Data / Rankings / High school graduate or higher, population 25 and over / Cities in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina by high school graduate or higher, population 25 and over, 2024

Weddington, NC had the highest high school graduate or higher, population 25 and over of 93 cities in 2024, at 99%. Sanford, NC had the lowest, at 79.2%. The median was 92.4% and the figure for North Carolina was 90.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest99Weddington, NC
Lowest79.2Sanford, NC
Median92.493 cities
North Carolina90.2History

Top 40 cities, 2024

Weddington, NC: 99 %Weddington, NC99Summerfield, NC: 99 %Summerfield, NC99Apex, NC: 98.3 %Apex, NC98.3Davidson, NC: 98 %Davidson, NC98Pinehurst, NC: 98 %Pinehurst, NC98Rolesville, NC: 98 %Rolesville, NC98Morrisville, NC: 97.8 %Morrisville, NC97.8Cornelius, NC: 97.5 %Cornelius, NC97.5Leland, NC: 97.3 %Leland, NC97.3Huntersville, NC: 96.8 %Huntersville, NC96.8Waxhaw, NC: 96.8 %Waxhaw, NC96.8Knightdale, NC: 96.5 %Knightdale, NC96.5Wake Forest, NC: 96.4 %Wake Forest, NC96.4Cary, NC: 96.4 %Cary, NC96.4Holly Springs, NC: 96.3 %Holly Springs, NC96.3Chapel Hill, NC: 96.2 %Chapel Hill, NC96.2Fuquay-Varina, NC: 96.1 %Fuquay-Varina, NC96.1Lewisville, NC: 95.9 %Lewisville, NC95.9Clayton, NC: 95.6 %Clayton, NC95.6Harrisburg, NC: 95.1 %Harrisburg, NC95.1Stallings, NC: 94.9 %Stallings, NC94.9Matthews, NC: 94.9 %Matthews, NC94.9Southern Pines, NC: 94.8 %Southern Pines, NC94.8Elon, NC: 94.8 %Elon, NC94.8Garner, NC: 94.8 %Garner, NC94.8Mooresville, NC: 94.7 %Mooresville, NC94.7Havelock, NC: 94.5 %Havelock, NC94.5Boone, NC: 94.3 %Boone, NC94.3Carrboro, NC: 94.3 %Carrboro, NC94.3Winterville, NC: 94.2 %Winterville, NC94.2Belmont, NC: 94.2 %Belmont, NC94.2Asheville, NC: 94.1 %Asheville, NC94.1Wilmington, NC: 94.1 %Wilmington, NC94.1Jacksonville, NC: 93.6 %Jacksonville, NC93.6Aberdeen, NC: 93.6 %Aberdeen, NC93.6Indian Trail, NC: 93.6 %Indian Trail, NC93.6Fayetteville, NC: 93.5 %Fayetteville, NC93.5Spring Lake, NC: 93.1 %Spring Lake, NC93.1Hope Mills, NC: 93.1 %Hope Mills, NC93.1Hendersonville, NC: 93 %Hendersonville, NC93
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Weddington, NC99+0.8 pts
2Summerfield, NC99+2 pts
3Apex, NC98.3+0.5 pts
4Davidson, NC98+1 pts
5Pinehurst, NC98-0.1 pts
6Rolesville, NC98+0.7 pts
7Morrisville, NC97.8-0.3 pts
8Cornelius, NC97.5+0.7 pts
9Leland, NC97.3+1.3 pts
10Huntersville, NC96.8-0.2 pts
11Waxhaw, NC96.8+0.6 pts
12Knightdale, NC96.5+1.5 pts
13Wake Forest, NC96.4+0.6 pts
14Cary, NC96.40 pts
15Holly Springs, NC96.3+0.6 pts
16Chapel Hill, NC96.2-0 pts
17Fuquay-Varina, NC96.1-0.4 pts
18Lewisville, NC95.9+0.5 pts
19Clayton, NC95.6+0.8 pts
20Harrisburg, NC95.1+0.4 pts
21Stallings, NC94.9+0.2 pts
22Matthews, NC94.9+0.1 pts
23Southern Pines, NC94.8+1.5 pts
24Elon, NC94.8+0.4 pts
25Garner, NC94.8+0.1 pts
26Mooresville, NC94.7-0.2 pts
27Havelock, NC94.5+0.1 pts
28Boone, NC94.3+1.4 pts
28Carrboro, NC94.3-0.7 pts
30Winterville, NC94.2+1.5 pts
31Belmont, NC94.2+2 pts
32Asheville, NC94.1+0.6 pts
33Wilmington, NC94.1+0.6 pts
34Jacksonville, NC93.6-1.2 pts
35Aberdeen, NC93.6-1.7 pts
35Indian Trail, NC93.6+0.5 pts
37Fayetteville, NC93.5+0.2 pts
38Spring Lake, NC93.1+0.5 pts
39Hope Mills, NC93.1+0.1 pts
40Hendersonville, NC93+0.6 pts
