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

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

District of Columbia had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 51 states in 2021, at 35.9%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 8.8%. The median was 12% and the figure for the United States was 13.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest35.9District of Columbia
Lowest8.8West Virginia
Median1251 states
United States13.1History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 10.2 %Alaska: 11.5 %Arizona: 11.9 %Arkansas: 8.8 %California: 13.4 %Colorado: 16.1 %Connecticut: 18.2 %Delaware: 14.2 %District of Columbia: 35.9 %Florida: 11.7 %Georgia: 12.8 %Hawaii: 12.2 %Idaho: 9.6 %Illinois: 14.4 %Indiana: 10.1 %Iowa: 9.7 %Kansas: 12.8 %Kentucky: 10.6 %Louisiana: 9.2 %Maine: 12.6 %Maryland: 19.5 %Massachusetts: 20.4 %Michigan: 12 %Minnesota: 13 %Mississippi: 9.1 %Missouri: 11.8 %Montana: 11.3 %Nebraska: 11.4 %Nevada: 9.1 %New Hampshire: 14.9 %New Jersey: 16.4 %New Mexico: 12.7 %New York: 16.8 %North Carolina: 12.1 %North Dakota: 8.9 %Ohio: 11.3 %Oklahoma: 9.3 %Oregon: 13.3 %Pennsylvania: 13.2 %Rhode Island: 14.4 %South Carolina: 11.2 %South Dakota: 9.4 %Tennessee: 10.8 %Texas: 11.2 %Utah: 12 %Vermont: 16.7 %Virginia: 17.6 %Washington: 14.2 %West Virginia: 8.8 %Wisconsin: 10.8 %Wyoming: 10.6 %
  • Under 9.7
  • 9.7 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 to 16
  • 16 and over
%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2021

