State rankings

NCLEX Pass Rate by State

Vermont has the highest NCLEX Pass Rate in 2025 (99.4%), followed by Maine (97.1%) and North Dakota (96.1%). Florida has the lowest (78.6%).

Education51 states · 5 metricsUpdated Oct 26, 2026Original page
2 sources
51 of 51 states
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NCLEX Pass Rate, 2025

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
88.6%
Middle half 86.1% – 93.7%
Average
89.4%
51 states
Highest
99.4%
Vermont
Lowest
78.6%
Florida

Over time · 2022–2025

The top 5 in 2025, against the median.

  • Median of all states
  • Vermont
  • Maine
  • North Dakota
  • South Dakota
  • North Carolina

Data

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

51 states · # = rank by NCLEX Pass Rate
#
1Vermont99.4%179178
2Maine97.1%3534
3North Dakota96.1%155149
4South Dakota95.8%285273
5North Carolina95.2%1,1351,080
6Arizona94.9%452429
7Nebraska94.8%325308
8Utah94.6%953902
9Wisconsin94.4%1,0691,009
9Wyoming94.4%142134
11Iowa94.2%968912
11Arkansas94.2%839790
13Alabama93.7%1,4741,381
14Idaho93.6%249233
15Maryland93.5%309289
16Montana93.3%4542
17Delaware92.3%169156
18Texas91.9%4,2443,899
18Missouri91.9%1,1911,095
20Indiana91.7%772708
21South Carolina91.5%836765
22Washington90.6%456413
23Massachusetts90.2%693625
24Kansas89.4%695621
25Georgia89.1%975869
26Virginia88.6%1,5281,354
27Illinois88.2%1,6671,471
28New Mexico88.1%219193
29Kentucky88.0%627552
29Rhode Island88.0%309272
31Tennessee87.9%1,3451,182
32Louisiana87.7%1,073941
33Hawaii87.3%7969
34Oklahoma87.0%1,3361,162
34West Virginia87.0%440383
36Connecticut86.3%489422
36District of Columbia86.3%5144
38Minnesota86.1%778670
38Mississippi86.1%829714
38New Hampshire86.1%223192
41Oregon84.9%558474
42Alaska84.8%3328
43Michigan84.2%1,147966
43Colorado84.2%373314
45New York83.4%2,3531,962
45Pennsylvania83.4%2,0731,728
47Nevada82.8%134111
48Ohio82.5%3,8533,179
49New Jersey82.3%1,7291,423
50California80.9%9,1367,394
51Florida78.6%3,7552,950

What correlates with NCLEX Pass Rate (2025)?

Pearson r against 2,094 other state metrics sharing at least 31 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 have a higher NCLEX Pass Rate tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. OpportunityBest States to Live InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  2. Speeding IncidentsWorst Drivers by State
    r = +0.53 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Employment RateEmployment Rate by State
    r = +0.52 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Opportunity RankWorst States to Live inA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = +0.49 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Work Environment RankHappiest StatesA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Rural PopulationMost Rural States in the U.S.
    r = +0.48 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher NCLEX Pass Rate tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. U-6 Unemployment Rate Q2 2022U6 Employment Rate
    r = −0.66 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. U-6 Unemployment Rate Q3 2021U6 Employment Rate
    r = −0.64 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Median Hourly WageOT Salary by State
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Median Annual WageOT Salary by State
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. U-6 Unemployment Rate Q3 2022U6 Employment Rate
    r = −0.61 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Mean Hourly WageOT Salary by State
    r = −0.59 · strong · n = 51
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest NCLEX Pass Rate?
Vermont has the highest NCLEX Pass Rate in 2025, at 99.4%, followed by Maine (97.1%) and North Dakota (96.1%).
Which state has the lowest NCLEX Pass Rate?
Florida has the lowest NCLEX Pass Rate in 2025, at 78.6%.
What is the median NCLEX Pass Rate across US states?
The median is 88.6% across the 51 US states with data in 2025.
Where does this nclex pass rate by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Nurse Licensure & NCLEX Exam Statistics - NCSBN; States With the Highest NCLEX Pass Rates - NurseJournal.