U.S. Counties with the Most Bachelor’s Degree Holders, 2020–2024

U.S. counties and county equivalents ranked by adults age 25+ whose highest degree is a bachelor’s; people, 2020–2024 ACS 5-year.

What the Data Shows

Count of adults whose highest attainment is a bachelor’s degree is compared across United States county-level geographies for 2020–2024. Values count adults age 25 or older whose highest educational attainment is a bachelor’s degree. Los Angeles County, California ranks first at 1,590,181 people, ahead of Cook County, Illinois by 689,533 people. Santa Clara County, California records 379,606 people, making the first value 4.19 times the last.

Data table

Unit: people · Period: 2020–2024

RankEntryValuePeriod
1Los Angeles County, California1.59M2020–2024
2Cook County, Illinois900.6K2020–2024
3Maricopa County, Arizona705.9K2020–2024
4Harris County, Texas660.8K2020–2024
5Orange County, California615K2020–2024
6San Diego County, California593.1K2020–2024
7King County, Washington540.1K2020–2024
8Kings County, New York461.5K2020–2024
9Miami-Dade County, Florida416.3K2020–2024
10New York County, New York414.5K2020–2024
11Santa Clara County, California379.6K2020–2024

Data notes & caveats

The 5-year estimates pool survey responses collected from 2020 through 2024 and are not a single-year 2024 snapshot. County geography includes county equivalents such as independent cities. The ranking uses absolute counts rather than rates. Values count adults age 25 or older whose highest educational attainment is a bachelor's degree. ACS estimates are subject to sampling error; margins of error are not included here.

Methodology

The ranking uses the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate for count of adults whose highest attainment is a bachelor's degree across U.S. counties and county equivalents. Values are ordered from highest to lowest, with equal values retaining tied ranks. National totals and other summary geographies are excluded. Compact labels are rounded for readability without changing the source order.

Source consistency notes

All entries use the same Census source family, ACS 5-year product, 2020–2024 period and measurement unit (people), supporting a like-for-like ranking across the stated geographies.

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