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

Falls Church city had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 133 counties in 2024, at 51.8%. Dickenson County had the lowest, at 2.6%. The median was 9.8% and the figure for Virginia was 18.5%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Median9.8133 counties
Virginia18.5History

Top 40 counties, 2024

Falls Church city: 51.8 %Falls Church city51.8Arlington County: 41.7 %Arlington County41.7Charlottesville city: 35.7 %Charlottesville city35.7Alexandria city: 34.8 %Alexandria city34.8Fairfax County: 33 %Fairfax County33Albemarle County: 31.3 %Albemarle County31.3Lexington city: 30.1 %Lexington city30.1Fairfax city: 29.5 %Fairfax city29.5Loudoun County: 28.6 %Loudoun County28.6Montgomery County: 26 %Montgomery County26James City County: 24.8 %James City County24.8York County: 23.3 %York County23.3Williamsburg city: 22.5 %Williamsburg city22.5Fredericksburg city: 20.3 %Fredericksburg city20.3Goochland County: 19.8 %Goochland County19.8Henrico County: 19.4 %Henrico County19.4Richmond city: 18.9 %Richmond city18.9Harrisonburg city: 18.7 %Harrisonburg city18.7Radford city: 18.7 %Radford city18.7Stafford County: 18.2 %Stafford County18.2Prince William County: 18.1 %Prince William County18.1Lancaster County: 17.3 %Lancaster County17.3Chesterfield County: 16.9 %Chesterfield County16.9Fauquier County: 16.5 %Fauquier County16.5Poquoson city: 16.4 %Poquoson city16.4Rockbridge County: 16.4 %Rockbridge County16.4Staunton city: 16.3 %Staunton city16.3Hanover County: 16 %Hanover County16Lynchburg city: 15.5 %Lynchburg city15.5Virginia Beach city: 15.5 %Virginia Beach city15.5Clarke County: 15.3 %Clarke County15.3Northumberland County: 14.8 %Northumberland County14.8Chesapeake city: 14.4 %Chesapeake city14.4Prince Edward County: 14.4 %Prince Edward County14.4King George County: 14.2 %King George County14.2Norfolk city: 14.1 %Norfolk city14.1Spotsylvania County: 13.7 %Spotsylvania County13.7Salem city: 13.6 %Salem city13.6Winchester city: 13.5 %Winchester city13.5Nelson County: 13.5 %Nelson County13.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Falls Church city51.8+2 pts
2Arlington County41.7+0.4 pts
3Charlottesville city35.7+2.3 pts
4Alexandria city34.8+0.4 pts
5Fairfax County33+0.5 pts
6Albemarle County31.3+0.6 pts
7Lexington city30.1-2.3 pts
8Fairfax city29.5-0.2 pts
9Loudoun County28.6+0.5 pts
10Montgomery County26+0.2 pts
11James City County24.8+0.6 pts
12York County23.3-0.2 pts
13Williamsburg city22.5+0.2 pts
14Fredericksburg city20.3+0.3 pts
15Goochland County19.8-0.8 pts
16Henrico County19.4+0.1 pts
17Richmond city18.9+0.8 pts
18Harrisonburg city18.7+1.3 pts
19Radford city18.7-1.8 pts
20Stafford County18.2+0.2 pts
21Prince William County18.1-0.1 pts
22Lancaster County17.3+1.6 pts
23Chesterfield County16.9+0.7 pts
24Fauquier County16.5+1.6 pts
25Poquoson city16.4-1.7 pts
26Rockbridge County16.4+1 pts
27Staunton city16.3+0.3 pts
28Hanover County16-0.1 pts
29Lynchburg city15.5+0.6 pts
29Virginia Beach city15.5+0.1 pts
31Clarke County15.3+1.2 pts
32Northumberland County14.8-1.4 pts
33Chesapeake city14.4+0.4 pts
34Prince Edward County14.4+4.2 pts
35King George County14.2-0.1 pts
36Norfolk city14.1+0.7 pts
37Spotsylvania County13.7+0.4 pts
38Salem city13.6+0.5 pts
39Winchester city13.5-0.1 pts
40Nelson County13.5+1.9 pts
41Rappahannock County13.3-1.8 pts
42Fluvanna County13.2-0.1 pts
43Bedford County13.1+0.3 pts
44Suffolk city13.1+0.5 pts
45Roanoke County13-0.2 pts
46Frederick County12.8+0.5 pts
