Ranking of US States By Percentage of Population Aged 25 years and above with an Educational attainment of Less than High School Diploma in 2021 (ACS-5Yrs)

Updated on September 2, 2025.

Based on the US Census ACS-5Yrs estimates, in 2021, the percentage of the US population (aged 25 years and above) who had an educational attainment of Less than High School Diploma was 11.13%. Among all US states and DC, California had the highest percentage of its population (aged 25 years and above) with an educational attainment of Less than High School Diploma (15.81%), followed by Texas (15.18%), and Mississippi (14.36%).

The chart below shows the top 10 states, and the table below shows the ranking of all states and DC.

You can see similar information for other educational attainments.

Related Topics: US Census 2021 Topic List.
Ranking of US States By Percentage of Population (Aged 25yrs+) with an Educational Attainment of Less than High School Diploma in 2021
California
Texas
Mississippi
Louisiana
New Mexico
Nevada
Alabama
New York
Kentucky
Arkansas
Ranking of US States By Percentage of Population (Aged 25yrs+) with an Educational Attainment of Less than High School Diploma in 2021
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Rank State Percentage of Population (Aged 25yrs+) (%)
1 California 15.81
2 Texas 15.18
3 Mississippi 14.36
4 Louisiana 13.77
5 New Mexico 13.23
6 Nevada 12.98
7 Alabama 12.60
8 New York 12.57
9 Kentucky 12.35
10 Arkansas 12.31
11 West Virginia 11.94
12 Georgia 11.76
13 Arizona 11.70
14 Oklahoma 11.25
15 Tennessee 11.24
16 South Carolina 11.22
17 Florida 10.96
17 North Carolina 10.96
18 Rhode Island 10.89
19 Indiana 10.23
20 Illinois 10.10
21 New Jersey 9.50
22 Maryland 9.23
23 Virginia 9.17
24 Missouri 9.02
25 Connecticut 8.95
25 Delaware 8.95
26 Ohio 8.86
27 Massachusetts 8.84
28 Idaho 8.83
29 Pennsylvania 8.64
30 Oregon 8.50
31 Michigan 8.42
32 Kansas 8.39
33 Nebraska 8.28
34 Washington 8.08
35 District of Columbia 7.78
36 Colorado 7.64
37 South Dakota 7.47
38 Hawaii 7.30
39 Iowa 7.19
40 Wisconsin 7.08
41 Utah 6.90
42 Alaska 6.74
43 North Dakota 6.71
44 Minnesota 6.44
45 New Hampshire 6.37
46 Maine 6.29
47 Wyoming 6.26
48 Vermont 6.14
49 Montana 5.65