Data / Rankings / Graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over / US states

US states by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024

District of Columbia had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 51 states in 2024, at 38%. Arkansas had the lowest, at 9.5%. The median was 13% and the figure for the United States was 14.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest38District of Columbia
Lowest9.5Arkansas
Median1351 states
United States14.1History

Map of states, 2024

Alabama: 11.1 %Alaska: 11.8 %Arizona: 13 %Arkansas: 9.5 %California: 14.4 %Colorado: 17.6 %Connecticut: 19.2 %Delaware: 15.3 %District of Columbia: 38 %Florida: 12.9 %Georgia: 13.9 %Hawaii: 13.3 %Idaho: 10.5 %Illinois: 15.3 %Indiana: 10.8 %Iowa: 10.5 %Kansas: 13.4 %Kentucky: 11.4 %Louisiana: 10.1 %Maine: 13.7 %Maryland: 20.8 %Massachusetts: 21.8 %Michigan: 12.7 %Minnesota: 13.8 %Mississippi: 9.9 %Missouri: 12.6 %Montana: 12 %Nebraska: 12.3 %Nevada: 9.8 %New Hampshire: 16.2 %New Jersey: 17.6 %New Mexico: 13.9 %New York: 17.9 %North Carolina: 13.5 %North Dakota: 9.7 %Ohio: 12.2 %Oklahoma: 9.9 %Oregon: 14.1 %Pennsylvania: 14.3 %Rhode Island: 15.4 %South Carolina: 12.3 %South Dakota: 10 %Tennessee: 11.7 %Texas: 12.3 %Utah: 13 %Vermont: 18.6 %Virginia: 18.5 %Washington: 15.6 %West Virginia: 9.7 %Wisconsin: 11.4 %Wyoming: 11.5 %
  • Under 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 to 14
  • 14 to 17
  • 17 and over
%, 2024. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2024

