.5 pts
22Martin, TN13.6+0.7 pts
23Chattanooga, TN13.5-0.5 pts
24Bartlett, TN13.2-1.7 pts
25Tullahoma, TN12.7+0.2 pts
26Cleveland, TN12.5+0.1 pts
27Fairview, TN12.1-0.6 pts
28Kingsport, TN12-0.1 pts
29Gallatin, TN11.9+1.8 pts
30Jackson, TN11.5+1.1 pts
31Alcoa, TN11.3+1.3 pts
32Memphis, TN11.30 pts
33Greeneville, TN11.2+1.9 pts
34Clarksville, TN11.1-0.5 pts
35Lebanon, TN10.6+1.4 pts
36Atoka, TN10.3+0.9 pts
37Manchester, TN10.2-0.8 pts
38Bristol, TN10.1+0.4 pts
39Winchester, TN9.9+0.1 pts
40Millington, TN8.7-0.9 pts
41Union City, TN8.7-0.4 pts
42Athens, TN8.6+0.2 pts
43East Ridge, TN8.5+0.7 pts
44Elizabethton, TN8.1+0.6 pts
45Lawrenceburg, TN8-0.3 pts
46Smyrna, TN7.8+1 pts
47Columbia, TN7.7+1.1 pts
48Paris, TN7.5+0.9 pts
49Dyersburg, TN7.3-1.8 pts
50White House, TN7.2+1.4 pts
51Soddy-Daisy, TN7.2+1.4 pts
52Hartsville, TN7+3.3 pts
53Morristown, TN6.8+0.8 pts
54La Vergne, TN6.7+0.1 pts
55Oakland, TN6.5-1.4 pts
56Lenoir City, TN6.4-1.7 pts
57Crossville, TN6.2-1.2 pts
58Sevierville, TN6.2-0.2 pts
59Dickson, TN6.1+0.3 pts
60Clinton, TN6.1-0.2 pts
61Lewisburg, TN5.5-0.5 pts
62Portland, TN5.2+0.1 pts
63Springfield, TN4.7+0.7 pts
64Shelbyville, TN4.1-0 pts
65McMinnville, TN4-0.6 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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 Tennessee by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 Tennessee by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/tennessee-cities. 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 Tennessee by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/tennessee-cities.

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 Tennessee by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/tennessee-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_tennessee_by_2024,
  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 Tennessee by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/tennessee-cities. 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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 Tennessee by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/tennessee-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/tennessee-cities.
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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Tennessee 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?

Brentwood, TN, with 32.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

McMinnville, TN, with 4% in 2024.

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 Tennessee: more rankings