Ranking of North Carolina Counties By Percentage of Population Aged 25 years and above with an Educational attainment of Some College or Associates Degree in 2021 (ACS-5Yrs)

Updated on September 3, 2025.

Based on the US Census ACS-5Yrs estimates, in 2021, the percentage of the population of North Carolina (aged 25 years and above) who had an educational attainment of Some College or Associates Degree was 30.79%. Among all North Carolina counties, Cumberland County had the highest percentage of its population (aged 25 years and above) with an educational attainment of Some College or Associates Degree (39.48%), followed by Hoke County (39.44%), and Lee County (38.16%).

The chart below shows the top 10 North Carolina counties, and the table below shows the ranking of all North Carolina counties.

You can see similar information for other educational attainments.

You can also see similar information for other states and for the United States.

Ranking of North Carolina Counties By Percentage of Population (Aged 25yrs+) with an Educational Attainment of Some College or Associates Degree in 2021
Cumberland County
Hoke County
Lee County
Craven County
Carteret County
Onslow County
Gates County
Perquimans County
Clay County
Harnett County
Ranking of North Carolina Counties By Percentage of Population (Aged 25yrs+) with an Educational Attainment of Some College or Associates Degree in 2021
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Rank County Percentage of Population (Aged 25yrs+) (%)
1 Cumberland County 39.48
2 Hoke County 39.44
3 Lee County 38.16
4 Craven County 38.08
5 Carteret County 38.04
6 Onslow County 37.32
7 Gates County 37.27
8 Perquimans County 36.98
9 Clay County 36.80
10 Harnett County 36.47
10 Johnston County 36.47
11 Ashe County 36.27
12 Yadkin County 36.13
13 Person County 35.95
14 Wayne County 35.66
15 Stanly County 35.44
16 Beaufort County 35.34
17 Washington County 35.25
18 Mitchell County 35.23
19 Pamlico County 35.21
20 Haywood County 35.03
21 Camden County 35.02
22 Currituck County 34.98
23 Bladen County 34.89
24 Pasquotank County 34.49
25 Cherokee County 34.41
25 McDowell County 34.41
26 Rockingham County 34.34
27 Lincoln County 34.22
28 Davidson County 34.16
29 Rowan County 34.07
30 Greene County 34.04
31 Pender County 33.99
32 Rutherford County 33.96
33 Franklin County 33.92
34 Richmond County 33.63
35 Columbus County 33.47
36 Henderson County 33.46
37 Burke County 33.42
38 Martin County 33.41
39 Gaston County 33.38
40 Surry County 33.34
41 Polk County 33.31
42 Brunswick County 33.16
43 Graham County 33.03
44 Dare County 32.91
45 Randolph County 32.88
46 Pitt County 32.84
47 Catawba County 32.83
48 Alamance County 32.76
49 Lenoir County 32.73
49 Macon County 32.73
50 Avery County 32.68
51 Nash County 32.67
52 Hyde County 32.64
53 Jones County 32.62
54 Cleveland County 32.57
55 Duplin County 32.45
56 Iredell County 32.40
57 Scotland County 32.37
58 Yancey County 32.32
59 Wilkes County 32.19
60 Caswell County 32.18
61 Granville County 32.14
62 Moore County 32.11
63 Caldwell County 32.08
64 Sampson County 32.06
65 Montgomery County 32.05
66 Stokes County 31.88
66 Transylvania County 31.88
67 Vance County 31.74
68 Hertford County 31.72
68 New Hanover County 31.72
69 Davie County 31.49
70 Swain County 31.42
71 Warren County 31.32
72 Jackson County 31.26
73 Cabarrus County 30.65
74 Chowan County 30.44
74 Robeson County 30.44
75 Alexander County 30.31
76 Northampton County 30.23
77 Guilford County 29.94
78 Anson County 29.69
79 Forsyth County 29.68
80 Wilson County 29.54
81 Union County 29.27
82 Edgecombe County 29.03
83 Bertie County 28.35
84 Halifax County 28.06
85 Alleghany County 27.94
86 Watauga County 27.55
87 Mecklenburg County 27.35
88 Madison County 26.71
89 Buncombe County 26.59
90 Tyrrell County 26.45
91 Chatham County 24.86
92 Wake County 24.40
93 Durham County 21.94
94 Orange County 19.58