List of U.S. states and territories by educational attainment
This is a list of U.S. states and territories by educational attainment. This article presents a list of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the 5 inhabited territories of the United States sorted by educational attainment for persons 25 years of age and older. The list is based on the responses to the 2013–2017 American Community Survey for the 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,[1] and based on the 2010 U.S. Census for the other 4 U.S. territories (the latest data available for those 4 territories).[2][note 1] Educational attainment is lower in the U.S. territories than it is in the states and the District of Columbia. The American Community Survey is a large demographic survey collected throughout the year using mailed questionnaires, telephone interviews, and visits from Census Bureau field representatives to about 3.5 million household addresses annually, regardless of their legal immigration status. The survey does not measure graduation rates from a state's high schools, rather, it measures the percentage of adult residents with a high school diploma.A
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Overall, the percent of people with a high school degree (or higher) is highest in Montana (93%), and lowest in the U.S. Virgin Islands (68.9%).[1][2] The percent with a bachelor's degree or higher is highest in the District of Columbia (56.6%) and lowest in American Samoa (9.9%).[1][2]
List
| State, federal district, or territory | % High school graduate or higher | High School rank | % Bachelor's degree or higher | Bachelor's rank | % Advanced degree | Advanced rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 93.0% | 1 | 30.7% | 21 | 10.1% | 33 |
 | 92.8% | 2 | 36.0% | 9 | 13.8% | 10 |
 | 92.8% | 3 | 34.8% | 11 | 11.8% | 18 |
 | 92.8% | 4 | 26.7% | 41 | 9.3% | 39 |
 | 92.4% | 5 | 29.0% | 28 | 10.4% | 29 |
 | 92.3% | 6 | 28.9% | 29 | 7.8% | 51 |
 | 92.3% | 7 | 36.8% | 8 | 15.0% | 7 |
 | 92.1% | 8 | 30.3% | 23 | 10.9% | 24 |
 | 91.8% | 9 | 27.7% | 36 | 9.0% | 42 |
 | 91.8% | 10 | 32.5% | 16 | 11.0% | 23 |
 | 91.7% | 11 | 29.0% | 27 | 9.9% | 35 |
 | 91.6% | 12 | 32.0% | 19 | 10.8% | 25 |
 | 91.4% | 13 | 27.8% | 35 | 8.3% | 45 |
 | 91.1% | 14 | 39.4% | 3 | 14.6% | 9 |
 | 90.9% | 15 | 30.6% | 22 | 10.2% | 31 |
 | 90.8% | 16 | 34.5% | 12 | 12.7% | 14 |
 | 90.5% | 17 | 32.3% | 17 | 11.7% | 20 |
 | 90.3% | 18 | 56.6% | 1 | 32.8% | 1 |
 | 90.3% | 19 | 42.1% | 2 | 18.7% | 2 |
 | 90.2% | 20 | 26.8% | 40 | 8.5% | 43 |
 | 90.2% | 21 | 28.1% | 34 | 11.0% | 22 |
 | 90.2% | 22 | 38.4% | 5 | 17.0% | 4 |
 | 90.2% | 23 | 32.3% | 18 | 12.2% | 16 |
 | 89.9% | 24 | 30.1% | 24 | 11.8% | 19 |
 | 89.8% | 25 | 39.0% | 4 | 18.0% | 3 |
 | 89.8% | 26 | 27.2% | 37 | 10.2% | 32 |
 | 89.3% | 27 | 31.0% | 20 | 12.9% | 13 |
 | 89.2% | 28 | 28.2% | 33 | 10.7% | 26 |
 | 89.2% | 29 | 38.1% | 6 | 14.7% | 8 |
 | 89.0% | 30 | 37.6% | 7 | 16.1% | 5 |
 | 88.6% | 31 | 33.4% | 13 | 13.0% | 12 |
 | 88.3% | 32 | 25.3% | 43 | 9.2% | 40 |
 | 87.6% | 33 | 28.5% | 31 | 10.3% | 30 |
 | 87.5% | 34 | 24.8% | 44 | 8.3% | 44 |
 | 87.3% | 35 | 33.0% | 14 | 13.1% | 11 |
| 87.3% | 35.5 | 30.9% | 20.5 | 11.8% | 18.5 |
 | 86.9% | 36 | 29.9% | 25 | 10.6% | 28 |
 | 86.5% | 37 | 27.0% | 38 | 9.8% | 36 |
 | 86.5% | 38 | 26.1% | 42 | 9.6% | 37 |
.svg.png){kind=small} | 86.3% | 39 | 29.9% | 25 | 11.4% | 21 |
 | 86.1% | 40 | 35.3% | 10 | 15.4% | 6 |
 | 85.9% | 41 | 19.9% | 51 | 7.9% | 49 |
 | 85.8% | 42 | 23.7% | 46 | 8.1% | 47 |
 | 85.6% | 43 | 22.0% | 49 | 7.9% | 50 |
 | 85.3% | 44 | 24.5% | 45 | 9.1% | 41 |
 | 85.2% | 45 | 23.2% | 48 | 9.6% | 38 |
 | 85.0% | 46 | 26.9% | 39 | 11.8% | 17 |
 | 84.3% | 47 | 23.4% | 47 | 8.1% | 46 |
 | 83.4% | 48 | 21.3% | 50 | 8.0% | 48 |
 | 82.8% | 49 | 28.7% | 30 | 9.9% | 34 |
 | 82.5% | 50 | 32.6% | 15 | 12.2% | 15 |
 | 82.1% | 51 | 28.4% | 32 | 10.7% | 26 |
Visual
Notes
- Data is collected between decennial Census years in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, whereas data for American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands is only collected once every 10 years. Among U.S. territories, only Puerto Rico is part of the American Community Survey program.
References
- Bureau, U.S. Census. "2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
- https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DPAS_ASDP2&prodType=table%5B%5D
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DPGU_GUDP2&prodType=table/%5B%5D
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DPMP_MPDP2&prodType=table Archived 2019-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DPVI_VIDP2&prodType=table Archived 2017-02-19 at the Wayback Machine
American FactFinder. Profile of Selected Social Characteristics: 2010. 2010 American Samoa / Guam / Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands / U.S. Virgin Islands Demographic Profile Data. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
