College and advanced degrees by state

[King of Kensington]

College degree

1. Massachusetts 46.62%
2. Vermont 44.44%
3. Colorado 44.42%
4. New Jersey 43.1%
5. Maryland 42.55%
6. Connecticut 42.13%
7. Virginia 41.81%
8. New Hampshire 40.25%
9. New York 39.92%
10. Washington 38.97%
11. Minnesota 38.9%
12. Illinois 37.14%
13. Utah 36.81%
14. Rhode Island 36.5%
15. Oregon 36.33%
16. California 36.19%
17. Maine 35.99%
18. Delaware 35.62%
19. Kansas 35.4%
20. Hawaii 35.3%
21. North Carolina 34.91%
22. Montana 34.8%
23. Georgia 34.63%
24. Pennsylvania 35.54%
25. Nebraska 34.45%
26. Florida 33.16%
27. Texas 33.12%
28. Alaska 32.79%
29. Wisconsin 32.54%
30. Arizona 32.43%
31. North Dakota 31.74%
32. Missouri 31.72%
33. Michigan 31.67%
34. South Dakota 31.67%
35. South Carolina 31.53%
36 (tie). Ohio, Idaho 30.72%
38. Iowa 30.54%
39. Tennessee 30.48%
40. New Mexico 30.05%
41. Wyoming 29.24%
42. Indiana 28.88%
43. Oklahoma 27.92%
44. Nevada 27.57%
45. Alabama 27.43%
46. Kentucky 26.98%
47. Louisiana 26.45%
48. Arkansas 25.27%
49. Mississippi 24.78%
50. West Virginia 24.12%


Advanced degree

1. Massachusetts 21.27%
2. Maryland 20.16%
3. Connecticut 18.94%
4. Vermont 18.42%
5. Virginia 18.33%
6. New York 17.72%
7. New Jersey 17.4%
8. Colorado 17%
9. New Hampshire 15.72%
10. Rhode Island 15.61%
11. Washington 15.13%
12. Delaware 15.05%
13. Illinois 15.01%
14. New Mexico 14.08%
15. California 14.05%
16. Pennsylvania 13.94%
17. Oregon 13.88%
18. Maine 13.82%
19. Georgia 13.7%
20. Minnesota 13.4%
21. Kansas 13.39%
22. North Carolina 13.19%
23. Hawaii 13.01%
24. Utah 12.69%
25. Arizona 12.64%
26. Florida 12.55%
27. Michigan 12.48%
28. Montana 12.45%
29. Nebraska 12.28%
30. Missouri 12.24%
31. South Carolina 11.95%
32. Alaska 11.91%
33. Texas 11.9%
34. Ohio 11.79%
35. Tennessee 11.28%
36. Kentucky 11.11%
37. Wisconsin 11.04%
38. Alabama 10.85%
39. Wyoming 10.72%
40. Idaho 10.54%
41. Indiana 10.39%
42. South Dakota 10.11%
43. West Virginia 9.94%
44. Iowa 9.87%
45. Louisiana 9.65%
46. Nevada 9.64%
47. Oklahoma 9.62%
48. North Dakota 9.38%
49. Arkansas 9.37%
50. Mississippi 9.35%

[Skill and Chance]

College degree

1. Massachusetts 46.62%
2. Vermont 44.44%
3. Colorado 44.42%
4. New Jersey 43.1%
5. Maryland 42.55%
6. Connecticut 42.13%
7. Virginia 41.81%
8. New Hampshire 40.25%
9. New York 39.92%
10. Washington 38.97%
11. Minnesota 38.9%
12. Illinois 37.14%
13. Utah 36.81%
14. Rhode Island 36.5%
15. Oregon 36.33%
16. California 36.19%
17. Maine 35.99%
18. Delaware 35.62%
19. Kansas 35.4%
20. Hawaii 35.3%
21. North Carolina 34.91%
22. Montana 34.8%
23. Georgia 34.63%
24. Pennsylvania 35.54%
25. Nebraska 34.45%
26. Florida 33.16%
27. Texas 33.12%
28. Alaska 32.79%
29. Wisconsin 32.54%
30. Arizona 32.43%
31. North Dakota 31.74%
32. Missouri 31.72%
33. Michigan 31.67%
34. South Dakota 31.67%
35. South Carolina 31.53%
36 (tie). Ohio, Idaho 30.72%
38. Iowa 30.54%
39. Tennessee 30.48%
40. New Mexico 30.05%
41. Wyoming 29.24%
42. Indiana 28.88%
43. Oklahoma 27.92%
44. Nevada 27.57%
45. Alabama 27.43%
46. Kentucky 26.98%
47. Louisiana 26.45%
48. Arkansas 25.27%
49. Mississippi 24.78%
50. West Virginia 24.12%


