Top 10s

Website ranks "most educated" states

WalletHub's rankings are based on educational attainment and quality of education, as measured in 20 categories
Jan. 23, 2019

Massachusetts is the "most educated" of the 50 states, according to the WalletHub website.

The site arrived at its findings after analyzing "the key factors of a well-educated population: educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races."

Under WalletHub's ranking system, Massachusetts scored 80.06, far surpassing the next ranked state, Vermont which scored 73.21. The lowest-ranking state was Mississippi, which scored 19.32.

The study looked at 20 metrics and assigned weights to each. The characteristics given the most weight were

•Share of adults 25 and older with at least a high school diploma (15 points)

•Share of adults 25 and older with at least some college experience or an associate's degree (15 points)

•Share of adults 25 and older with at least a bachelor's degree (15 points)

•Share of adults 25 and older with at least a graduate or professional degree (15 points)

Other factors included quality of school system (4.57 points), which is based on U.S. News & World Report's school systems rating, and average quality of universities (4.57 percent), which is based on WalletHub's Best Colleges and Universities rankings.

Here are the 10 states that ranked the highest.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

Sign up for American School & University Newsletters