The Most Educated States and Least Educated States in the US of 2023

Find out which states have the highest levels of educational attainment and which ones have the least.

The Most Educated States and Least Educated States in the US of 2023
Christian Lendl

Educational attainment is seen by many Americans as a significant factor in overall success in life, even if this belief is misguided. And yet, despite the strong emphasis on college education in the United States, only 20.6% of people aged 25 years and older hold a bachelor’s degree, according to the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey. A slightly lower percentage of the same population group has some college but no degree, at 20%. However, how does the US overall compare to individual states and their levels of educational attainment? Indeed, what are the Most educated states in the US?

BrokeScholar conducted a study to identify the most educated states and the least educated states in the US. The study included factors such as the percentage of the population aged 18 to 24 years-old that have a bachelor’s degree or higher — including overall, females, and males — as well as the percentage of the population aged 25 years and older who have a bachelor’s degree or higher, also including the overall rate and the rates for females and males. Each factor was scored and then each factor score was added up to an overall score, which was then used to rank all 50 states.

Read on for the full, detailed breakdown of the most educated states and least educated states in America of 2023.

Table of Contents

The Most Educated States in the US of 2023

Based on the analysis and scoring, the top 10 most educated states in the US tend to be geographically located in the Northeast, with a couple of states laying elsewhere. Not coincidentally, the Northeast is also home to some of the best and hardest colleges to get into in America. If the District of Columbia, which is not, of course, a state, were included, then it would top the list. But since this is a study of the most educated states, it’s been excluded from the rankings.

Below is a table breaking down the most educated states in the US, including various detailed statistics:

Rank

State

Population 18 to 24 years: Bachelor's degree or higher

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree

Population 25 years and over: Graduate or professional degree

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree or higher

1

Massachusetts

19.3%

24.8%

20.4%

45.2%

2

New Jersey

18.3%

25.1%

16.4%

41.5%

3

Colorado

13.8%

26.7%

16.1%

42.8%

4

Connecticut

17.2%

22.3%

18.2%

40.6%

5

Maryland

15.2%

22.0%

19.5%

41.6%

6

New York

18.0%

21.3%

16.8%

38.1%

7

Virginia

14.0%

22.8%

17.6%

40.3%

8

Vermont

12.7%

24.2%

16.7%

40.9%

9

New Hampshire

13.5%

23.4%

14.9%

38.2%

10

Minnesota

14.5%

24.6%

13.0%

37.6%

Three out of the top five states are located in the US Census Bureau-designated Northeast region. Maryland, the fifth most educated state, lays technically in the US South region, as does No. 7 Virginia. Meanwhile, Colorado lies in the US West region and Minnesota the U.S. Midwest region.

It’s perhaps no coincidence that many of these states also possess some of the best colleges in the US. Massachusetts is home to colleges like Harvard, MIT, Tufts, and Williams College, all frequently ranked among the top schools academically. But possessing high-quality, highly selective colleges is not a prerequisite for ranking among the most educated states. Instead, the high level of educational attainment reflects the population’s means, capability (especially financial), and willingness to pursue higher levels of education.

We can break the most educated states down into more detailed categories. For instance, which states have the highest percentage of their population — ages 18 to 24 — have a bachelor’s degree or higher? 

Below you’ll find a table that details exactly that, ranked in order from the highest percentage to lowest:

Rank

State

Population 18 to 24 years: Bachelor's degree or higher

1

Massachusetts

19.3%

2

New Jersey

18.3%

3

New York

18.0%

4

Connecticut

17.2%

5

Maryland

15.2%

6

Illinois

14.8%

7

Minnesota

14.5%

8

Virginia

14.0%

9

Colorado

13.8%

10

New Hampshire

13.5%

Once again, Massachusetts leads this top-10 list as it did in the overall study of the most educated states. New Jersey, again, comes in second. Here, however, New York supplants Colorado by taking the third spot and Colorado taking the ninth spot. Meanwhile, Illinois, which didn’t make the top 10 list of the most educated states overall, ranks in the above list. Illinois's spot here makes more sense considering it is one of the states with the most colleges in the country.

