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

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

Williamson County had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 95 counties in 2024, at 24%. Lewis County had the lowest, at 2.6%. The median was 6.9% and the figure for Tennessee was 11.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest24Williamson County
Lowest2.6Lewis County
Median6.995 counties
Tennessee11.7History

Map of counties, 2024

Anderson County: 11.4 %Bedford County: 5.1 %Benton County: 5.3 %Bledsoe County: 5.2 %Blount County: 10.4 %Bradley County: 10.1 %Campbell County: 5.8 %Cannon County: 5.7 %Carroll County: 7.4 %Carter County: 7.3 %Cheatham County: 9.3 %Chester County: 8.1 %Claiborne County: 9 %Clay County: 6.2 %Cocke County: 4.1 %Coffee County: 9.2 %Crockett County: 6 %Cumberland County: 7.4 %Davidson County: 18.7 %Decatur County: 2.6 %DeKalb County: 7.8 %Dickson County: 7.4 %Dyer County: 7.5 %Fayette County: 7.9 %Fentress County: 5.9 %Franklin County: 9.2 %Gibson County: 7.7 %Giles County: 6.9 %Grainger County: 6.9 %Greene County: 7.1 %Grundy County: 6.3 %Hamblen County: 8.1 %Hamilton County: 14 %Hancock County: 5.6 %Hardeman County: 3.7 %Hardin County: 5.4 %Hawkins County: 5.8 %Haywood County: 4.2 %Henderson County: 5.3 %Henry County: 6.5 %Hickman County: 4.7 %Houston County: 4 %Humphreys County: 4.7 %Jackson County: 4.1 %Jefferson County: 7.7 %Johnson County: 5.2 %Knox County: 16.2 %Lake County: 4.5 %Lauderdale County: 3.8 %Lawrence County: 5.9 %Lewis County: 2.6 %Lincoln County: 7.5 %Loudon County: 11.2 %McMinn County: 6.5 %McNairy County: 4.3 %Macon County: 3.5 %Madison County: 10.9 %Marion County: 6.1 %Marshall County: 6.4 %Maury County: 8.6 %Meigs County: 4.7 %Monroe County: 5.9 %Montgomery County: 11.9 %Moore County: 10 %Morgan County: 5.1 %Obion County: 6.9 %Overton County: 4.6 %Perry County: 4.2 %Pickett County: 6.8 %Polk County: 7.1 %Putnam County: 11.6 %Rhea County: 5.9 %Roane County: 9.1 %Robertson County: 7.3 %Rutherford County: 11.8 %Scott County: 5.9 %Sequatchie County: 8.1 %Sevier County: 7.4 %Shelby County: 14 %Smith County: 5.7 %Stewart County: 5.9 %Sullivan County: 9 %Sumner County: 11.7 %Tipton County: 7.2 %Trousdale County: 7 %Unicoi County: 7.9 %Union County: 5 %Van Buren County: 4.7 %Warren County: 4.9 %Washington County: 14.5 %Wayne County: 4.8 %Weakley County: 8.8 %White County: 5.3 %Williamson County: 24 %Wilson County: 12.7 %
  • Under 4.7
  • 4.7 to 5.8
  • 5.8 to 6.8
  • 6.8 to 7.7
  • 7.7 to 10
  • 10 and over
%, 2024. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2024

