36.8%
Bachelor's degree+
10.1%
Less than high school
236M
Adults 25+
District of Columbia
Top state
The national breakdown
Among the 236 million Americans aged 25 and older, 36.8%hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Another 27.3% have some college or an associate’s degree. Just over a quarter stopped at a high school diploma, and about one in ten never finished high school.
Educational attainment of adults 25+ (ACS 2024 1-year)
| Group | Share of adults 25+ |
|---|---|
| Less than high school | 10.1% |
| High school graduate | 25.7% |
| Some college or associate's | 27.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.8% |
Where degrees concentrate
Washington D.C. leads at 64.2% - nearly two-thirds of adults hold a bachelor’s degree. Massachusetts (47.3%) and Colorado (45.7%) follow. At the other end, West Virginia (24.1%), Mississippi (25.1%), and Arkansas (25.7%) have the lowest shares. The geography of educational attainment maps closely onto income, homeownership, and rent burden patterns.
Bachelor’s degree or higher by state (ACS 2024 5-year)
| State | Bachelor's+ |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 64.2% |
| Massachusetts | 47.3% |
| Colorado | 45.7% |
| Vermont | 43.8% |
| New Jersey | 43.6% |
| Maryland | 43.4% |
| Connecticut | 42.5% |
| Virginia | 42.2% |
| New Hampshire | 40.6% |
| New York | 40.2% |
| Washington | 39.6% |
| Minnesota | 39.4% |
| Illinois | 37.8% |
| Rhode Island | 37.7% |
| Utah | 37.7% |
| California | 37.1% |
| Oregon | 36.8% |
| Maine | 36.2% |
| Hawaii | 36.1% |
| Delaware | 35.8% |
| North Carolina | 35.7% |
| Kansas | 35.6% |
| Montana | 35.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 35.2% |
| Georgia | 34.9% |
| Nebraska | 34.6% |
| Florida | 34.1% |
| Texas | 33.8% |
| Wisconsin | 33.4% |
| Arizona | 33.3% |
| North Dakota | 32.7% |
| Michigan | 32.4% |
| Missouri | 32.4% |
| South Carolina | 32.1% |
| South Dakota | 31.9% |
| Idaho | 31.8% |
| Alaska | 31.7% |
| Ohio | 31.5% |
| Iowa | 31.4% |
| Tennessee | 31.1% |
| New Mexico | 31% |
| Wyoming | 30.6% |
| Indiana | 29.5% |
| Alabama | 28.4% |
| Oklahoma | 28.3% |
| Nevada | 27.9% |
| Kentucky | 27.6% |
| Louisiana | 27% |
| Arkansas | 25.7% |
| Mississippi | 25.1% |
| West Virginia | 24.1% |
Metro-level rankings
San Jose (55.5%), Washington D.C. (54.4%), and Durham-Chapel Hill (53.4%) lead metros in bachelor’s degree attainment - reflecting concentrations of tech, government, and research employment. Bakersfield (18.8%), McAllen (20.6%), and Stockton (22.7%) anchor the bottom, where agricultural and industrial economies dominate.
Top 10 metros
| # | Metro area | Bachelor's+ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 55.5% |
| 2 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 54.4% |
| 3 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 53.4% |
| 4 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 52.9% |
| 5 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 51.9% |
| 6 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 51.2% |
| 7 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 50.9% |
| 8 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 50.9% |
| 9 | Madison, WI | 50.1% |
| 10 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 49.4% |
Bottom 10 metros
| # | Metro area | Bachelor's+ |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 18.8% |
| 99 | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 20.6% |
| 98 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | 22.7% |
| 97 | Fresno, CA | 23.4% |
| 96 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 23.5% |
| 95 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 24.5% |
| 94 | El Paso, TX | 25.9% |
| 93 | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | 27.2% |
| 92 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 27.8% |
| 91 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 28.9% |
Ranked among the 100 largest metros by population 25+. Source: ACS 2024 5-year, Table B15003.