For the population aged 25 years and older with a bachelor's degree or higher, the top 10 states are little different than the top 10 list of the most educated states in the study overall. The main difference lays in the ranking of the states. Here’s a table below that shows the top 10 states with the highest percentage of 25-year-olds and older who have a bachelor’s degree or higher:

Rank

State

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree or higher

1

Massachusetts

45.2%

2

Colorado

42.8%

3

Maryland

41.6%

4

New Jersey

41.5%

5

Vermont

40.9%

6

Connecticut

40.6%

7

Virginia

40.3%

8

New Hampshire

38.2%

9

New York

38.1%

10

Minnesota

37.6%

Yet again, Massachusetts tops the list, with only a little under half of its population 25 and older having a bachelor's degree or higher. However, Colorado takes the No. 2 spot and Maryland No. 3, breaking up the Northeast’s domination of the top five most educated states in this case. More than two-fifths of Colorado’s population aged 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher. Colorado is also home to one of the hardest colleges to get into in the country.

The Least Educated States in the US of 2023

In nine out of the top 10 least educated states, less than 10% of their populations aged 18 to 24 years-old have a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Nevada, for instance, only 6.7% of 18-to-24-year-olds have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Meanwhile, among the population that’s 25 years or older, West Virginia has the lowest rate of bachelor’s degrees or higher, at 21.8%. It doesn't help at all that West Virginia ranks last in terms of the states where college professors earn the most money.

Rank

State

Population 18 to 24 years: Bachelor's degree or higher

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree

Population 25 years and over: Graduate or professional degree

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree or higher

50

West Virginia

9.3%

13.0%

8.8%

21.8%

49

Mississippi

7.4%

14.2%

9.0%

23.2%

48

Arkansas

9.0%

15.5%

8.8%

24.3%

47

Nevada

6.7%

17.0%

9.1%

26.1%

46

Louisiana

8.6%

16.3%

9.2%

25.5%

45

Oklahoma

8.0%

17.5%

9.3%

26.8%

44

Alabama

8.3%

16.5%

10.2%

26.7%

43

Kentucky

10.1%

15.1%

10.6%

25.7%

42

New Mexico

7.0%

15.8%

12.7%

28.5%

41

Idaho

7.4%

19.5%

9.6%

29.1%

Many of these states suffer from low levels of income, making attending college a severe financial burden, unless financial aid or scholarships are utilized. New Mexico, interestingly, has a solid 12.7% of its population that’s 25 years or older who have a graduate or professional degree. This, unfortunately, is offset by only 7% of 18-to-24-year-olds having a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Females Overwhelmingly Have Higher Rates of Degrees Than Males

A key part of the overall scoring for this study of the most educated states is the percentage of male and female members of the population who have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher. Across nearly every state, females have higher rates of attaining a bachelor’s degree or higher. Not only that, but females also aged 18 to 24 years-old have higher rates of having a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to males in all 50 states. When it comes to the population aged 25 and older who have bachelor’s degrees or higher, in only one state — Utah — did a higher percentage of males have a bachelor’s degree or higher than females.

Below is a table, with states in alphabetical order, that details the rates of bachelor's degrees or higher than females have versus their male counterparts:

State

Population 18 to 24 years: Bachelor's degree or higher - Female

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree or higher - Female

Population 18 to 24 years: Bachelor's degree or higher - Male

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree or higher - Male

Alabama

9.9%

27.6%

6.7%

25.7%

Alaska

7.0%

34.7%

4.3%

26.8%

Arizona

11.3%

31.4%

8.0%

31.0%

Arkansas

10.8%

25.6%

7.3%

23.0%

California

14.0%

35.8%

9.7%

34.7%

Colorado

16.5%

43.9%

11.3%

41.8%

Connecticut

19.9%

41.5%

14.5%

39.5%

Delaware

10.7%

35.0%

9.7%

32.2%

Florida

12.9%

31.8%

8.8%

31.3%

Georgia

12.0%

34.1%

8.4%

31.8%

Hawaii

13.3%

36.0%

6.4%

32.7%

Idaho

9.2%

29.4%

5.8%

28.8%

Illinois

17.0%

37.2%

12.6%

35.1%

Indiana

13.0%

28.7%

9.0%

26.9%

Iowa

13.5%

31.2%

10.0%

28.1%

Kansas

14.0%

35.6%

9.5%

33.2%

Kentucky

12.1%

27.0%

8.1%

24.3%

Louisiana

9.8%

27.7%

7.3%

23.2%

Maine

14.6%

36.3%

8.9%

30.7%

Maryland

18.0%

42.6%

12.5%

40.4%

Massachusetts

21.5%

46.0%

17.0%

44.4%

Michigan

13.6%

31.2%

10.1%

30.0%

Minnesota

17.7%

39.0%

11.4%

36.1%

Mississippi

8.8%

25.6%

5.9%

20.7%

Missouri

13.7%

31.7%

9.2%

29.6%

Montana

13.7%

34.8%

7.9%

32.5%

Nebraska

15.7%

34.5%

10.7%

31.4%

Nevada

8.5%

26.5%

5.1%

25.6%

New Hampshire

14.6%

39.4%

12.4%

37.0%

New Jersey

21.4%

41.8%

15.4%

41.2%

New Mexico

8.5%

29.9%

5.7%

27.1%

New York

20.8%

39.4%

15.2%

36.7%

North Carolina

13.7%

34.4%

8.7%

31.5%

North Dakota

17.4%

34.1%

10.0%

28.2%

Ohio

13.0%

30.4%

9.0%

28.9%

Oklahoma

9.7%

27.8%

6.5%

25.8%

Oregon

12.3%

36.0%

8.2%

34.1%

Pennsylvania

15.5%

33.7%

11.5%

32.4%

Rhode Island

15.0%

36.0%

11.6%

34.6%

South Carolina

12.9%

30.6%

8.1%

29.0%

South Dakota

14.9%

31.7%

8.3%

28.3%

Tennessee

13.2%

30.0%

8.7%

28.0%

Texas

12.0%

32.2%

8.0%

30.8%

Utah

9.9%

33.4%

4.5%

37.4%

Vermont

14.6%

44.4%

10.9%

37.2%

Virginia

17.1%

40.9%

11.1%

39.8%

Washington

14.6%

37.7%

10.1%

36.8%

West Virginia

11.7%

23.3%

7.2%

20.2%

Wisconsin

14.9%

33.4%

9.7%

29.6%

Wyoming

10.0%

30.0%

6.6%

27.1%

In terms of the population aged 18 to 24 years-old, North Dakota has the biggest difference 7.4%) between females who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher (17.4%) versus males (10%). Among the population that’s 25 years and older, Alaska has the biggest difference (7.9%) between females who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher (34.7%) versus males (26.8%).

On the national level too, females tend to have bachelor's degrees or higher compared to males. In terms of the US overall, for the population that’s 18 to 24 years-old, 14.4% of females have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 9.9% of males. And for the population that’s 25 years or older, 34.5% of females have a bachelor’s degree or higher versus 32.8% for males. This is part of a general trend in recent years of college enrollment peaking and then falling for males, while females continue to increase their share of attending college.

The Most Educated States and Least Educated States: Full Table

Below you’ll find the full table of all the factors that went into our study of the most educated states and least educated states in the US. The table is in order from the most educated states down to the least educated states:

Rank

State

Population 18 to 24 years

Population 25 years and over

Population 18 to 24 years: Bachelor's degree or higher

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree

Population 25 years and over: Graduate or professional degree

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree or higher

Population 18 to 24 years: Bachelor's degree or higher - Male

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree or higher - Male

Population 18 to 24 years: Bachelor's degree or higher - Female

Population 25 years and over: Bachelor's degree or higher - Female

1

Massachusetts

699,260

4,902,868

19.3%

24.8%

20.4%

45.2%

17.0%

44.4%

21.5%

46.0%

2

New Jersey

781,976

6,411,606

18.3%

25.1%

16.4%

41.5%

15.4%

41.2%

21.4%

41.8%

3

Connecticut

345,702

2,515,137

17.2%

22.3%

18.2%

40.6%

14.5%

39.5%

19.9%

41.5%

4

Maryland

534,601

4,240,795

15.2%

22.0%

19.5%

41.6%

12.5%

40.4%

18.0%

42.6%

5

Colorado

523,401

3,937,040

13.8%

26.7%

16.1%

42.8%

11.3%

41.8%

16.5%

43.9%

6

New York

1,816,269

14,081,080

18.0%

21.3%

16.8%

38.1%

15.2%

36.7%

20.8%

39.4%

7

Virginia

807,206

5,882,521

14.0%

22.8%

17.6%

40.3%

11.1%

39.8%

17.1%

40.9%

8

Vermont

68,285

454,463

12.7%

24.2%

16.7%

40.9%

10.9%

37.2%

14.6%

44.4%

9

New Hampshire

125,454

986,106

13.5%

23.4%

14.9%

38.2%

12.4%

37.0%

14.6%

39.4%

10

Minnesota

499,402

3,847,501

14.5%

24.6%

13.0%

37.6%

11.4%

36.1%

17.7%

39.0%

11

Illinois

1,169,584

8,764,878

14.8%

21.8%

14.4%

36.2%

12.6%

35.1%

17.0%

37.2%

12

Washington

658,252

5,278,652

12.2%

23.1%

14.2%

37.3%

10.1%

36.8%

14.6%

37.7%

13

Rhode Island

112,671

766,615

13.3%

20.9%

14.4%

35.3%

11.6%

34.6%

15.0%

36.0%

14

California

3,665,851

26,797,070

11.8%

21.9%

13.4%

35.3%

9.7%

34.7%

14.0%

35.8%

15

Kansas

295,997

1,921,951

11.7%

21.6%

12.8%

34.4%

9.5%

33.2%

14.0%

35.6%

16

Pennsylvania

1,154,671

9,111,497

13.5%

19.9%

13.2%

33.1%

11.5%

32.4%

15.5%

33.7%

17

Oregon

362,295

2,971,396

10.2%

21.7%

13.3%

35.0%

8.2%

34.1%

12.3%

36.0%

18

Nebraska

190,255

1,275,315

13.2%

21.5%

11.4%

32.9%

10.7%

31.4%

15.7%

34.5%

19

Maine

107,561

994,900

11.7%

21.0%

12.6%

33.6%

8.9%

30.7%

14.6%

36.3%

20

Hawaii

122,056

1,020,422

9.5%

22.2%

12.2%

34.3%

6.4%

32.7%

13.3%

36.0%

21

Delaware

83,629

690,618

10.2%

19.4%

14.2%

33.6%

9.7%

32.2%

10.7%

35.0%

22

Montana

98,701

746,462

10.6%

22.3%

11.3%

33.7%

7.9%

32.5%

13.7%

34.8%

23

North Carolina

979,831

7,084,876

11.1%

20.9%

12.1%

33.0%

8.7%

31.5%

13.7%

34.4%

24

Utah

363,447

1,921,860

7.1%

23.5%

12.0%

35.4%

4.5%

37.4%

9.9%

33.4%

25

Georgia

1,017,562

7,075,856

10.2%

20.2%

12.8%

33.0%

8.4%

31.8%

12.0%

34.1%

26

North Dakota

84,989

503,897

13.5%

22.2%

8.9%

31.1%

10.0%

28.2%

17.4%

34.1%

27

Wisconsin

551,032

4,027,685

12.2%

20.7%

10.8%

31.5%

9.7%

29.6%

14.9%

33.4%

28

Florida

1,729,159

15,349,290

10.8%

19.8%

11.7%

31.5%

8.8%

31.3%

12.9%

31.8%

29

Michigan

