Advanced degree attainment by state (2024)

Advanced degree attainment by state

Massachusetts has the highest estimate (22.6%); West Virginia has the lowest (9.6%). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-year, 2024.

Data year: 2024Source released Sept. 11, 2025Last updated Oct. 23, 2026GCT1503

50 ranked states; DC and Puerto Rico appear as reference rows where the source supplies them. Highest does not mean best. Ranks reflect point estimates; close values may not differ statistically.

State distribution and comparisons

The middle of the 50-state distribution is 13.65%: the average of the 25th and 26th ordered state estimates. This treats each state equally, so it answers a different question from a population-weighted national estimate.

No other state is statistically tied with Massachusetts at 90% confidence. Every other state differs from the highest point estimate under this pairwise test. This is not a confidence interval for rank, and testing multiple pairs increases false-positive risk.

See the top ten estimates with their 90% margins of error

Shared axis spans the complete 50-state estimate ± MOE range. Intervals describe individual estimates; overlapping intervals alone are not our significance test.

Are graduate qualifications distributed like bachelor’s degrees?

These states’ ranks change the most between advanced degree attainment and bachelor’s degree attainment. These comparisons identify different questions worth investigating; a rank gap does not measure a causal effect or a statistical difference between unlike units.

State	Advanced degree attainment	Bachelor’s degree attainment
New Mexico	14.0% · #20	31.8% · #41
Montana	12.0% · #35	36.3% · #21
North Dakota	10.5% · #45	34.0% · #31

Advanced degree attainment · 2024 · Percent
Rank	State / jurisdiction	Value	90% margin of error	Difference from previous rank
1	Massachusetts	22.6%	± 0.3%	Highest estimate
2	Maryland	21.5%	± 0.3%	Different at 90%
3	Connecticut	19.3%	± 0.4%	Different at 90%
4	Vermont	19.2%	± 1.0%	Not distinguishable at 90%
4	Virginia	19.2%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
6	Colorado	18.7%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
7	New York	18.4%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
8	New Jersey	18.2%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
9	New Hampshire	16.6%	± 0.6%	Different at 90%
9	Washington	16.6%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
11	Rhode Island	16.5%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
12	Delaware	16.0%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
13	Illinois	15.9%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
14	Pennsylvania	15.1%	± 0.2%	Different at 90%
15	California	14.9%	± 0.1%	Not distinguishable at 90%
15	Oregon	14.9%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
17	Georgia	14.8%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
18	Maine	14.6%	± 0.6%	Not distinguishable at 90%
19	North Carolina	14.5%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
20	Minnesota	14.0%	± 0.3%	Different at 90%
20	New Mexico	14.0%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
22	Hawaii	13.9%	± 0.6%	Not distinguishable at 90%
23	Arizona	13.8%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
24	Florida	13.7%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
24	Utah	13.7%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
26	Kansas	13.6%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
27	Missouri	13.3%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
28	Alaska	13.1%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
28	Michigan	13.1%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
28	Texas	13.1%	± 0.1%	Not distinguishable at 90%
31	Nebraska	13.0%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
31	South Carolina	13.0%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
33	Ohio	12.5%	± 0.2%	Different at 90%
34	Tennessee	12.4%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
35	Montana	12.0%	± 0.6%	Not distinguishable at 90%
35	Wisconsin	12.0%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
35	Wyoming	12.0%	± 0.9%	Not distinguishable at 90%
38	Alabama	11.8%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
38	Kentucky	11.8%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
40	Idaho	11.2%	± 0.5%	Different at 90%
40	Indiana	11.2%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
40	South Dakota	11.2%	± 0.7%	Not distinguishable at 90%
43	Iowa	10.9%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
44	Mississippi	10.7%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
45	Louisiana	10.5%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
45	North Dakota	10.5%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
45	Oklahoma	10.5%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
48	Nevada	10.1%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
49	Arkansas	10.0%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
50	West Virginia	9.6%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
Ref.	District of ColumbiaNot ranked among states	38.3%	± 1.4%	Reference jurisdiction
Ref.	Puerto RicoNot ranked among states	8.8%	± 0.4%	Reference jurisdiction