District of Columbia: 35.9 %District of Columbia35.9Massachusetts: 20.4 %Massachusetts20.4Maryland: 19.5 %Maryland19.5Connecticut: 18.2 %Connecticut18.2Virginia: 17.6 %Virginia17.6New York: 16.8 %New York16.8Vermont: 16.7 %Vermont16.7New Jersey: 16.4 %New Jersey16.4Colorado: 16.1 %Colorado16.1New Hampshire: 14.9 %New Hampshire14.9Rhode Island: 14.4 %Rhode Island14.4Illinois: 14.4 %Illinois14.4Washington: 14.2 %Washington14.2Delaware: 14.2 %Delaware14.2California: 13.4 %California13.4Oregon: 13.3 %Oregon13.3Pennsylvania: 13.2 %Pennsylvania13.2Minnesota: 13 %Minnesota13Georgia: 12.8 %Georgia12.8Kansas: 12.8 %Kansas12.8New Mexico: 12.7 %New Mexico12.7Maine: 12.6 %Maine12.6Hawaii: 12.2 %Hawaii12.2North Carolina: 12.1 %North Carolina12.1Michigan: 12 %Michigan12Utah: 12 %Utah12Arizona: 11.9 %Arizona11.9Missouri: 11.8 %Missouri11.8Florida: 11.7 %Florida11.7Alaska: 11.5 %Alaska11.5Nebraska: 11.4 %Nebraska11.4Ohio: 11.3 %Ohio11.3Montana: 11.3 %Montana11.3South Carolina: 11.2 %South Carolina11.2Texas: 11.2 %Texas11.2Tennessee: 10.8 %Tennessee10.8Wisconsin: 10.8 %Wisconsin10.8Wyoming: 10.6 %Wyoming10.6Kentucky: 10.6 %Kentucky10.6Alabama: 10.2 %Alabama10.2Indiana: 10.1 %Indiana10.1Iowa: 9.7 %Iowa9.7Idaho: 9.6 %Idaho9.6South Dakota: 9.4 %South Dakota9.4Oklahoma: 9.3 %Oklahoma9.3Louisiana: 9.2 %Louisiana9.2Nevada: 9.1 %Nevada9.1Mississippi: 9.1 %Mississippi9.1North Dakota: 8.9 %North Dakota8.9Arkansas: 8.8 %Arkansas8.8West Virginia: 8.8 %West Virginia8.8District of Columbia: 35.9 %District of Columbia35.9Massachusetts: 20.4 %Massachusetts20.4Maryland: 19.5 %Maryland19.5Connecticut: 18.2 %Connecticut18.2Virginia: 17.6 %Virginia17.6New York: 16.8 %New York16.8Vermont: 16.7 %Vermont16.7New Jersey: 16.4 %New Jersey16.4Colorado: 16.1 %Colorado16.1New Hampshire: 14.9 %New Hampshire14.9Rhode Island: 14.4 %Rhode Island14.4Illinois: 14.4 %Illinois14.4Washington: 14.2 %Washington14.2Delaware: 14.2 %Delaware14.2California: 13.4 %California13.4Oregon: 13.3 %Oregon13.3Pennsylvania: 13.2 %Pennsylvania13.2Minnesota: 13 %Minnesota13Georgia: 12.8 %Georgia12.8Kansas: 12.8 %Kansas12.8New Mexico: 12.7 %New Mexico12.7Maine: 12.6 %Maine12.6Hawaii: 12.2 %Hawaii12.2North Carolina: 12.1 %North Carolina12.1Michigan: 12 %Michigan12Utah: 12 %Utah12Arizona: 11.9 %Arizona11.9Missouri: 11.8 %Missouri11.8Florida: 11.7 %Florida11.7Alaska: 11.5 %Alaska11.5Nebraska: 11.4 %Nebraska11.4Ohio: 11.3 %Ohio11.3Montana: 11.3 %Montana11.3South Carolina: 11.2 %South Carolina11.2Texas: 11.2 %Texas11.2Tennessee: 10.8 %Tennessee10.8Wisconsin: 10.8 %Wisconsin10.8Wyoming: 10.6 %Wyoming10.6Kentucky: 10.6 %Kentucky10.6Alabama: 10.2 %Alabama10.2Indiana: 10.1 %Indiana10.1Iowa: 9.7 %Iowa9.7Idaho: 9.6 %Idaho9.6South Dakota: 9.4 %South Dakota9.4Oklahoma: 9.3 %Oklahoma9.3Louisiana: 9.2 %Louisiana9.2Nevada: 9.1 %Nevada9.1Mississippi: 9.1 %Mississippi9.1North Dakota: 8.9 %North Dakota8.9Arkansas: 8.8 %Arkansas8.8West Virginia: 8.8 %West Virginia8.8
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2021 (%)
1District of Columbia35.9
2Massachusetts20.4
3Maryland19.5
4Connecticut18.2
5Virginia17.6
6New York16.8
7Vermont16.7
8New Jersey16.4
9Colorado16.1
10New Hampshire14.9
11Rhode Island14.4
12Illinois14.4
13Washington14.2
14Delaware14.2
15California13.4
16Oregon13.3
17Pennsylvania13.2
18Minnesota13
19Georgia12.8
20Kansas12.8
21New Mexico12.7
22Maine12.6
23Hawaii12.2
24North Carolina12.1
25Michigan12
26Utah12
27Arizona11.9
28Missouri11.8
29Florida11.7
30Alaska11.5
31Nebraska11.4
32Ohio11.3
33Montana11.3
34South Carolina11.2
35Texas11.2
36Tennessee10.8
36Wisconsin10.8
38Wyoming10.6
39Kentucky10.6
40Alabama10.2
41Indiana10.1
42Iowa9.7
43Idaho9.6
44South Dakota9.4
45Oklahoma9.3
46Louisiana9.2
47Nevada9.1
48Mississippi9.1
49North Dakota8.9
50Arkansas8.8
50West Virginia8.8

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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/us-states?period=2021. 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, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/us-states?period=2021.

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, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/us-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_graduate_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/us-states?period=2021. 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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-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, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/us-states?period=2021.
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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"graduate_degree_share","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=graduate_degree_share&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

District of Columbia, with 35.9% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

West Virginia, with 8.8% in 2021.

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