ORLANDO, Fla. – On Monday morning, WalletHub released its latest report detailing the least educated states in the country.
The study looks at factors like the number of degree holders, school quality, graduation rates, and test scores to determine which states were the most educated — and which ones flunked.
“There’s a strong correlation between being more educated and receiving higher compensation,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “The most educated states provide high-quality educational experiences from elementary school all the way to graduate programs, which helps parents raise children in an environment that gives them as many opportunities as possible.”
[BELOW: Nearly 1M people moved to Florida. Here’s where they came from]
Overall, the best-ranked state was Massachusetts, which also held the greatest rank for educational attainment.
“Massachusetts, known for its top colleges like MIT and Harvard, ranks as the most educated state in America. The state has the highest percentage of adults ages 25 and older with at least a Bachelor’s degree, at over 47%, and the highest share who have a graduate or professional degree, at nearly 22%.
The Bay State ranks second in the country when it comes to the average quality of its universities. Colleges can’t hog all the credit for why Massachusetts is the most educated state, though. Massachusetts has the second-best public school system in the country, and students boast the highest math and reading test scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Finally, Massachusetts is one of the states that provide state-sponsored free college tuition programs, though eligibility is limited by factors such as income, merit, location, or field of study.”
WalletHub, “Most & Least Educated States in America”
On the other end of the spectrum is West Virginia, which also placed lowest for educational attainment.
But how did the Sunshine State fare?
[BELOW: Buc-ee’s is not the most satisfying convenience store in Florida, study says]
Well, the report reveals that Florida received much more middling marks, coming in at No. 21.
While the state lagged in terms of educational attainment, its quality of education actually turned out to be among the highest in the nation, coming in at No. 5 for that specific metric.
Meanwhile, the full ranking is as follows:
RankStateScoreEducational Attainment RankEducation Quality Rank1Massachusetts78.41142Vermont75.35393Maryland74.01434Connecticut69.83765Colorado69.722386New Jersey68.451017Virginia67.506118New Hampshire67.035149Minnesota63.8882010Washington63.6992111Utah60.29112612Maine59.95121513Rhode Island58.9321214Delaware57.2619815Illinois56.41161716New York55.36172417Oregon55.34134118Montana54.13144319Wisconsin53.59241320Pennsylvania52.98271221Florida52.8935522North Carolina52.30251823Hawaii52.16154724Kansas51.28184425Nebraska50.92203926Wyoming50.75233727Michigan50.28282328North Dakota48.50224629California48.3138730Georgia48.07302531Missouri47.29322932Iowa47.02333033South Dakota46.98313234Arizona46.87293535Ohio46.81361936Alaska46.57264937Idaho46.39343338South Carolina44.71372739Tennessee43.21401640Indiana42.36421041Texas39.98412242New Mexico37.05395043Alabama35.73443144Kentucky34.71452845Oklahoma33.87434246Nevada33.01463647Arkansas29.84473448Louisiana28.13484049Mississippi26.00494850West Virginia24.355045Breaking News Alerts
Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.