47Northampton County12.7-0.6 pts
48Manassas city12.6+0.3 pts
49Louisa County12.2+0.1 pts
50New Kent County11.9+1.3 pts
51Manassas Park city11.9+1.6 pts
52Greene County11.8+1.9 pts
53Madison County11.8-1.7 pts
54Rockingham County11.7-0.1 pts
55Roanoke city11.5+0.3 pts
56Newport News city11.5+0.1 pts
57Isle of Wight County11.4-0.8 pts
58Botetourt County11.4+1.3 pts
59Middlesex County11.3+0.8 pts
60Hampton city11+0.7 pts
61Powhatan County10.9-0.2 pts
62Orange County10.8-0.3 pts
63Franklin city10.6-0.1 pts
64Colonial Heights city10.2-0.8 pts
64Highland County10.2-3 pts
66Petersburg city10.2+0.6 pts
67Washington County9.8+0.6 pts
68Warren County9.7+0.1 pts
69Gloucester County9.6+0.2 pts
70Buena Vista city9.6+0.2 pts
71Waynesboro city9.6-1.1 pts
72Culpeper County9.5+0.5 pts
73Surry County9.4+2.3 pts
74Floyd County9.3+0.4 pts
75Amherst County9.3+0.1 pts
75Bristol city9.3-0.6 pts
77Portsmouth city8.9+0.6 pts
78Franklin County8.9+0.1 pts
79Giles County8.8+0.3 pts
80Westmoreland County8.8+0.5 pts
81Charlotte County8.7+0.7 pts
81Prince George County8.7-0 pts
83Accomack County8.7-0.4 pts
83Augusta County8.7+1 pts
85Shenandoah County8.6-0.5 pts
86Mathews County8.40 pts
87Campbell County8.4-0.5 pts
87Danville city8.4+1.1 pts
89Mecklenburg County8.3+0.2 pts
90Martinsville city8.2-0.2 pts
91Caroline County8.1-1.4 pts
92Cumberland County8-0.4 pts
93Halifax County7.9+1.6 pts
94Craig County7.8+1.2 pts
95Pulaski County7.7-0.7 pts
96Norton city7.6+0.8 pts
97Wythe County7.6-1 pts
98Galax city7.3+0.9 pts
99Essex County7.1+0.7 pts
100King William County6.7+0.5 pts
101Bath County6.6+1.4 pts
102Dinwiddie County6.5-1.2 pts
103Southampton County6.3-0.1 pts
104Alleghany County6.3-0.5 pts
104Smyth County6.3-0.2 pts
106Sussex County6.2+0.2 pts
107Brunswick County6-0.1 pts
108Emporia city6-0.8 pts
109Tazewell County5.8-0.2 pts
110Richmond County5.7+0.2 pts
111Wise County5.6-0.2 pts
112Charles City County5.6+1.2 pts
113Henry County5.6-0.1 pts
114Page County5.5-0.3 pts
115Buchanan County5.5+0.1 pts
116Carroll County5.4+0.4 pts
117Scott County5.3+0.8 pts
118Bland County5.1+0.6 pts
119Grayson County4.9+0.4 pts
120Pittsylvania County4.9+0.2 pts
121Lee County4.5+1 pts
122King and Queen County4.5-0.6 pts
123Amelia County4.4+0.6 pts
124Buckingham County4.3+0.2 pts
125Russell County4.3-0.1 pts
126Appomattox County4.3-1 pts
127Hopewell city4.2+0.1 pts
128Covington city4.2+0.6 pts
129Lunenburg County4.2+0.5 pts
130Patrick County3.80 pts
131Greensville County3.7-0.1 pts
132Nottoway County3.2-1.2 pts
133Dickenson County2.6+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 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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/virginia-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 Virginia 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/virginia-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 Virginia 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/virginia-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_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 Virginia 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/virginia-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 Virginia 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/virginia-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/virginia-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?

Falls Church city, with 51.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Dickenson 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 Virginia: more rankings