U.S. states and Washington, DC, ranked by adults age 25+ whose highest degree is a master’s; people, 2024 ACS 1-year.
Count of adults whose highest attainment is a master’s degree is compared across the 50 states and the District of Columbia for 2024. Values count adults age 25 or older whose highest educational attainment is a master’s degree. California ranks first at 2,806,213 people, ahead of Texas by 821,154 people. Illinois records 1,030,836 people, making the first value 2.72 times the last.
| Rank | Entry | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 2.81M | 2024 |
| 2 | Texas | 1.99M | 2024 |
| 3 | New York | 1.88M | 2024 |
| 4 | Florida | 1.61M | 2024 |
| 5 | Illinois | 1.03M | 2024 |
Publisher: U.S. Census Bureau
Dataset/table: American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
Units: people
Date checked: 2026-06-24
Evidence: Supports the 2024 count of adults whose highest attainment is a master's degree estimates and geography labels used in this ranking.
The ranking uses absolute counts rather than rates. Values count adults age 25 or older whose highest educational attainment is a master's degree. ACS estimates are subject to sampling error; margins of error are not included here.
The ranking uses the 2024 ACS 1-year estimate for count of adults whose highest attainment is a master's degree across U.S. states and DC. 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.
All entries use the same Census source family, ACS 1-year product, 2024 period and measurement unit (people), supporting a like-for-like ranking across the stated geographies.
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