A good education is a ticket to a better future. Generally, the higher the level of education one completes, the higher their income potential and the lower their chances of unemployment become.
Some states are able to provide better quality education than others, though. In this study, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 18 key indicators of a well-educated population: educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races.
A separate WalletHub analysis identifies the Most & Least Educated Cities.
Cassandra Happe, WalletHub Analyst
Main Findings
Most Educated States
Overall Rank* | State | Total Score | Educational Attainment Rank | Quality of Education Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Massachusetts | 82.32 | 1 | 1 |
2 | Vermont | 76.30 | 3 | 6 |
3 | Maryland | 75.97 | 4 | 5 |
4 | Connecticut | 73.51 | 6 | 3 |
5 | Colorado | 70.83 | 2 | 34 |
6 | Virginia | 70.43 | 5 | 10 |
7 | New Jersey | 69.97 | 10 | 4 |
8 | New Hampshire | 68.32 | 7 | 15 |
9 | Minnesota | 66.98 | 8 | 16 |
10 | Washington | 64.27 | 9 | 25 |
11 | Utah | 63.33 | 11 | 18 |
12 | Delaware | 60.05 | 19 | 7 |
13 | Illinois | 59.19 | 16 | 12 |
14 | Montana | 58.30 | 13 | 31 |
15 | New York | 58.29 | 18 | 14 |
16 | Rhode Island | 57.77 | 21 | 9 |
17 | Oregon | 57.44 | 12 | 43 |
18 | Hawaii | 57.43 | 15 | 27 |
19 | Maine | 56.51 | 14 | 37 |
20 | Wisconsin | 54.84 | 25 | 13 |
21 | Florida | 54.54 | 35 | 2 |
22 | North Carolina | 52.80 | 28 | 17 |
23 | Kansas | 52.18 | 17 | 48 |
24 | Nebraska | 51.97 | 20 | 41 |
25 | North Dakota | 51.69 | 24 | 38 |
26 | Pennsylvania | 51.38 | 26 | 30 |
27 | Michigan | 51.19 | 27 | 28 |
28 | Wyoming | 50.87 | 23 | 42 |
29 | California | 50.37 | 37 | 8 |
30 | Georgia | 49.20 | 32 | 23 |
31 | Alaska | 49.10 | 22 | 49 |
32 | Missouri | 48.94 | 31 | 26 |
33 | Iowa | 48.76 | 30 | 29 |
34 | South Dakota | 48.48 | 34 | 24 |
35 | Ohio | 48.33 | 36 | 20 |
36 | Arizona | 46.02 | 33 | 40 |
37 | Idaho | 45.97 | 29 | 45 |
38 | South Carolina | 44.55 | 38 | 35 |
39 | Tennessee | 43.38 | 40 | 19 |
40 | Indiana | 43.32 | 41 | 11 |
41 | Texas | 40.50 | 42 | 22 |
42 | New Mexico | 37.12 | 39 | 50 |
43 | Kentucky | 36.06 | 45 | 32 |
44 | Nevada | 35.67 | 46 | 21 |
45 | Alabama | 35.62 | 44 | 36 |
46 | Oklahoma | 34.93 | 43 | 46 |
47 | Arkansas | 31.03 | 47 | 33 |
48 | Louisiana | 28.84 | 48 | 39 |
49 | Mississippi | 25.72 | 49 | 47 |
50 | West Virginia | 24.82 | 50 | 44 |
Note: *No. 1 = Most Educated
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.
- Highest
- 1. Montana
- 2. Vermont
- 3. Maine
- 4. New Hampshire
- 5. Wyoming
- Lowest
- T-45. Nevada
- T-45. New Mexico
- 47. Louisiana
- 48. Mississippi
- 49. Texas
- 50. California
- Highest
- 1. Colorado
- 2. Utah
- 3. Washington
- 4. Minnesota
- 5. Oregon
- Lowest
- 46. Mississippi
- 47. Kentucky
- 48. Arkansas
- 49. Louisiana
- 50. West Virginia
- Highest
- 1. Massachusetts
- 2. Colorado
- 3. New Jersey
- 4. Maryland
- 5. Vermont
- Lowest
- 46. Kentucky
- 47. Louisiana
- 48. Arkansas
- 49. Mississippi
- 50. West Virginia
- Highest
- 1. Massachusetts
- 2. Maryland
- 3. Connecticut
- 4. Virginia
- 5. Vermont
- Lowest
- T-46. Mississippi
- T-46. Nevada
- 48. West Virginia
- T-49. North Dakota
- T-49. Arkansas
- Highest
- 1. Connecticut
- 2. Massachusetts
- 3. Vermont
- 4. Rhode Island
- 5. California
- Lowest
- 45. Hawaii
- 46. South Dakota
- 47. West Virginia
- 48. North Dakota
- 49. Colorado
Massachusetts
Massachusetts, known for its top colleges like MIT and Harvard, ranks as the most educated state in America. The state has the highest percentage of adults ages 25 and older with at least a Bachelor’s degree, at nearly 46%, and the highest share who have a graduate or professional degree, at nearly 21%.
