Before trying to answer the question, "Which states have the most educated people?", one needs to define what "educated" means. Is the threshold a high school diploma, a bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university, or a graduate degree?
Assuming we are talking about the latter – the highest form of education – it is interesting to note that the percentage of people in the United States with doctoral degrees increased faster than any other type of postsecondary degree between 2020 and 2023, according to a Social Explorer analysis conducting using the American Community Survey 2020–2023 (5-Year Estimates) dataset, which is available through the demographic mapping software.
Fast forward to the present and as the White House slashes research, grant, and student loan funding across the nation, the numbers – and the benefits from a well-educated workforce, including breakthroughs in engineering, technology, and medicine – might begin to slow.
Recent Increases in Education Levels Across the United States
Nationwide, the number of Americans with PhDs swelled almost 14 percent over the four-year period, from 3.2 million in 2020 to almost 3.7 million in 2023. The percentage of Americans with master’s degrees grew only 11 percent during the same period, while people holding bachelor’s degrees climbed 7.9 percent.
There are a number of reasons for the increase in doctorates, but the most common include:
- A greater emphasis on a knowledge economy;
- More government and private sector funding;
- Career pressures and credential inflation;
- Increased job demands;
- Faster completion; and
- Increased number of international students.
Nationwide, about 1 in 60 Americans holds a doctoral degree, which typically takes anywhere from 5.5 years for an engineering or computer science degree, to as many as nine years for a history or literature doctorate.
District and States with the Most Educated People
District of Columbia. The nation’s capital has the highest percentage of residents with a PhD, according to the 2010-23 American Community Survey. Washington has typically been at or near the top of the most well-educated lists, given the need for specialization in many federal government posts. About 4.6 percent of adults older than 25 held doctorates in 2023, according to the Census figures.
Massachusetts. The Bay State is home to some of the nation’s best-known and highly regarded educational institutions such as Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and four of the Seven Sisters. The Census Bureau found 3.3 percent of the commonwealth’s adults held PhDs in 2023.
Maryland. The bulk of the state’s doctorate degree holders are in the Washington, D.C.-adjacent suburbs of Montgomery, Howard, and Prince George’s counties in Maryland. Major federal agencies including the Census Bureau, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Social Security Administration all have headquarters in Maryland. Approximately 2.9 percent of state adults reported in 2023 that they had earned a doctorate degree.
Vermont. The Green Mountain State stands out among states with a high percentage of PhDs, partially because it has the second-smallest state population in the U.S. However, Vermont also had more than two dozen colleges and universities in 2023, and a culture of strong secondary education, which has been shown to lead to greater academic achievement. In 2023, 2.2 percent of its adult residents held PhDs.
New Mexico. Two institutions – Los Alamos National Laboratory near Santa Fe and Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque – are responsible for New Mexico’s high ranking among states with a large percentage of doctoral degree holders. The two laboratories are owned by the federal government and are among the best-known scientific institutions in the United States. As a result, 2.1 percent of New Mexico adults have PhDs.
Virginia. Like Maryland, Virginia benefits from its proximity to the nation’s capital. Its Washington, D.C., suburbs include headquarters for the Department of Defense in Arlington; Central Intelligence Agency in Langley; and, in a pending move in mid-2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Springfield. About 2.1 percent of the state’s residents hold doctoral degrees.
Delaware. The small state makes this list largely because of its focus on attracting major corporations; it’s where more than 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated. Major PhD employers include chemical giant DuPont, pharmaceutical titan AstraZeneca, and student loan servicing company Navient. Roughly 2.1 percent of its residents have PhDs, according to the Census Bureau.
Colorado. The state has a surprisingly high percentage of adults with a college degree – almost 63 percent have some type of postsecondary credential, and more than 16 percent had graduate or professional degrees in 2022. Its percentage of PhDs is bolstered by the presence of the University of Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, and a large aerospace industry. The Census Bureau reported that 2 percent of its adult residents held a doctoral degree in 2023.
Rhode Island. The nation’s smallest state by size has benefitted from large federal investments in fields ranging from marine science to battery storage. It’s home to the University of Rhode Island and Brown University, two top national research institutions. Two percent of its adult residents have a PhD, according to the Census Bureau.
Connecticut. Like Rhode Island, Connecticut has a pair of highly regarded research institutions in Yale University and the University of Connecticut. The distant New York suburbs in Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut also tend to attract and produce highly educated people. The Census Bureau found 1.9 percent of the state’s adult residents held doctoral degrees.
States With the Greatest Increase in Residents With Doctoral Degrees
Even as the COVID-19 pandemic raged between 2020 and 2023, the number of Americans with a PhD swelled, with 44 states posting double-digit increases in their ranks. Only six states and the District of Columbia reported single-digit gains in the number of people with doctoral degrees. No state reported a reduction.
Five states reported increases in the number of PhDs that approached or exceeded 20 percent, according to the American Community Survey:
North Dakota. The state posted a 32.4 percent increase in the ranks of adults with PhDs between 2020 and 2023 – and not just because of a sparse population. North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota benefitted from a major push for federal funding into nanotechnology and agriculture, among other fields. Its Red River Valley Research Center has received more than $300 million in federal funding since 2002. The state now has 1.3 percent of adult residents with doctoral degrees – about the same percentage as Texas, Ohio, and Michigan.
Montana. Like North Dakota, the Big Sky State has benefitted from an aggressive pursuit of federal funds under programs like the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. Both the University of Montana and Montana State University have increased the number of graduates with PhDs, especially in health and STEM fields. Montana’s percentage of residents with doctoral degrees grew by 26.5 percent between 2020 and 2023, and 1.7 percent of its residents have PhDs.
Maine. As with other states, investing in academia paid off for Maine when it came to increasing its PhD population. The amount of external funds awarded to University of Maine researchers climbed almost 30 percent between 2022 and 2023; between 2019 and 2023, the school doubled graduate admissions and doctoral confirmations. The number of residents with PhDs grew 23.3 percent between 2020 and 2023, climbing to 1.6 percent.
Rhode Island. Already one of the states with the highest percentage of PhDs, Rhode Island increased its doctoral population by 19.6 percent between 2020 and 2023. Much of the boost came from academia, but voters also helped out, approving $145 million in bonds for ocean research and $87.5 million for biomedical research.
Florida. While the Sunshine State emerged as a COVID-era destination for new arrivals, its 19.5 percent increase in the doctoral population was spurred by massive investments in its universities. Its state university system recorded a $400 million increase in research expenditures between 2021 and 2023; the University of Florida received more than $1 billion in external awards in 2023. The campus also built a $150 million facility for research into artificial intelligence and data science. By 2023, 1.4 percent of the state’s population held a doctoral degree.
Explore Education Levels in Your State
The United States has maintained its global leadership in a number of fields because of its investment in academic research. Advances ranging from smartphones and electric vehicles to cancer imaging and vaccine development are the direct result of academic research, generally at the doctoral level. As much of academia is under scrutiny by the current presidential administration, it’s helpful to have easy-to-use tools like Social Explorer, which you can use to demonstrate the prevalence and importance of education in your state, county, city, or even neighborhood.
To find out how many people in your state have high-school diplomas, bachelor's degrees, or graduate degrees, simply sign up for a free Social Explorer account and start exploring.