District of Columbia: 38 %District of Columbia38Massachusetts: 21.8 %Massachusetts21.8Maryland: 20.8 %Maryland20.8Connecticut: 19.2 %Connecticut19.2Vermont: 18.6 %Vermont18.6Virginia: 18.5 %Virginia18.5New York: 17.9 %New York17.9Colorado: 17.6 %Colorado17.6New Jersey: 17.6 %New Jersey17.6New Hampshire: 16.2 %New Hampshire16.2Washington: 15.6 %Washington15.6Rhode Island: 15.4 %Rhode Island15.4Delaware: 15.3 %Delaware15.3Illinois: 15.3 %Illinois15.3California: 14.4 %California14.4Pennsylvania: 14.3 %Pennsylvania14.3Oregon: 14.1 %Oregon14.1New Mexico: 13.9 %New Mexico13.9Georgia: 13.9 %Georgia13.9Minnesota: 13.8 %Minnesota13.8Maine: 13.7 %Maine13.7North Carolina: 13.5 %North Carolina13.5Kansas: 13.4 %Kansas13.4Hawaii: 13.3 %Hawaii13.3Utah: 13 %Utah13Arizona: 13 %Arizona13Florida: 12.9 %Florida12.9Michigan: 12.7 %Michigan12.7Missouri: 12.6 %Missouri12.6Texas: 12.3 %Texas12.3South Carolina: 12.3 %South Carolina12.3Nebraska: 12.3 %Nebraska12.3Ohio: 12.2 %Ohio12.2Montana: 12 %Montana12Alaska: 11.8 %Alaska11.8Tennessee: 11.7 %Tennessee11.7Wyoming: 11.5 %Wyoming11.5Wisconsin: 11.4 %Wisconsin11.4Kentucky: 11.4 %Kentucky11.4Alabama: 11.1 %Alabama11.1Indiana: 10.8 %Indiana10.8Idaho: 10.5 %Idaho10.5Iowa: 10.5 %Iowa10.5Louisiana: 10.1 %Louisiana10.1South Dakota: 10 %South Dakota10Oklahoma: 9.9 %Oklahoma9.9Mississippi: 9.9 %Mississippi9.9Nevada: 9.8 %Nevada9.8North Dakota: 9.7 %North Dakota9.7West Virginia: 9.7 %West Virginia9.7Arkansas: 9.5 %Arkansas9.5District of Columbia: 38 %District of Columbia38Massachusetts: 21.8 %Massachusetts21.8Maryland: 20.8 %Maryland20.8Connecticut: 19.2 %Connecticut19.2Vermont: 18.6 %Vermont18.6Virginia: 18.5 %Virginia18.5New York: 17.9 %New York17.9Colorado: 17.6 %Colorado17.6New Jersey: 17.6 %New Jersey17.6New Hampshire: 16.2 %New Hampshire16.2Washington: 15.6 %Washington15.6Rhode Island: 15.4 %Rhode Island15.4Delaware: 15.3 %Delaware15.3Illinois: 15.3 %Illinois15.3California: 14.4 %California14.4Pennsylvania: 14.3 %Pennsylvania14.3Oregon: 14.1 %Oregon14.1New Mexico: 13.9 %New Mexico13.9Georgia: 13.9 %Georgia13.9Minnesota: 13.8 %Minnesota13.8Maine: 13.7 %Maine13.7North Carolina: 13.5 %North Carolina13.5Kansas: 13.4 %Kansas13.4Hawaii: 13.3 %Hawaii13.3Utah: 13 %Utah13Arizona: 13 %Arizona13Florida: 12.9 %Florida12.9Michigan: 12.7 %Michigan12.7Missouri: 12.6 %Missouri12.6Texas: 12.3 %Texas12.3South Carolina: 12.3 %South Carolina12.3Nebraska: 12.3 %Nebraska12.3Ohio: 12.2 %Ohio12.2Montana: 12 %Montana12Alaska: 11.8 %Alaska11.8Tennessee: 11.7 %Tennessee11.7Wyoming: 11.5 %Wyoming11.5Wisconsin: 11.4 %Wisconsin11.4Kentucky: 11.4 %Kentucky11.4Alabama: 11.1 %Alabama11.1Indiana: 10.8 %Indiana10.8Idaho: 10.5 %Idaho10.5Iowa: 10.5 %Iowa10.5Louisiana: 10.1 %Louisiana10.1South Dakota: 10 %South Dakota10Oklahoma: 9.9 %Oklahoma9.9Mississippi: 9.9 %Mississippi9.9Nevada: 9.8 %Nevada9.8North Dakota: 9.7 %North Dakota9.7West Virginia: 9.7 %West Virginia9.7Arkansas: 9.5 %Arkansas9.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2024 (%)Change on 2023
1District of Columbia38+0.5 pts
2Massachusetts21.8+0.4 pts
3Maryland20.8+0.5 pts
4Connecticut19.2+0.2 pts
5Vermont18.6+0.6 pts
6Virginia18.5+0.3 pts
7New York17.9+0.4 pts
8Colorado17.6+0.5 pts
9New Jersey17.6+0.4 pts
10New Hampshire16.2+0.5 pts
11Washington15.6+0.5 pts
12Rhode Island15.4+0.3 pts
13Delaware15.3+0.4 pts
14Illinois15.3+0.4 pts
15California14.4+0.3 pts
16Pennsylvania14.3+0.4 pts
17Oregon14.1+0.3 pts
18New Mexico13.9+0.3 pts
19Georgia13.9+0.4 pts
20Minnesota13.8+0.2 pts
21Maine13.7+0.4 pts
22North Carolina13.5+0.6 pts
23Kansas13.4+0.3 pts
24Hawaii13.3+0.3 pts
25Utah13+0.4 pts
26Arizona13+0.4 pts
27Florida12.9+0.4 pts
28Michigan12.7+0.2 pts
29Missouri12.6+0.2 pts
30Texas12.3+0.4 pts
31South Carolina12.3+0.3 pts
32Nebraska12.3+0.4 pts
33Ohio12.2+0.3 pts
34Montana12+0.3 pts
35Alaska11.8+0.2 pts
36Tennessee11.7+0.3 pts
37Wyoming11.5+0.4 pts
38Wisconsin11.4+0.3 pts
39Kentucky11.4+0.3 pts
40Alabama11.1+0.3 pts
41Indiana10.8+0.3 pts
42Idaho10.5+0.1 pts
42Iowa10.5+0.3 pts
44Louisiana10.1+0.3 pts
45South Dakota10+0.4 pts
46Oklahoma9.9+0.2 pts
47Mississippi9.9+0.4 pts
48Nevada9.8+0.2 pts
49North Dakota9.7+0.1 pts
50West Virginia9.7+0.3 pts
51Arkansas9.5+0.2 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 states 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 (US states 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 states 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/us-states. 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 states 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/us-states.

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 states 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/us-states (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_graduate_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 states 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/us-states. 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: US states 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/us-states
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/us-states.
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 state has the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over?

District of Columbia, with 38% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Arkansas, with 9.5% 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

US states: more rankings