Advanced degree

1. Massachusetts 21.27%
2. Maryland 20.16%
3. Connecticut 18.94%
4. Vermont 18.42%
5. Virginia 18.33%
6. New York 17.72%
7. New Jersey 17.4%
8. Colorado 17%
9. New Hampshire 15.72%
10. Rhode Island 15.61%
11. Washington 15.13%
12. Delaware 15.05%
13. Illinois 15.01%
14. New Mexico 14.08%
15. California 14.05%
16. Pennsylvania 13.94%
17. Oregon 13.88%
18. Maine 13.82%
19. Georgia 13.7%
20. Minnesota 13.4%
21. Kansas 13.39%
22. North Carolina 13.19%
23. Hawaii 13.01%
24. Utah 12.69%
25. Arizona 12.64%
26. Florida 12.55%
27. Michigan 12.48%
28. Montana 12.45%
29. Nebraska 12.28%
30. Missouri 12.24%
31. South Carolina 11.95%
32. Alaska 11.91%
33. Texas 11.9%
34. Ohio 11.79%
35. Tennessee 11.28%
36. Kentucky 11.11%
37. Wisconsin 11.04%
38. Alabama 10.85%
39. Wyoming 10.72%
40. Idaho 10.54%
41. Indiana 10.39%
42. South Dakota 10.11%
43. West Virginia 9.94%
44. Iowa 9.87%
45. Louisiana 9.65%
46. Nevada 9.64%
47. Oklahoma 9.62%
48. North Dakota 9.38%
49. Arkansas 9.37%
50. Mississippi 9.35%

New Mexico is interesting.  #40 in college grads, but #14 in postgrads.  Must be Los Alamos? 

Going by this list, Nevada sticks out as very anomalously D and Utah as very anomalously R.

While it still votes D in presidential elections, Virginia also sticks out as rather anomalously R because it's in a cluster of >60% D states. 

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

South Carolina having more college grads then Idaho or Ohio is a pleasant surprise.

[King of Kensington]

New Mexico is interesting.  #40 in college grads, but #14 in postgrads.  Must be Los Alamos? 

And #5 for PhD's.  The educated in New Mexico are very educated.  Lots of science PhD's among them. 

The top 5 states for doctorates: Massachusetts (2.86%), Maryland (2.63%), Virginia (1.88%), Vermont (1.87%), New Mexico (1.82%).

https://www.socialexplorer.com/blog/post/population-with-doctorate-degrees-in-the-u-s-11182

Obviously lots of scientists, academics and researchers in Massachusetts and the DC area.

[Bismarck]

Indiana actually has seen a decrease in the percentage of high school students who attend college. Too many people here have anti-education views. The idea that everyone should be in a skilled trade and college is for brainwashing is sadly common.

[ProgressiveModerate]

Indiana actually has seen a decrease in the percentage of high school students who attend college. Too many people here have anti-education views. The idea that everyone should be in a skilled trade and college is for brainwashing is sadly common.

I actually agree with this. I think there's always going to be a large and critically important place for jobs like doctors, lawyers, and scientists who need college, but there are also many important jobs in service and manufacturing that don't require college.

I also think high schools nationally can and should do a better job at letting students begin to explore in high school. Most high schools/states have arbitrary set curriculums with little room to explore anything else. However, my public high school for instance offers everything from Flight School to Linear Algebra to Green Building Construction to Cyber Security and it gives students a bit of room to explore what they want to go to college or if they even want to go to college. This is a public high school that recieves below-average funding and is mostly middle class or underprivileged kids. No reason other schools couldn't if we as a society placed more emphasis on education.

