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
| Rank | Entry | Value | Period |
|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles County, California | 1.59M | 2020–2024 |
| 2 | Cook County, Illinois | 900.6K | 2020–2024 |
| 3 | Maricopa County, Arizona | 705.9K | 2020–2024 |
| 4 | Harris County, Texas | 660.8K | 2020–2024 |
| 5 | Orange County, California | 615K | 2020–2024 |
| 6 | San Diego County, California | 593.1K | 2020–2024 |
| 7 | King County, Washington | 540.1K | 2020–2024 |
| 8 | Kings County, New York | 461.5K | 2020–2024 |
| 9 | Miami-Dade County, Florida | 416.3K | 2020–2024 |
| 10 | New York County, New York | 414.5K | 2020–2024 |
| 11 | Santa Clara County, California | 379.6K | 2020–2024 |
Sources
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.
Related graphics
LicensingBranded MarketStats graphics are free to use*
Keep the visible MarketStats attribution, source line and canonical page link intact. For clean unbranded assets, commercial use or higher-volume reuse, choose one of the licensing tiers below.
This specific graphic needs a source-rights review before an unbranded download. Branded use remains available.
* Free branded use is subject to the Terms and requires attribution/canonical-link preservation. MarketStats licenses the graphic presentation and MarketStats-created editorial layer, not the underlying third-party source data. Source attribution and source-provider obligations still apply.