The Bay State ranks second in the country when it comes to the average quality of its universities. Colleges can’t hog all the credit for why Massachusetts is the most educated state, though.
Massachusetts has some of the best high schools (both public and private) in the country, with the best performance in the country when it comes to math and reading test scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Vermont
Vermont is the second-most educated state in America. Nearly 42% of residents ages 25 and older have at least a Bachelor’s degree, while over 17% have a graduate or professional degree. In addition, more than 94% of people ages 25+ have at least a high school diploma, the second-highest rate in the country.
The Green Mountain State also provides equitable education, with the fifth-smallest racial gap in Bachelor’s degree attainment. In addition, Vermont’s universities collectively rank as the third-best in the nation.
Maryland
The third-most educated state is Maryland, which is notable for being a state that has enacted a free statewide community college program, allowing anyone who wants to pursue higher education to have the opportunity. This is partially responsible for why Maryland has the fourth-highest share of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree and the second-highest share with a graduate or professional degree.
The Old Line state has great education at the high school level, too, with one of the highest shares of students who scored at least a 3 out of 5 on an AP exam during high school.
Ask the Experts
For insight into other topics in higher education, we turned to a panel of experts in various fields. Click on the panelists’ profiles below to read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions:
- What is the impact of K-12 school quality on rates of high school completion and later college attendance and completion?
- What are the most effective ways to combat “brain drain” across state borders?
- Are highly educated states better able to withstand economic shocks?
- To what extent should states consider education policy as part of a broader economic development strategy?
Ask the Experts
We examined those dimensions using 18 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the “most educated.” In certain metrics where women showed an advantage over men and black people over white people, we gave equal credit to the states with no gender/racial inequality. These metrics were marked accordingly with an asterisk (*).
We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.
Educational Attainment - Total Points: 60
- Share of Adults Aged 25 and Older with at Least a High School Diploma: Full Weight (~15.00 Points)
- Share of Adults Aged 25 and Older with at Least Some College Experience or an Associate's Degree: Full Weight (~15.00 Points)
- Share of Adults Aged 25 and Older with at Least a Bachelor's Degree: Full Weight (~15.00 Points)
- Share of Adults Aged 25 and Older with at Least a Graduate or Professional Degree: Full Weight (~15.00 Points)
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap - Total Points: 40
- Quality of School System: Double Weight (~5.16 Points)
Note: This metric is based on U.S. News & World Report’s school systems rating. - Blue Ribbon Schools per Capita: Full Weight (~2.58 Points)
Note: This metric refers to schools recognized by the Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Schools Program for academic excellence or improvement in closing achievement gaps. - Average Quality of Universities: Double Weight (~5.16 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “2024 Best Colleges & Universities Ranking”. - Enrolled Students in Top Universities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.58 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “2024 College & University Rankings” comparing America’s top 857 universities. - Public High School Graduation Rate: Double Weight (~5.16 Points)
Note: This metric measures the graduation rate for students who attended high school for four years. - Projected High School Graduation Rate Change between 2022-2023 and 2033-2034: Full Weight (~2.58 Points)
- NAEP Math & Reading Test Scores: Full Weight (~2.58 Points)
- Share of 2022 High School Class Scoring “3” or Higher on Advanced Placement Exams: Full Weight (~2.58 Points)
Note: This metric shows the degree to which students are participating in AP Exams and are achieving scores that qualify them for college credit at most U.S. public colleges and universities. - School Engagement of Students: Full Weight (~2.58 Points)
- States with Summer Learning Legislation: Half Weight (~1.29 Points)
Note: This metric measures whether a summer learning legislation was passed or introduced in the state. - States with School Programs: Half Weight (~1.29 Points)
Note: This binary metric measures the presence or absence of school programs.
Programs include education savings accounts, school vouchers or tax-credit scholarship programs. - Presence of Free Community College Education: Half Weight (~1.29 Points)
Note: This metric measures the presence or absence of free community college education in a state. - Racial Gap in Educational Attainment*: Full Weight (~2.58 Points)
Note: This metric specifically measures the difference between the share of black bachelor’s degree holders and the share of their white counterparts. - Gender Gap in Educational Attainment*: Full Weight (~2.58 Points)
Note: This metric specifically measures the difference between the share of female bachelor’s degree holders and the share of their male counterparts.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of January 29, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. News & World Report, Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, National Summer Learning Association, The Campaign for Free College Tuition, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, U.S. Department of Education, The College Board, EdChoice and WalletHub research.
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