Education in the US is far from a monolith.
From long-standing education hubs in the Northeast to improvement efforts in the South, a child’s education can vary widely depending on where they live in the US.
Across the nation, one trend is strongest: high-earning states outperform lower-earning states in education, due to factors including higher property taxes funding local public schools.
A recent WalletHub study ranked all 50 states across 18 metrics to determine where Americans are most and least educated based on two key dimensions: educational attainment and quality of education.
Educational attainment was measured by examining the share of adults 25 and older who attain different levels of education, from high school diplomas to graduate degrees.
The quality of education, on the other hand, was assessed based on factors such as test scores, graduation rates, the number of students enrolled in top universities, and free school programs. It also considered WalletHub’s earlier study comparing the US’ top 791 universities. Additionally, this category included an analysis of racial and gender gaps in education by measuring differences in the proportion of bachelor’s degree holders across groups.
WalletHub weighted each metric to calculate an overall score out of 100 for every state, which was then used to rank them from most to least educated.
The study used data compiled from sources including the US Census Bureau, the National Center for Education Statistics, the US Department of Education, US News & World Report, the College Board, and other national education databases.
The dual scoring in the study illustrates that determining how educated a state is involves understanding how many of its residents actually access quality education and actually attain degrees.
While places like Rhode Island have some of the best education quality rankings in the country — placing second in quality of education — that doesn’t always translate into the highest levels of attainment across the broader population. Rhode Island ranked 21st in educational attainment, which measures the share of residents who hold high school, associate’s, bachelor’s, and graduate degrees.
Despite its elite institutions, Rhode Island’s attainment level placed it below states like Colorado, which ranks second in educational attainment. While Colorado did not score as highly in overall education quality, it has a larger share of residents with college experience and bachelor’s degrees, signaling broader access to educational opportunities and ultimately lifting its overall education score in the study.
We’ve listed the 15 most educated states, as determined by the WalletHub study, followed by the 15 least educated states. See if your state makes the list.
1. Massachusetts
Total Score (out of 100): 78.41
Median household income: $104,828
Massachusetts ranks as the most educated state in the US.
The state has the highest percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree, with over 47%, and an additional 22% with a graduate or professional degree.
As such, it ranks highest in educational attainment in the country and offers a wide range of opportunities, including state-sponsored free college tuition programs.
Universities in the state rank second-highest in educational quality — it’s home to institutions like Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, and others — and the state also has the second-best K-12 public school system in the country. Students in the state have, on average, the highest math and reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, per WalletHub’s study.
2. Vermont
Total Score: 75.35
Median household income: $82,730
With the highest share of high-school diploma holders — 95% of people aged over 25 — Vermont ranks second overall among the most educated states in the US.
In WalletHub’s analysis, it ranked third in educational attainment and ninth in quality of education.
The state, which is home to the University of Vermont, has the third-highest percentage of bachelor’s degree holders in the nation and the fourth-highest for graduate- or professional-degree holders.
3. Maryland
Total Score: 74.01
Median household income: $102,905
With institutions like the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, Maryland ranks third among the most educated states in the nation.
The state, which comes second in the nation for median household income, ranks third in education quality and fourth in educational attainment.
Maryland has a free statewide community college program that helps those seeking higher education to afford it, contributing to the state having the second-highest percentage of graduate- or professional-degree holders and fifth-highest percentage of bachelor’s degree holders.
4. Connecticut
Total Score: 69.83
Median household income: $96,049
With the eighth-highest median income in the country, Connecticut ranks as the fourth-most educated state in the US, with elite institutions like Yale University boosting its profile.
The state has the third-highest average university quality and percentage of graduate- or professional-degree holders in the nation.
5. Colorado
Total Score: 69.72
Median household income: $97,113
Ranking as the fifth-most educated state in the US, Colorado takes the second-highest spot in the study’s educational attainment rank.
The state, which is home to the University of Colorado system, has the highest percentage of associate’s degree holders or college-experienced adults and the second-highest percentage of bachelor’s degree holders in the nation.