[King of Kensington]

There used to be a wide difference in voting between bachelor's and advanced degree holders, with the latter being much more Democratic (going back to the 1980s I think when there was enough for them to be separated out in national survey).  But in 2020 there was little difference (56-40 for bachelor's vs. 58-42 for postgraduates).  Any explanation why?   

[Bismarck]

There used to be a wide difference in voting between bachelor's and advanced degree holders, with the latter being much more Democratic (going back to the 1980s I think when there was enough for them to be separated out in national survey).  But in 2020 there was little difference (56-40 for bachelor's vs. 58-42 for postgraduates).  Any explanation why?   

Having a postgraduate degree is much less of a niche thing than it used to be. A lower percentage of postgraduates are academics than was the case 40 years ago

[King of Kensington]

Yeah, proportion with advanced degrees has doubled since 1990, from 7% to 14%.

1990

Bachelor's degree or higher  20.3%
Graduate or professional degree  7.2%

2021 ACS

Bachelor's degree or higher  35%
Graduate or professional degree  13.7%

[muon2]

New Mexico is interesting.  #40 in college grads, but #14 in postgrads.  Must be Los Alamos? 

And #5 for PhD's.  The educated in New Mexico are very educated.  Lots of science PhD's among them. 

The top 5 states for doctorates: Massachusetts (2.86%), Maryland (2.63%), Virginia (1.88%), Vermont (1.87%), New Mexico (1.82%).

https://www.socialexplorer.com/blog/post/population-with-doctorate-degrees-in-the-u-s-11182

Obviously lots of scientists, academics and researchers in Massachusetts and the DC area.

It's not just Los Alamos. ABQ has the Sandia National Labs which also supports a lot of PhDs. The wealth of brainpower in the state 20+ years ago led to a state and federal law that permitted NM businesses to rent talent from the two big labs to solve problems when there was no NM company that offered the service. NM companies had been relying on CA for consulting. I was briefed on how it was working as part of a workshop on incubator technology parks at Sandia in 2001.

[Vosem]

Indiana actually has seen a decrease in the percentage of high school students who attend college. Too many people here have anti-education views. The idea that everyone should be in a skilled trade and college is for brainwashing is sadly common.

According to government data, the number of people going to college has crashed since 2018. The last time it was as low as in 2021 was in 2001, itself an anomalously low year, and the last time it was consistently as low as now was in the early 1990s. (Note that these numbers don't mean what you think they do, though: nowadays graduation rates are much higher, so these students are likelier to finish than they would have been in the 1990s, and colleges also enroll many more foreign students and are less dependent on American high schoolers).

In general, as the costs of attending college continue rapidly outpacing inflation, it increasingly makes less sense for people to go. There has also been a college mental health crisis which has gotten much worse since the early 2010s, corresponding with crackdowns from administration on many kinds of relatively unsafe socialization, which in my observation (YMMV) have led to a cultural shift where college was universally seen as a fun and desirable thing to do in, say, 2007, but in 2022 is kind of commonly seen as a chore you have to go through so you can get a job. (Obviously both perspectives existed in both years, but I very strongly think the latter is gaining over time, and has gained a lot in the past 15 years).

On the positive side, though, generally the going-to-college rate declines when the economy is good, because just getting a job looks more attractive, and goes up when the economy is bad, because people are likelier to think they need to get skills or certifications to make it in the workforce. On some level, "the college attendance rate has collapsed" is a weird sort of good sign for Biden's America, though this collapse is really big compared to earlier 'good economy' collapses and I think its nature is more structural.

(Also, note that the collapse is much stronger among men. Women have been going to college less, but not by any more than you'd expect given a generally good economy. The last time as few men went to college as in 2021 was, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics...sometime long before its data picks up in 1993).

[King of Kensington]

More detailed educational attainment (2018):

Bachelor's degree  21.9%
Master's degree  9.6%
Professional degree  1.5%
Doctoral degree  2%*

* Somewhat higher than in the social explorer link based on 4-year 2015-2019 ACS (4.5 million vs. 3.1 million).

[Skill and Chance]

Indiana actually has seen a decrease in the percentage of high school students who attend college. Too many people here have anti-education views. The idea that everyone should be in a skilled trade and college is for brainwashing is sadly common.

