Census ACS 2023 · 500 counties
Most Educated US Counties
The most educated counties in America are concentrated around universities, technology hubs, and federal-government employment centers. Counties like Falls Church (VA), Arlington (VA), New York (Manhattan), and Pitkin (CO) regularly see over 70% of adults holding bachelor's degrees, more than double the national rate. Highly-educated counties enjoy lower unemployment, higher incomes, better health outcomes, and more civic engagement. They also tend to have higher housing costs, more diverse populations, and lower rates of poverty. The clustering of educated workers drives regional economic disparities and continues to accelerate: educated workers prefer to live near other educated workers, creating self-reinforcing concentrations of human capital.
Key Findings
- 1Falls Church city, VA leads with a bachelor's degree rate of 79.7%, followed by Arlington County, VA (77.1%) and Los Alamos County, NM (68.2%).
- 2The gap between #1 Falls Church city, VA and #500 Lee County, GA (33.5%) is 46.2 percentage points.
- 3The national median across all states is 40.1% (Mason County, TX at the midpoint).
- 4The top 10 states are: Falls Church city, VA, Arlington County, VA, Los Alamos County, NM, Alexandria city, VA, San Miguel County, CO, Howard County, MD, Fairfax County, VA, New York County, NY, Loudoun County, VA, Pitkin County, CO.
Full Ranking: Most Educated US Counties
Source: Census ACS 2023 5-Year Estimates
Methodology
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Falls Church city, VA has the highest bachelor's degree rate at 79.7%, according to Census ACS 2023 data. Arlington County, VA and Los Alamos County, NM round out the top three.
Lee County, GA has the lowest bachelor's degree rate at 33.5%. Rutland County, VT is second-lowest at 33.5%.
The median across all 500 states is 40.1%. Note that the national median and the state-level median are calculated differently, the state median represents the midpoint when all states are ranked.
This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates published by the US Census Bureau. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides the most comprehensive demographic data available between decennial censuses.
Rankings are based on the latest available Census ACS data (currently 2023 5-Year estimates). The Census Bureau releases new ACS data annually, typically in September. Our data was last updated on April 12, 2026.
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.