It’s no secret that getting a good education is a key to a better future, and in some cases the more education you have, the better that future may be. But it turns out, education isn’t equal around the country, with some states doing a better job than others at educating their population.
- 24/7 Wall Street has just come out with their list of the Most and Least Educated States in the Country.
- They based their list on data on educational attainment from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
- They looked at the percentage of adults 25 and over with at least a bachelor’s degree.
- They also compared median household income and earnings based on educational attainment.
- States with the highest educational attainment are mostly in the Northeast.
- States in the South tend to have the smallest share of college-educated adults.
- The Most Educated State in the U.S. is Massachusetts, with 45% of those 25 and older holding at least a bachelor’s degree.
- The median earnings in Massachusetts for those with a bachelor’s degree is $65,373, the second-highest in the country.
Top Ten Most Educated States in the U.S.
- Massachusetts
- Colorado
- New Jersey
- Maryland
- Connecticut
- Virginia
- Vermont
- New York
- New Hampshire
- Minnesota
- On the flipside, West Virginia is the Least Educated State in the U.S., with only 21.1% of those 25 and over earning at least a bachelor’s degree.
- The median earnings for those with a bachelor’s degree is $45,304 the fourth lowest in the country.
- The median earnings for all of Virginia is only $35,440.
The Ten Least Educated States in the U.S.
- West Virginia
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Louisiana
- Kentucky
- Nevada
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
- Indiana
- New Mexico
Source:24/7 Wall Street