According to government data, the number of people going to college has crashed since 2018. The last time it was as low as in 2021 was in 2001, itself an anomalously low year, and the last time it was consistently as low as now was in the early 1990s. (Note that these numbers don't mean what you think they do, though: nowadays graduation rates are much higher, so these students are likelier to finish than they would have been in the 1990s, and colleges also enroll many more foreign students and are less dependent on American high schoolers).

In general, as the costs of attending college continue rapidly outpacing inflation, it increasingly makes less sense for people to go. There has also been a college mental health crisis which has gotten much worse since the early 2010s, corresponding with crackdowns from administration on many kinds of relatively unsafe socialization, which in my observation (YMMV) have led to a cultural shift where college was universally seen as a fun and desirable thing to do in, say, 2007, but in 2022 is kind of commonly seen as a chore you have to go through so you can get a job. (Obviously both perspectives existed in both years, but I very strongly think the latter is gaining over time, and has gained a lot in the past 15 years).

On the positive side, though, generally the going-to-college rate declines when the economy is good, because just getting a job looks more attractive, and goes up when the economy is bad, because people are likelier to think they need to get skills or certifications to make it in the workforce. On some level, "the college attendance rate has collapsed" is a weird sort of good sign for Biden's America, though this collapse is really big compared to earlier 'good economy' collapses and I think its nature is more structural.

(Also, note that the collapse is much stronger among men. Women have been going to college less, but not by any more than you'd expect given a generally good economy. The last time as few men went to college as in 2021 was, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics...sometime long before its data picks up in 1993).

This is unsurprising because it was historically next to impossible for a woman to earn an above average income without going to college.  While I am sure the situation has gradually improved, the trades have never exactly been known as bastions of gender equality.

[jamestroll]

College degree

1. Massachusetts 46.62%
2. Vermont 44.44%
3. Colorado 44.42%
4. New Jersey 43.1%
5. Maryland 42.55%
6. Connecticut 42.13%
7. Virginia 41.81%
8. New Hampshire 40.25%
9. New York 39.92%
10. Washington 38.97%
11. Minnesota 38.9%
12. Illinois 37.14%
13. Utah 36.81%
14. Rhode Island 36.5%
15. Oregon 36.33%
16. California 36.19%
17. Maine 35.99%
18. Delaware 35.62%
19. Kansas 35.4%
20. Hawaii 35.3%
21. North Carolina 34.91%
22. Montana 34.8%
23. Georgia 34.63%
24. Pennsylvania 35.54%
25. Nebraska 34.45%
26. Florida 33.16%
27. Texas 33.12%
28. Alaska 32.79%
29. Wisconsin 32.54%
30. Arizona 32.43%
31. North Dakota 31.74%
32. Missouri 31.72%
33. Michigan 31.67%
34. South Dakota 31.67%
35. South Carolina 31.53%
36 (tie). Ohio, Idaho 30.72%
38. Iowa 30.54%
39. Tennessee 30.48%
40. New Mexico 30.05%
41. Wyoming 29.24%
42. Indiana 28.88%
43. Oklahoma 27.92%
44. Nevada 27.57%
45. Alabama 27.43%
46. Kentucky 26.98%
47. Louisiana 26.45%
48. Arkansas 25.27%
49. Mississippi 24.78%
50. West Virginia 24.12%


Advanced degree

1. Massachusetts 21.27%
2. Maryland 20.16%
3. Connecticut 18.94%
4. Vermont 18.42%
5. Virginia 18.33%
6. New York 17.72%
7. New Jersey 17.4%
8. Colorado 17%
9. New Hampshire 15.72%
10. Rhode Island 15.61%
11. Washington 15.13%
12. Delaware 15.05%
13. Illinois 15.01%
14. New Mexico 14.08%
15. California 14.05%
16. Pennsylvania 13.94%
17. Oregon 13.88%
18. Maine 13.82%
19. Georgia 13.7%
20. Minnesota 13.4%
21. Kansas 13.39%
22. North Carolina 13.19%
23. Hawaii 13.01%
24. Utah 12.69%
25. Arizona 12.64%
26. Florida 12.55%
27. Michigan 12.48%
28. Montana 12.45%
29. Nebraska 12.28%
30. Missouri 12.24%
31. South Carolina 11.95%
32. Alaska 11.91%
33. Texas 11.9%
34. Ohio 11.79%
35. Tennessee 11.28%
36. Kentucky 11.11%
37. Wisconsin 11.04%
38. Alabama 10.85%
39. Wyoming 10.72%
40. Idaho 10.54%
41. Indiana 10.39%
42. South Dakota 10.11%
43. West Virginia 9.94%
44. Iowa 9.87%
45. Louisiana 9.65%
46. Nevada 9.64%
47. Oklahoma 9.62%
48. North Dakota 9.38%
49. Arkansas 9.37%
50. Mississippi 9.35%