However, the state also falls behind in education quality, ranking 38th in the nation overall and taking the second-lowest spot for average university quality, per WalletHub’s study.
6. New Jersey
Total Score: 68.45
Median household income: $104,294
New Jersey ranks sixth among the most educated states in the US and tops the WalletHub study for educational quality.
The state, home to institutions such as Princeton University and Rutgers University, also has the fourth-highest percentage of bachelor’s degree holders in the nation.
7. Virginia
Total Score: 67.50
Median household income: $92,090
The state ranks sixth in educational attainment and has the fifth-highest percentage of graduate- and professional-degree holders among US states.
Public schools like the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech anchor the state’s higher-ed strength. The state ranked 11 for quality of education.
8. New Hampshire
Total Score: 67.03
Median household income: $99,782
New Hampshire is the eighth-most educated state in the US.
Ranking fifth for educational attainment, the state has the fourth-highest percentage of high-school diploma holders, and is home to prestigious schools like Dartmouth College.
With a median annual household income of $99,782, the state ranked as the sixth highest-earning state.
9. Minnesota
Total Score: 63.88
Median household income: $87,117
Minnesota ranks eighth in educational attainment and third in the percentage of associate-degree holders or college-experienced adults.
While its quality of education trails slightly, ranking 20th, the state’s broad access to education contributes to its high ranking.
10. Washington
Total Score: 63.69
Median household income: $99,389
Washington ranks as the 10th-most educated state in the US, as well as placing ninth in the study’s educational attainment rank.
The state — which ranks seventh in the nation for median household income — also has the fourth-highest percentage of associate’s degree holders or college-experienced adults, with public schools like the University of Washington contributing to the ranking.
11. Utah
Total Score: 60.29
Median household income: $96,658
Utah ranks as the 11th-best US state for education while also having the 10th-highest median household income in the nation.
The state, home to schools like Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, has the second-highest percentage of adults with college experience or an associate’s degree in the study.
12. Maine
Total Score: 59.95
Median household income: $76,442
Despite ranking 32nd in median household income, Maine is one of six low-income states with high educational levels, according to the WalletHub study.
The largely rural state, which is also the highest-ranking low-income state, has the second-highest percentage of high-school diploma holders in the country.
13. Rhode Island
Total Score: 58.93
Median household income: $83,504
Placing second in the study’s quality-of-education ranking, Rhode Island is the US’ 13th-most educated state. Despite its impressive quality, educational attainment in the state trails behind, placing 21st in the study’s ranking.
Elite institutions like Brown University strengthen the state’s academic reputation.
14. Delaware
Total Score: 57.26
Median household income: $87,534
Delaware ranks as the 14th-most educated US state, with the University of Delaware driving much of the state’s higher-ed profile.
The state also ranks eighth in the study’s quality-of-education ranking and 16th in the median annual household income ranking, following the trend of higher education levels in high-income states.
15. Illinois
Total Score: 56.41
Median household income: $83,211
Illinois ranks 15th among the most educated US states in WalletHub’s study.
The state is home to a dense concentration of major research institutions, like the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The state also ranks 17th among US states in median annual household income, per the study.
36. Alaska
Total Score: 46.57
Median household income: $95,665
At the other end of the ranking, Alaska is the 15th-lowest ranked state for education, or 36th out of 50.
Despite being among the top-earning states, ranking 12th for median household income, Alaska falls behind on education, being one of only six high-income states to fall under the low education level category in the WalletHub study.
The state ranked second-worst in educational quality and was in the lower half for educational attainment.
Its flagship institution, the University of Alaska, serves a dispersed population in the state.
37. Idaho
Total Score: 46.39
Median household income: $81,166
Idaho, home to the scenic Boise State University, ranked in the lower half for both educational attainment and quality of education.
The state, which has a median household income of $81,166, is one of the high-income states to have a low education ranking in the WalletHub study.
38. South Carolina
Total Score: 44.71
Median household income: $72,350
Ranking in the lower half of the country for both educational quality and educational attainment, South Carolina trails its peers.