950,524

6,923,132

11.8%

18.6%

12.0%

30.6%

10.1%

30.0%

13.6%

31.2%

30

Missouri

561,340

4,187,819

11.4%

18.9%

11.8%

30.7%

9.2%

29.6%

13.7%

31.7%

31

Texas

2,796,936

18,619,469

10.0%

20.4%

11.2%

31.5%

8.0%

30.8%

12.0%

32.2%

32

Arizona

672,761

4,792,007

9.6%

19.3%

11.9%

31.2%

8.0%

31.0%

11.3%

31.4%

33

South Dakota

82,852

580,235

11.5%

20.6%

9.4%

30.0%

8.3%

28.3%

14.9%

31.7%

34

Iowa

317,031

2,119,884

11.7%

20.0%

9.7%

29.7%

10.0%

28.1%

13.5%

31.2%

35

Ohio

1,062,481

8,077,453

11.0%

18.4%

11.3%

29.7%

9.0%

28.9%

13.0%

30.4%

36

South Carolina

461,929

3,507,171

10.4%

18.6%

11.2%

29.8%

8.1%

29.0%

12.9%

30.6%

37

Tennessee

616,774

4,708,480

11.0%

18.2%

10.8%

29.0%

8.7%

28.0%

13.2%

30.0%

38

Indiana

658,039

4,501,214

11.0%

17.7%

10.1%

27.8%

9.0%

26.9%

13.0%

28.7%

39

Alaska

68,835

484,382

5.5%

19.1%

11.5%

30.6%

4.3%

26.8%

7.0%

34.7%

40

Wyoming

52,012

390,162

8.2%

17.9%

10.6%

28.5%

6.6%

27.1%

10.0%

30.0%

41

Idaho

167,590

1,185,197

7.4%

19.5%

9.6%

29.1%

5.8%

28.8%

9.2%

29.4%

42

New Mexico

197,401

1,426,639

7.0%

15.8%

12.7%

28.5%

5.7%

27.1%

8.5%

29.9%

43

Kentucky

418,668

3,053,564

10.1%

15.1%

10.6%

25.7%

8.1%

24.3%

12.1%

27.0%

44

Alabama

461,491

3,413,803

8.3%

16.5%

10.2%

26.7%

6.7%

25.7%

9.9%

27.6%

45

Oklahoma

379,325

2,607,741

8.0%

17.5%

9.3%

26.8%

6.5%

25.8%

9.7%

27.8%

46

Louisiana

422,367

3,133,855

8.6%

16.3%

9.2%

25.5%

7.3%

23.2%

9.8%

27.7%

47

Nevada

248,490

2,116,718

6.7%

17.0%

9.1%

26.1%

5.1%

25.6%

8.5%

26.5%

48

Arkansas

279,234

2,021,290

9.0%

15.5%

8.8%

24.3%

7.3%

23.0%

10.8%

25.6%

49

Mississippi

286,864

1,974,105

7.4%

14.2%

9.0%

23.2%

5.9%

20.7%

8.8%

25.6%

50

West Virginia

156,640

1,277,914

9.3%

13.0%

8.8%

21.8%

7.2%

20.2%

11.7%

23.3%

The Bottom Line on the Most Educated States and the Least Educated

Available financial resources is definitely an important factor when it comes to educational attainment. It’s no coincidence that the top of the list of the most educated states also have high household incomes compared to the US overall. College has become incredibly expensive over the years, making student loans and financial aid more central than ever to paying for the cost of higher education. 

Another key way of lightening the financial burden of attending college is to apply for college scholarships, of which there are literally thousands available across the country and to all types of people. BrokeScholar itself has a massive library of scholarships for college, whether you’re looking for an undergraduate degree or a graduate degree. As college costs continue to rise year after year, it is likely that applications for college scholarships will accelerate.

Andrew DePietro

Author: Andrew DePietro

Senior Researcher, and Content Strategist

Andrew DePietro is a finance writer covering topics such as entrepreneurship, investing, real estate and college for BrokeScholar, Forbes, CreditKarma, and more.