Cities in California by high school graduate or higher, population 25 and over
Piedmont, CA had the highest high school graduate or higher, population 25 and over of 376 cities in 2021, at 99.6%. Mendota, CA had the lowest, at 38.4%. The median was 87.9% and the figure for California was 84.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.
Top 40 cities, 2021
Full ranking
Other periods
About this ranking
People aged 25 and over who hold a regular high school diploma, a GED or alternative credential, or any higher level of education, 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.
Measures the adult population, not students: it is not the high school graduation rate of a class. Not comparable with the EU share below upper secondary education, which covers ages 25 to 64.
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 high school diploma, GED or higher 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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a high school diploma, GED or higher 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 California by high school graduate or higher, 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 high school diploma, GED or higher 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 California by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/california-cities?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 high school diploma, GED or higher 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 California by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/california-cities?period=2021.
Harvard
U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a high school diploma, GED or higher 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 California by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/california-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_california_by_2021,
author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a high school diploma, GED or higher 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 California by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/california-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a high school diploma, GED or higher 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/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 high school diploma, GED or higher 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 California by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/california-cities?period=2021
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduate-or-higher/california-cities?period=2021.
N1 - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a high school diploma, GED or higher 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/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
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 Cities in California by high school graduate or higher, population 25 and over using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"high_school_graduate_share","level":"municipality","within":"California","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=high_school_graduate_share&level=municipality&within=California&limit=10Questions
Which city has the highest high school graduate or higher, population 25 and over?
Piedmont, CA, with 99.6% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Which city has the lowest high school graduate or higher, population 25 and over?
Mendota, CA, with 38.4% 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 high school diploma, GED or higher 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.
High school graduate or higher, population 25 and over: other rankings
- Cities in Connecticut
- Cities in Arkansas
- Cities in Virginia
- Counties in Ohio
- Counties in South Carolina
- Counties in Tennessee