The Most and Least Educated US States

Sunday, June 07, 2026

Access to higher education varies widely across the US. Some states and cities have an abundance of prestigious schools and universities, while others rely on a smaller number of large public institutions to educate their populations. The importance given to a college degree also varies by state, region, and individual career path.

Posted by lamplighter at 03:31 PM | 9 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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More from the article ...

... For some, graduate degrees are a symbol of success and a gateway to high-earning careers. Others may prioritize technical education or trades programs, especially in places where local labor demand is less centered on fields that require advanced academic credentials.

Business Insider analyzed the latest US Census Bureau data on the percentage of adults 25 and older in all 50 states who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher. We used that measure to rank the states by educational attainment for this list.

Associate degrees were not included in each state's ranking, but Business Insider also reviewed those figures to highlight where two-year credentials are more common, helping show how residents in different states may prioritize different levels of education. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-06-07 01:01 PM | Reply

LOL

US Education system is collapsing in real-time.

More Than 1,000 University of California Professors Want Standardized Tests Back
www.yahoo.com

Failing grades soar as professors see greater AI usage, dwindling math skills in UC Berkeley computer science classes
www.dailycal.org

#2 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-06-07 02:00 PM | Reply

The least educated states are Red states:

www.google.com

So, The Plan is werking!

#3 | Posted by Corky at 2026-06-07 03:52 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 4

"The least educated states are Red states..."

Uneducated is as uneducated does.

#4 | Posted by Angrydad at 2026-06-07 05:57 PM | Reply | Funny: 2

hmmmm... you don't suppose they can pass a cognitive test... do you?

The best thing about having republicl0wn friends these days... I don't have to say anything... not a peep... n-0-t-h-i-n-g... I sit there with a mild smug on... they get squirmy... defensive... I let go a little snort... shake my head... refuse to engage...

they're out of what aboutisms... It's sad... and fun at the same time...
But ya know... it all sucks... and what's done is done...

We are ALL stuck cleaning this up.

#5 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2026-06-07 09:23 PM | Reply

"The least educated states are Red states"

But that's only because there's so many Blacks in the South!
If you don't count dumb Black people, the South isn't so bad.
--Republicans

#6 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-07 09:26 PM | Reply

Home is where they have to take you in, if you have to go there.
School, for many of us, was just such a home although we as kids didn't realize that any recognition or attention came at school, and home was to be endured. And so many of us found ourselves looking to go to school forever, at least that was how it seems, and many of us were devastated as we transitioned to adults, unable to know what we wanted to do when we grew up because we really didn't want to grow up.
To be unloved and unwanted and uneducated...hello massive prison populations.

#7 | Posted by Hughmass at 2026-06-08 06:56 AM | Reply

Educational attainment is a key driver in long term economic growth. Many red states do not understand that, and instead focus on giving tax breaks to corporations to have them come to the state to build a strip mine, smelter, slaughterhouse or data center, thinking that many jobs will then follow. What states need to attract are knowledge workers, and if you don't have an educated populace, you don't get the really good jobs that the population attracts.

Fun facts about Okiehomie: the state is an exporter of college graduates, i.e., they leave because there not enough jobs for them here, and the petroleum engineering major is falling so far out of favor there are now fewer than 100 students at OK State studying that, in a state with major oil production...

#8 | Posted by catdog at 2026-06-08 09:57 AM | Reply

"I don't want my staff educated!"

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)

#9 | Posted by SomebodyElse at 2026-06-08 05:01 PM | Reply