State rankings

Least Educated States

Massachusetts ranks 1st on Overall Education Rank in 2026, followed by Vermont (2nd) and Maryland (3rd); rank 1 is the best. West Virginia ranks last (50th).

Education50 states · 4 metricsUpdated Mar 11, 2025Original page
1 source
50 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map

Overall Education Rank, 2026

Green is better, red is worse (rank 1 is the best). Click a place to highlight it.

Loading map…

All 50 ranked

Best first; rank 1 is the best and has the longest bar.

Biggest changes · 2025 → 2026

49 states have a value in both years; rank 1 is the best.

Climbed

Fell

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by Overall Education Rank
#
1Massachusetts1st78.411st4th
2Vermont2nd75.353rd9th
3Maryland3rd74.014th3rd
4Connecticut4th69.837th6th
5Colorado5th69.722nd38th
6New Jersey6th68.4510th1st
7Virginia7th67.56th11th
8New Hampshire8th67.035th14th
9Minnesota9th63.888th20th
10Washington10th63.699th21st
11Utah11th60.2911th26th
12Maine12th59.9512th15th
13Rhode Island13th58.9321st2nd
14Delaware14th57.2619th8th
15Illinois15th56.4116th17th
16New York16th55.3617th24th
17Oregon17th55.3413th41st
18Montana18th54.1314th43rd
19Wisconsin19th53.5924th13th
20Pennsylvania20th52.9827th12th
21Florida21st52.8935th5th
22North Carolina22nd52.325th18th
23Hawaii23rd52.1615th47th
24Kansas24th51.2818th44th
25Nebraska25th50.9220th39th
26Wyoming26th50.7523rd37th
27Michigan27th50.2828th23rd
28North Dakota28th48.522nd46th
29California29th48.3138th7th
30Georgia30th48.0730th25th
31Missouri31st47.2932nd29th
32Iowa32nd47.0233rd30th
33South Dakota33rd46.9831st32nd
34Arizona34th46.8729th35th
35Ohio35th46.8136th19th
36Alaska36th46.5726th49th
37Idaho37th46.3934th33rd
38South Carolina38th44.7137th27th
39Tennessee39th43.2140th16th
40Indiana40th42.3642nd10th
41Texas41st39.9841st22nd
42New Mexico42nd37.0539th50th
43Alabama43rd35.7344th31st
44Kentucky44th34.7145th28th
45Oklahoma45th33.8743rd42nd
46Nevada46th33.0146th36th
47Arkansas47th29.8447th34th
48Louisiana48th28.1348th40th
49Mississippi49th2649th48th
50West Virginia50th24.3550th45th

What correlates with Overall Education Rank (2026)?

Pearson r against 2,110 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that rank better on Overall Education Rank tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Bachelor’s Degree or Higher (% of Adults 25+)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)
    r = −0.94 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. % of Residents with a College DegreeBest States for Education
    r = −0.93 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Smartest / Dumbest States Index (Penn Stakes)Dumbest States in the United States
    r = −0.93 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Education and Health (WalletHub)Best States to Live InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.90 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Overall ScoreHealthiest States
    r = −0.90 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Education and Health RankQuality of Life by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.88 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that rank better on Overall Education Rank tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Teen Birth RateTeen Pregnancy Rates by State
    r = +0.86 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Lifestyle Habits & Health Outlook ScoreMost Unhealthy States in the U.S.
    r = +0.83 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  3. % of Median Income Spent On GroceriesGrocery Prices by State
    r = +0.82 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Pain Reliever Misuse Past MonthDrug Use by State
    r = +0.81 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Most Unhealthy States Total ScoreMost Unhealthy States in the U.S.
    r = +0.80 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  6. Disease Factors & Prevalence ScoreMost Unhealthy States in the U.S.
    r = +0.80 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state ranks first on Overall Education Rank?
Massachusetts ranks first on Overall Education Rank in 2026, at 1st, followed by Vermont (2nd) and Maryland (3rd). Rank 1 is the best state.
Which state ranks last on Overall Education Rank?
West Virginia ranks last of the 50 US states with data in 2026, at 50th.
Where does this least educated states data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Most Educated States - WalletHub.