Williamson County: 24 %Williamson County24Davidson County: 18.7 %Davidson County18.7Knox County: 16.2 %Knox County16.2Washington County: 14.5 %Washington County14.5Hamilton County: 14 %Hamilton County14Shelby County: 14 %Shelby County14Wilson County: 12.7 %Wilson County12.7Montgomery County: 11.9 %Montgomery County11.9Rutherford County: 11.8 %Rutherford County11.8Sumner County: 11.7 %Sumner County11.7Putnam County: 11.6 %Putnam County11.6Anderson County: 11.4 %Anderson County11.4Loudon County: 11.2 %Loudon County11.2Madison County: 10.9 %Madison County10.9Blount County: 10.4 %Blount County10.4Bradley County: 10.1 %Bradley County10.1Moore County: 10 %Moore County10Cheatham County: 9.3 %Cheatham County9.3Coffee County: 9.2 %Coffee County9.2Franklin County: 9.2 %Franklin County9.2Roane County: 9.1 %Roane County9.1Claiborne County: 9 %Claiborne County9Sullivan County: 9 %Sullivan County9Weakley County: 8.8 %Weakley County8.8Maury County: 8.6 %Maury County8.6Hamblen County: 8.1 %Hamblen County8.1Chester County: 8.1 %Chester County8.1Sequatchie County: 8.1 %Sequatchie County8.1Unicoi County: 7.9 %Unicoi County7.9Fayette County: 7.9 %Fayette County7.9DeKalb County: 7.8 %DeKalb County7.8Jefferson County: 7.7 %Jefferson County7.7Gibson County: 7.7 %Gibson County7.7Lincoln County: 7.5 %Lincoln County7.5Dyer County: 7.5 %Dyer County7.5Sevier County: 7.4 %Sevier County7.4Carroll County: 7.4 %Carroll County7.4Cumberland County: 7.4 %Cumberland County7.4Dickson County: 7.4 %Dickson County7.4Robertson County: 7.3 %Robertson County7.3Williamson County: 24 %Williamson County24Davidson County: 18.7 %Davidson County18.7Knox County: 16.2 %Knox County16.2Washington County: 14.5 %Washington County14.5Hamilton County: 14 %Hamilton County14Shelby County: 14 %Shelby County14Wilson County: 12.7 %Wilson County12.7Montgomery County: 11.9 %Montgomery County11.9Rutherford County: 11.8 %Rutherford County11.8Sumner County: 11.7 %Sumner County11.7Putnam County: 11.6 %Putnam County11.6Anderson County: 11.4 %Anderson County11.4Loudon County: 11.2 %Loudon County11.2Madison County: 10.9 %Madison County10.9Blount County: 10.4 %Blount County10.4Bradley County: 10.1 %Bradley County10.1Moore County: 10 %Moore County10Cheatham County: 9.3 %Cheatham County9.3Coffee County: 9.2 %Coffee County9.2Franklin County: 9.2 %Franklin County9.2Roane County: 9.1 %Roane County9.1Claiborne County: 9 %Claiborne County9Sullivan County: 9 %Sullivan County9Weakley County: 8.8 %Weakley County8.8Maury County: 8.6 %Maury County8.6Hamblen County: 8.1 %Hamblen County8.1Chester County: 8.1 %Chester County8.1Sequatchie County: 8.1 %Sequatchie County8.1Unicoi County: 7.9 %Unicoi County7.9Fayette County: 7.9 %Fayette County7.9DeKalb County: 7.8 %DeKalb County7.8Jefferson County: 7.7 %Jefferson County7.7Gibson County: 7.7 %Gibson County7.7Lincoln County: 7.5 %Lincoln County7.5Dyer County: 7.5 %Dyer County7.5Sevier County: 7.4 %Sevier County7.4Carroll County: 7.4 %Carroll County7.4Cumberland County: 7.4 %Cumberland County7.4Dickson County: 7.4 %Dickson County7.4Robertson County: 7.3 %Robertson County7.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Williamson County24+0.4 pts
2Davidson County18.7+0.6 pts
3Knox County16.2+0.5 pts
4Washington County14.5-0.1 pts
5Hamilton County14+0.2 pts
6Shelby County14-0.1 pts
7Wilson County12.7+0.4 pts
8Montgomery County11.9-0.5 pts
9Rutherford County11.8+0.8 pts
10Sumner County11.7+1.1 pts
11Putnam County11.6+0.8 pts
12Anderson County11.4+0.3 pts
13Loudon County11.2+0.5 pts
14Madison County10.9+0.8 pts
15Blount County10.4+0.8 pts
16Bradley County10.1+0.5 pts
17Moore County10+1.6 pts
18Cheatham County9.3+0.8 pts
19Coffee County9.2-0.7 pts
20Franklin County9.2+0.5 pts
21Roane County9.1-0.2 pts
22Claiborne County9+1.4 pts
23Sullivan County9+0.1 pts
24Weakley County8.8+0.3 pts
25Maury County8.6+0.7 pts
26Hamblen County8.1-0.1 pts
27Chester County8.1+0.7 pts
27Sequatchie County8.1+1.3 pts
29Unicoi County7.9+0.3 pts
30Fayette County7.9-0.9 pts
31DeKalb County7.8+0.6 pts
32Jefferson County7.7-0.5 pts
33Gibson County7.7+0.8 pts
34Lincoln County7.5-0.3 pts
35Dyer County7.5-0.8 pts
36Sevier County7.4+0.5 pts
37Carroll County7.4-0.5 pts
37Cumberland County7.4-0.3 pts
37Dickson County7.40 pts
40Robertson County7.3+1.7 pts
41Carter County7.3+0.4 pts
42Tipton County7.2+0.5 pts
43Greene County7.1+0.5 pts
43Polk County7.1+1.6 pts
45Trousdale County7+3.3 pts
46Grainger County6.9+0.5 pts
47Obion County6.9-0.2 pts
48Giles County6.9+0.2 pts
49Pickett County6.8+0.3 pts
50McMinn County6.5+0.5 pts
51Henry County6.5-0.1 pts
52Marshall County6.4+0.3 pts
53Grundy County6.3-0.1 pts
54Clay County6.2+0.5 pts
55Marion County6.1-0.4 pts
56Crockett County6+0.9 pts
57Scott County5.9+1.5 pts
58Fentress County5.9+0.5 pts
59Lawrence County5.9-0.1 pts
60Monroe County5.9+0.6 pts
61Rhea County5.9+0.3 pts
61Stewart County5.9+1.2 pts
63Campbell County5.8+0.3 pts
64Hawkins County5.8+0.1 pts
65Cannon County5.7+0.5 pts
66Smith County5.7+0.3 pts
67Hancock County5.6+1.4 pts
68Hardin County5.4-0.1 pts
69Benton County5.3+0.3 pts
69White County5.3+0.7 pts
71Henderson County5.3+0.7 pts
72Bledsoe County5.2+1.4 pts
73Johnson County5.2+0.6 pts
74Bedford County5.1-0 pts
75Morgan County5.1-0.3 pts
76Union County5-0.6 pts
77Warren County4.9+0.1 pts
78Wayne County4.8+0.7 pts
79Meigs County4.7+0.8 pts
80Hickman County4.7+0.5 pts
80Humphreys County4.7-1.5 pts
80Van Buren County4.7-0.7 pts
83Overton County4.6-0 pts
84Lake County4.5+0.3 pts
85McNairy County4.3+0.3 pts
86Haywood County4.2-0.7 pts
87Perry County4.2+1.2 pts
88Jackson County4.1+0.6 pts
89Cocke County4.1-0 pts
90Houston County4-0.9 pts
91Lauderdale County3.8-0.2 pts
92Hardeman County3.7-0.4 pts
93Macon County3.5-0.4 pts
94Decatur County2.6+0.1 pts
95Lewis County2.6-0.7 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/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 (Counties 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, Counties 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-counties. 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 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-counties.

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 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-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_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: Counties 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-counties. 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/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: Counties 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-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/tennessee-counties.
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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Williamson County, with 24% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Lewis County, with 2.6% 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. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over: other rankings

Counties in Tennessee: more rankings