New Mexico is interesting.  #40 in college grads, but #14 in postgrads.  Must be Los Alamos? 

Going by this list, Nevada sticks out as very anomalously D and Utah as very anomalously R.

While it still votes D in presidential elections, Virginia also sticks out as rather anomalously R because it's in a cluster of >60% D states. 

Many college educated in Utah are brainwashed by Mormon theology. But there is a clear, even if slow, trend to the Democrats from Mormons.

For Virginia.. I will just say I suspect it is more pro-life than Florida. But maybe abortion bans are more toxic to VA swing voters if that makes sense. Though, I do believe a 20 week abortion ban would pass on a ballot measure in the state.

Virginia is a media blue state with many media red state tendencies and demographics.

[King of Kensington]

Massachusetts and Maryland have nearly as a high percentage of advanced degrees as Mississippi, Arkansas and West Virginia do of all college graduates.

[jojoju1998]

Indiana actually has seen a decrease in the percentage of high school students who attend college. Too many people here have anti-education views. The idea that everyone should be in a skilled trade and college is for brainwashing is sadly common.

I actually agree with this. I think there's always going to be a large and critically important place for jobs like doctors, lawyers, and scientists who need college, but there are also many important jobs in service and manufacturing that don't require college.

I also think high schools nationally can and should do a better job at letting students begin to explore in high school. Most high schools/states have arbitrary set curriculums with little room to explore anything else. However, my public high school for instance offers everything from Flight School to Linear Algebra to Green Building Construction to Cyber Security and it gives students a bit of room to explore what they want to go to college or if they even want to go to college. This is a public high school that recieves below-average funding and is mostly middle class or underprivileged kids. No reason other schools couldn't if we as a society placed more emphasis on education.

Some Manufacturing Jobs not require at least a 2 year degree. A 4 year degree in Manufacturing Engineering is highly desired now.

[Nyvin]

Difference between Minnesota and Wisconsin is pretty stark, given the two state's otherwise very similar demographics. 

[King of Kensington]

Wisconsin = a rust belty Minnesota?

About 60% of Minnesota's population lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area which has a high level of educational attainment.

[muon2]

Difference between Minnesota and Wisconsin is pretty stark, given the two state's otherwise very similar demographics. 

They are more different than one realizes at first glance. The key difference is that WI has a stretch of the Rust Belt along Lake Michigan, and a lot of its population lives there. It's very unlike the culture of WI west of there.

[Pres Mike]

South Carolina having more college grads then Idaho or Ohio is a pleasant surprise.

USC has a...reputation for being the party school of party schools. I figure a lot of people go there just for that.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

I think it would be fascinating to look at areas (if any) with above average college education rates but below average postgrad education rates.  I have my theories about such areas (that they will typically be well-off suburbs that have stayed pretty Republican), but it would be interesting to look at them.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

South Carolina having more college grads then Idaho or Ohio is a pleasant surprise.

USC has a...reputation for being the party school of party schools. I figure a lot of people go there just for that.

Lol I transferred from there because of that

[King of Kensington]

I think it would be fascinating to look at areas (if any) with above average college education rates but below average postgrad education rates.  I have my theories about such areas (that they will typically be well-off suburbs that have stayed pretty Republican), but it would be interesting to look at them.

Staten Island maybe?

[ملكة كرينجيتوك]

I think it would be fascinating to look at areas (if any) with above average college education rates but below average postgrad education rates.  I have my theories about such areas (that they will typically be well-off suburbs that have stayed pretty Republican), but it would be interesting to look at them.

Would also be interesting to do correlations between various types of advanced degrees- MS, PhD, professional, etc

[King of Kensington]

Places with lots of Ph.D.'s are obviously going to be very Democratic.