States where a bachelor's degree pays off the most and least, ranked

Getting a four-year college education isn’t always worth it for everybody — whether it comes down to avoiding the rising cost of a degree or pursuing careers outside a traditional college setting — but in some state economies, not having a bachelor’s degree sets you further behind than in others.

Business Insider looked at the median annual earnings of adults aged 25 and over across the country, as reported in the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey data, and compared the median earnings of adults with a bachelor’s degree with those of adults with some college or an associate degree.

We then ranked all 50 states by the percentage difference in median earnings between those two groups, from highest to lowest, to compare extra earnings associated with completing a four-year degree with stopping short of earning a bachelor’s degree, while accounting for differences in overall wage levels from state to state.

Across all states, one thing remained constant: having a bachelor’s degree is almost always associated with higher earnings.

On average, bachelor’s degree-holders earned 38.6% more than adults with some college or an associate degree, but that ranged across state lines, with the largest gap at 58.5% and the smallest at 17.1%.

States with major cities and large professional job markets, such as California, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Georgia, and Washington, all ranked among the widest earnings gaps between bachelor’s degree holders and those with only some college or an associate degree.

On the other hand, states with more rural economies and greater reliance on industries such as agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and skilled trades, such as Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas, had the smallest earnings gaps.

For some, even a slim advantage can be significant in an uncertain labor market. Others might look at the financial payoff of a college investment and decide to pursue a different career path.

The list below ranks states from those with the largest earnings gap between bachelor’s degree holders and people with some college education to those with the smallest gap, helping illustrate how the financial payoff of a bachelor’s degree can vary across state lines.

See where your state ranked.

50. California

Degree premium: 58.5%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $80,874

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $51,031

Earnings gap: $29,843

49. New Jersey

Degree premium: 57.1%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $81,107

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $51,644

Earnings gap: $29,463

48. Massachusetts

Degree premium: 56.6%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $81,784

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $52,218

Earnings gap: $29,566

47. New York

Degree premium: 55.0%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $76,760

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $49,538

Earnings gap: $27,222

46. Georgia

Degree premium: 53.7%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $70,582

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,919

Earnings gap: $24,663

45. Illinois

Degree premium: 52.6%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $72,625

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $47,598

Earnings gap: $25,027

44. Washington

Degree premium: 51.6%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $81,640

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $53,857

Earnings gap: $27,783

43. Connecticut

Degree premium: 50.7%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $77,879

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $51,686

Earnings gap: $26,193

42. Virginia

Degree premium: 49.8%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $75,575

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $50,450

Earnings gap: $25,125

41. Colorado

Degree premium: 47.6%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $75,637

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $51,247

Earnings gap: $24,390

40. Texas

Degree premium: 47.0%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $69,494

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $47,269

Earnings gap: $22,225

39. North Carolina

Degree premium: 46.5%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $65,170

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $44,474

Earnings gap: $20,696

38. Oregon

Degree premium: 46.3%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $69,562

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $47,544

Earnings gap: $22,018

37. Michigan

Degree premium: 45.9%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $66,497

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,580

Earnings gap: $20,917

36. Pennsylvania

Degree premium: 45.6%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $70,261

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $48,250

Earnings gap: $22,011

35. Ohio

Degree premium: 45.0%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $67,591

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $46,601

Earnings gap: $20,990

34. Maryland

Degree premium: 43.3%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $79,242

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $55,301

Earnings gap: $23,941

33. Kansas

Degree premium: 43.0%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $65,534

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,825

Earnings gap: $19,709

32. Arizona

Degree premium: 40.8%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $67,466

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $47,923

Earnings gap: $19,543

31. Minnesota

Degree premium: 39.0%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $72,538

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $52,185

Earnings gap: $20,353

30. South Carolina

Degree premium: 39.0%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $63,731

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,860

Earnings gap: $17,871

29. Rhode Island

Degree premium: 38.3%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $69,496

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $50,264

Earnings gap: $19,232

28. Louisiana

Degree premium: 37.9%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $59,917

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $43,459

Earnings gap: $16,458

27. Tennessee

Degree premium: 37.7%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $62,654

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,492

Earnings gap: $17,162

26. Oklahoma

Degree premium: 37.0%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $60,006

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $43,787

Earnings gap: $16,219

25. Arkansas

Degree premium: 37.0%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $57,152

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $41,732

Earnings gap: $15,420

24. Missouri

Degree premium: 36.9%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $62,091

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,360

Earnings gap: $16,731

23. New Hampshire

Degree premium: 36.5%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $71,669

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $52,513

Earnings gap: $19,156

22. Nevada

Degree premium: 35.7%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $62,782

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $46,278

Earnings gap: $16,504

21. Alabama

Degree premium: 35.0%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $61,183

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,321

Earnings gap: $15,862

20. Florida

Degree premium: 34.2%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $60,618

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,172

Earnings gap: $15,446

19. Kentucky

Degree premium: 34.2%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $60,854

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,352

Earnings gap: $15,502

18. Delaware

Degree premium: 33.8%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $65,673

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $49,094

Earnings gap: $16,579

17. Mississippi

Degree premium: 32.8%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $55,481

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $41,781

Earnings gap: $13,700

15. (tie) New Mexico

Degree premium: 32.2%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $56,159

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $42,468

Earnings gap: $13,691

15. (tie) Indiana

Degree premium: 32.2%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $63,367

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $47,929

Earnings gap: $15,438

14. Maine

Degree premium: 32.1%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $62,442

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $47,269

Earnings gap: $15,173

13. Vermont

Degree premium: 31.8%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $61,949

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $46,998

Earnings gap: $14,951

12. Idaho

Degree premium: 31.7%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $60,198

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $45,707

Earnings gap: $14,491

10. (tie) Nebraska

Degree premium: 31.5%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $62,021

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $47,163

Earnings gap: $14,858

10. (tie) Utah

Degree premium: 31.5%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $65,299

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $49,669

Earnings gap: $15,630

9. Wisconsin

Degree premium: 30.6%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $65,697

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $50,315

Earnings gap: $15,382

8. West Virginia

Degree premium: 30.4%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $56,967

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $43,674

Earnings gap: $13,293

7. Iowa

Degree premium: 29.5%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $62,244

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $48,062

Earnings gap: $14,182

6. Montana

Degree premium: 28.5%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $56,457

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $43,921

Earnings gap: $12,536

5. Alaska

Degree premium: 25.6%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $69,031

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $54,950

Earnings gap: $14,081

4. Hawaii

Degree premium: 24.6%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $62,969

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $50,549

Earnings gap: $12,420

3. Wyoming

Degree premium: 22.3%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $54,213

Median earnings with some college or an associate degree: $44,339

Earnings gap: $9,874

2. North Dakota

Degree premium: 17.3%

Median earnings with a bachelor’s degree: $60,560