41Greenville, NC93-0.7 pts
42Mint Hill, NC93+0.3 pts
43New Bern, NC92.8+1.2 pts
44Kernersville, NC92.8+1.2 pts
45Mebane, NC92.7-0.5 pts
46Raleigh, NC92.6+0.1 pts
47Clemmons, NC92.4-1.7 pts
48Durham, NC92.2+0.8 pts
49Wendell, NC91.8+0.3 pts
50Mount Holly, NC91.7-0.3 pts
51Concord, NC91.40 pts
52Pineville, NC91.2-3.3 pts
53Greensboro, NC90.6+0.5 pts
54Shelby, NC90.5+1.5 pts
55Kannapolis, NC90.3+1.6 pts
56Morehead City, NC90.2-0.1 pts
57Hickory, NC90+0.1 pts
58Roanoke Rapids, NC89.6+2.2 pts
59Charlotte, NC89.5-0 pts
60Winston-Salem, NC89.1+0.7 pts
61Gastonia, NC88.7+0.3 pts
62Tarboro, NC88.7-0 pts
63Graham, NC88.7+1.7 pts
64Kings Mountain, NC88.5+1.7 pts
65Albemarle, NC88.1+1.6 pts
66Waynesville, NC87.3+0.2 pts
67High Point, NC87.3+0.8 pts
68Rocky Mount, NC87.3+1.2 pts
69Lincolnton, NC87.1-0.2 pts
70Goldsboro, NC87.1-1.1 pts
71Salisbury, NC87.1+0.4 pts
72Statesville, NC87+1.3 pts
73Newton, NC86.4-0.7 pts
74Archdale, NC86.4-1.4 pts
75Elizabeth City, NC86.3-2.3 pts
76Burlington, NC86.2-0.3 pts
77Mount Airy, NC85.4+1.5 pts
78Lenoir, NC85.2+0.7 pts
79Wilson, NC85.2+0.8 pts
80Eden, NC85.1+0.7 pts
81Reidsville, NC84.9+2 pts
82Asheboro, NC84.7+1.4 pts
83Laurinburg, NC84.3+1 pts
84Smithfield, NC83+4.1 pts
85Kinston, NC82.8+1.6 pts
86Monroe, NC82.6+1.1 pts
87Thomasville, NC81.7-0.4 pts
88Henderson, NC81.6-0.7 pts
89Morganton, NC81.2+4.3 pts
90Zebulon, NC80.7+2.6 pts
91Lumberton, NC80+0.5 pts
92Lexington, NC79.7-0.5 pts
93Sanford, NC79.2-0.3 pts

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/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 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 North Carolina by high school graduate or higher, 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 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 North Carolina by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/north-carolina-cities. 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 North Carolina by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/north-carolina-cities.

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 North Carolina by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/north-carolina-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2024,
  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 North Carolina by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/north-carolina-cities. 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/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 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 North Carolina by high school graduate or higher, 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/high-school-graduate-or-higher/north-carolina-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduate-or-higher/north-carolina-cities.
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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest high school graduate or higher, population 25 and over?

Weddington, NC, with 99% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest high school graduate or higher, population 25 and over?

Sanford, NC, with 79.2% 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 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 North Carolina: more rankings