Advanced degree attainment · 2024 · Percent

Rank

State / jurisdiction

Value

90% margin of error

Difference from previous rank

Massachusetts

22.6%

± 0.3%

Highest estimate

Maryland

21.5%

± 0.3%

Different at 90%

Connecticut

19.3%

± 0.4%

Different at 90%

Vermont

19.2%

± 1.0%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Virginia

19.2%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Colorado

18.7%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New York

18.4%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New Jersey

18.2%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New Hampshire

16.6%

± 0.6%

Different at 90%

Washington

16.6%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Rhode Island

16.5%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Delaware

16.0%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Illinois

15.9%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Pennsylvania

15.1%

± 0.2%

Different at 90%

California

14.9%

± 0.1%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Oregon

14.9%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Georgia

14.8%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Maine

14.6%

± 0.6%

Not distinguishable at 90%

North Carolina

14.5%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Minnesota

14.0%

± 0.3%

Different at 90%

New Mexico

14.0%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Hawaii

13.9%

± 0.6%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Arizona

13.8%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Florida

13.7%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Utah

13.7%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Kansas

13.6%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Missouri

13.3%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Alaska

13.1%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Michigan

13.1%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Texas

13.1%

± 0.1%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Nebraska

13.0%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

South Carolina

13.0%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Ohio

12.5%

± 0.2%

Different at 90%

Tennessee

12.4%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Montana

12.0%

± 0.6%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Wisconsin

12.0%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Wyoming

12.0%

± 0.9%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Alabama

11.8%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Kentucky

11.8%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Idaho

11.2%

± 0.5%

Different at 90%

Indiana

11.2%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

South Dakota

11.2%

± 0.7%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Iowa

10.9%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Mississippi

10.7%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Louisiana

10.5%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

North Dakota

10.5%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Oklahoma

10.5%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Nevada

10.1%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Arkansas

10.0%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

West Virginia

9.6%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Ref.

District of ColumbiaNot ranked among states

38.3%

± 1.4%

Reference jurisdiction

Ref.

Puerto RicoNot ranked among states

8.8%

± 0.4%

Reference jurisdiction

What this ranking measures

Adults age 25 and older who have completed an advanced degree beyond a bachelor’s degree.

Master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees are included. The denominator is all adults 25 and older.

The size of the gap

The difference between the highest and lowest state estimates is 13 percentage points. The U.S. benchmark is 14.7%. It is not a simple average of the states.

17 states have point estimates above the U.S. benchmark and 33 below it. These counts do not establish statistical significance.

How much should you read into a rank?

Each estimate has a 90% margin of error published by the Census Bureau. For two different states, we flag a difference only when its absolute size exceeds the square root of the sum of their squared margins of error. The comparison tool applies this check to every selected pair.

Non-significance is not proof of equality. These pairwise tests are not adjusted for multiple comparisons and do not form ranking confidence intervals. Statistical method and limitations.

Ranks use the full precision of the source file, so only truly equal values share a rank (1, 2, 2, 4).

Keep exploring

Why adult attainment does not measure school quality.

Explore the same states in a side-by-side comparison, or combine this measure with others in the custom ranking tool.

Source and method

Producer: U.S. Census Bureau
Product / file: ACS 1-year · GCT1503
Period: 2024
Unit: Percent
Calculation: Published estimate; no transformation of the value. Rank = 1 + number of eligible jurisdictions with a higher value.
Coverage: The 50 states are ranked. Washington, D.C., can be added with the toggle above the table; Puerto Rico is shown for reference only, where the source covers it.
Cadence: Annual. 2025 ACS 1-year estimates scheduled for October 29, 2026 (Census ACS updates page); adoption follows editorial review.
Independence: Rank the States is independent. The agencies that produce the source data do not endorse these rankings.

Download, cite, or embed

Download the default full table (CSV) or use the download above for the table’s current filter and order. Data dictionary and source metadata

Suggested citation

Rank the States. Advanced degree attainment, 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-year, GCT1503; released 2025-09-11. Edition 2026-10-23. https://rankthestates.com/data/editions/2026-10-23/advanced-degree-attainment.csv

Chart embed

<iframe src="https://rankthestates.com/embed/advanced-degree-attainment/" title="Advanced degree attainment by state" width="100%" height="640" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Updates and corrections

Last updated Oct. 23, 2026. Earlier editions stay available on the data page, and every change is listed in the update log. If a number or definition looks wrong, report an error with the state, value, and source you checked.

Advanced degree attainment by state

State distribution and comparisons

Are graduate qualifications distributed like bachelor’s degrees?

The state-by-state view

What this ranking measures

The size of the gap

How much should you read into a rank?

Keep exploring

Source and method

Download, cite, or embed

Updates and corrections

Related rankings

Most and least educated states (college degrees)

High school attainment

What can we help you find?