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U.S. states ranked by educational attainment of adults 25+: Graduate or professional degree

All 50 states and District of Columbia with data in Educational attainment of adults 25+ by state, ranked from highest to lowest. Reference period: 2024.

Licence: Public domain (U.S. federal government work).
Data last updated: 2026-10-26

National value: 14.7 (United States).

Small states, hard to see on the map:

DC 38.3 %
RI 16.5 %
DE 16 %
CT 19.3 %
NJ 18.2 %
MD 21.5 %
MA 22.6 %
VT 19.2 %
NH 16.6 %

Lowest: 9.6 to 11.2 %
Group 2: 11.2 to 13.1 %
Group 3: 13.1 to 14 %
Group 4: 14 to 16.6 %
Highest: 16.6 to 38.3 %

The map is a visual summary; every value is in the table below, which is the keyboard and screen-reader path. Groups are quintiles of the values shown (a derived grouping). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain), simplified. Alaska and Hawaii are shown as insets, not to scale.

Rank is derived by Quadranac: 1 = highest value; ties share a rank. Values are as published in the source table.


1	District of Columbia	38.3
2	Massachusetts	22.6
3	Maryland	21.5
4	Connecticut	19.3
5	Vermont	19.2
5	Virginia	19.2
7	Colorado	18.7
8	New York	18.4
9	New Jersey	18.2
10	New Hampshire	16.6
10	Washington	16.6
12	Rhode Island	16.5
13	Delaware	16
14	Illinois	15.9
15	Pennsylvania	15.1
16	California	14.9
16	Oregon	14.9
18	Georgia	14.8
19	Maine	14.6
20	North Carolina	14.5
21	Minnesota	14
21	New Mexico	14
23	Hawaii	13.9
24	Arizona	13.8
25	Florida	13.7
25	Utah	13.7
27	Kansas	13.6
28	Missouri	13.3
29	Alaska	13.1
29	Michigan	13.1
29	Texas	13.1
32	Nebraska	13
32	South Carolina	13
34	Ohio	12.5
35	Tennessee	12.4
36	Montana	12
36	Wisconsin	12
36	Wyoming	12
39	Alabama	11.8
39	Kentucky	11.8
41	Idaho	11.2
41	Indiana	11.2
41	South Dakota	11.2
44	Iowa	10.9
45	Mississippi	10.7
46	Louisiana	10.5
46	North Dakota	10.5
46	Oklahoma	10.5
49	Nevada	10.1
50	Arkansas	10
51	West Virginia	9.6

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, Table S1501: Educational Attainment. Reference period: 2024.

Cite this ranking

U.S. states ranked by educational attainment of adults 25+: Graduate or professional degree (2024). Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 1-year estimates, Table S1501; rank derived by Quadranac. Data last updated 2026-10-26. https://quadranac.com/rankings/us-states-by-educational-attainment-of-adults-25-plus-graduate-or-professional-degree/

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