The state is home to private schools, like Furman University, which ranked 129th in WalletHub’s best universities study, and public schools such as Clemson University, which ranked 131st.
39. Tennessee
Total Score: 43.21
Median household income: $71,997
Home to the private, highly regarded Vanderbilt University, Tennessee received mixed reviews for its education. While the state was ranked 16th in the country for educational quality, it ranked 40th for educational attainment.
40. Indiana
Total Score: 42.36
Median household income: $71,959
Indiana was ranked the 11th-least educated state in the US, based largely on its low ranking in educational attainment, which placed it in the ninth-lowest place nationwide.
Despite that, the state has some of the best quality education in the nation, being ranked 10th highest and having names like Purdue University and Indiana University in its statewide public university system.
41. Texas
Total Score: 39.98
Median household income: $79,721
Despite ranking as the 21st-highest earning state in the US, Texas falls behind when it comes to education, ranking as the 10th-least educated state in the nation, per WalletHub.
The state has the second-lowest percentage of high school diploma holders, and ranks 10th lowest for educational attainment. However, it ranks 22nd when it comes to quality of education.
42. New Mexico
Total Score: 37.05
Median household income: $67,816
WalletHub ranked New Mexico last in the nation for quality of education.
The state also ranked 12th-lowest in educational attainment.
43. Alabama
Total Score: 35.73
Median household income: $66,659
Alabama, home to schools like the University of Alabama and Auburn University, ranked in the seventh-lowest spot for educational attainment, with its quality of education also falling in the lowest half of states, at 31 out of 50.
44. Kentucky
Total Score: 34.71
Median household income: $64,526
Kentucky was ranked sixth-lowest among all the states for educational attainment.
The state has the fourth-lowest percentage of associate’s degree holders or college-experienced adults, as well as the fifth-lowest share of bachelor’s degree holders.
45. Oklahoma
Total Score: 33.87
Median household income: $66,148
Oklahoma ranked among the 10 lowest states in both educational attainment and quality of education, placing eighth and ninth lowest, respectively.
The state, which is home to the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, tied with Mississippi for the fifth-lowest percentage of graduate- or professional-degree holders in the nation, per the WalletHub study.
46. Nevada
Total Score: 33.01
Median household income: $81,134
Ranking as the fifth-least educated state in the US, Nevada has some of the lowest shares of graduate- or professional-degree holders.
The average quality of Nevada universities was ranked as the lowest in the country.
In sharing WalletHub’s report, the Reno Gazette Journal noted that many of the largest industries in the state, such as hospitality and transportation, don’t require university degrees.
47. Arkansas
Total Score: 29.84
Median household income: $62,106
In the fourth-lowest place is Arkansas, which was also ranked as having the fourth-lowest ranking when it comes to educational attainment.
The state has the second-lowest share of associate’s degree holders or college-experienced adults, the third-lowest percentage of bachelor’s degree holders, and the lowest percentage of graduate- or professional-degree holders out of all US states.
48. Louisiana
Total Score: 28.13
Median household income: $60,986
Louisiana trails behind other places when it comes to educational attainment, ranking as the third-lowest US state in that metric.
Despite being home to public schools like Louisiana State University and nationally reputable private universities like Loyola University and Tulane University, the state has some of the lowest shares of degree holders in the country, from high school diplomas to associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.
49. Mississippi
Total Score: 26.00
Median household income: $59,127
Mississippi ranked as the second-lowest educated state in the US, based both on educational attainment and the quality of education, in which the state placed second- and third-lowest, respectively.
The state has some of the lowest shares of degree holders in the country, from high-school diplomas to associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.
50. West Virginia
Total Score: 24.35
Median household income: $60,798
The least educated state in the US, per the WalletHub study, is West Virginia.
Despite not being in the bottom five states for high-school diplomas, the state ranks last for share of both associate’s and bachelor’s degree holders, and educational attainment in the state is the lowest in the country.
In WalletHub’s separate study of the best universities in the US, no institution in West Virginia made its top 500.
