For a growing number of Americans, a good education is the ticket to a better future. College opens doors to better career opportunities, higher earnings and new social connections, among other benefits. But how much schooling one receives also matters to some extent. Generally, the higher the level of education one attains, the more income potential grows and the lower chances of unemployment become.
In this study, WalletHub’s analysts examined the key determinants of a well-educated population: educational attainment, school quality, and achievement gaps between genders and races. We compared all 50 states across 11 total metrics grouped by category. The data set ranges from “percentage of adults aged 25 and older with at least a high school diploma” to “average university quality” to “gender gap in educational attainment.”
Most Educated States
| Overall Rank | State | Total Score | ‘Educational Attainment’ Rank | ‘Quality of Education & Attainment Gap’ Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 80.65 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Maryland | 77.06 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | Colorado | 74.24 | 2 | 26 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 74.17 | 4 | 7 |
| 5 | Vermont | 73.89 | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 71.25 | 6 | 3 |
| 7 | Virginia | 68.42 | 7 | 11 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 65.83 | 8 | 24 |
| 9 | Washington | 63.80 | 9 | 31 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 63.21 | 10 | 13 |
| 11 | Utah | 62.72 | 11 | 12 |
| 12 | Oregon | 58.16 | 12 | 27 |
| 13 | New York | 55.82 | 17 | 17 |
| 14 | Kansas | 55.62 | 14 | 34 |
| 15 | Hawaii | 55.18 | 13 | 43 |
| 16 | Illinois | 54.61 | 18 | 23 |
| 17 | Delaware | 53.22 | 24 | 2 |
| 18 | Nebraska | 53.06 | 19 | 22 |
| 19 | Montana | 53.05 | 15 | 50 |
| 20 | Alaska | 52.41 | 16 | 47 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | 52.19 | 23 | 5 |
| 22 | Maine | 51.57 | 20 | 29 |
| 23 | North Dakota | 51.28 | 22 | 14 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 49.25 | 25 | 15 |
| 25 | Wyoming | 49.01 | 21 | 42 |
| 26 | Iowa | 48.55 | 27 | 8 |
| 27 | Michigan | 46.89 | 26 | 37 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | 45.21 | 29 | 16 |
| 29 | California | 42.60 | 33 | 9 |
| 30 | Arizona | 42.58 | 32 | 32 |
| 31 | Missouri | 41.79 | 31 | 38 |
| 32 | South Dakota | 41.22 | 28 | 49 |
| 33 | Idaho | 40.91 | 30 | 46 |
| 34 | Ohio | 40.83 | 34 | 21 |
| 35 | Georgia | 40.73 | 36 | 19 |
| 36 | North Carolina | 40.00 | 35 | 33 |
| 37 | Florida | 39.75 | 37 | 28 |
| 38 | Indiana | 34.62 | 40 | 10 |
| 39 | New Mexico | 34.56 | 38 | 45 |
| 40 | South Carolina | 33.56 | 39 | 25 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | 31.86 | 41 | 20 |
| 42 | Texas | 30.82 | 42 | 18 |
| 43 | Tennessee | 28.38 | 43 | 39 |
| 44 | Alabama | 26.01 | 45 | 30 |
| 45 | Nevada | 24.93 | 44 | 48 |
| 46 | Kentucky | 22.98 | 46 | 35 |
| 47 | Arkansas | 19.06 | 47 | 36 |
| 48 | Louisiana | 16.72 | 48 | 41 |
| 49 | Mississippi | 14.46 | 49 | 44 |
| 50 | West Virginia | 11.99 | 50 | 40 |
