High School Degree

Definition

Percentage of population 25 years old and over who have at least a high school degree, GED or alternative degree, 2011.

Description

Education is one of the most important assets individuals can obtain to help them compete and advance in today’s labor market, and a high school degree represents the minimum credential needed to qualify for entry-level employment. This is a conservative measure of entry-level employability, because it often takes more than a high school education to qualify for the kinds of jobs that provide self-sufficiency wages and opportunities for advancement.

toggle page width

High School Degree

State	Adults with At Least High School Degree (%)	Rank
United States	85.9%
Alabama	82.7%	47
Alaska	91.8%	4
Arizona	85.7%	35
Arkansas	83.8%	44
California	81.1%	50
Colorado	90.2%	15
Connecticut	89.1%	20
Delaware	87.0%	32
District of Columbia	87.2%	30
Florida	85.9%	34
Georgia	84.3%	39
Hawaii	90.6%	11
Idaho	88.6%	24
Illinois	87.2%	31
Indiana	87.3%	29
Iowa	90.6%	10
Kansas	90.0%	17
Kentucky	83.1%	46
Louisiana	82.5%	48
Maine	90.9%	8
Maryland	88.9%	21
Massachusetts	89.2%	19
Michigan	88.8%	22
Minnesota	92.0%	2
Mississippi	81.1%	49
Missouri	87.6%	28
Montana	92.3%	1
Nebraska	91.0%	7
Nevada	84.0%	43
New Hampshire	91.4%	6
New Jersey	88.1%	26
New Mexico	83.2%	45
New York	85.0%	36
North Carolina	84.7%	38
North Dakota	90.7%	9
Ohio	88.3%	25
Oklahoma	86.3%	33
Oregon	89.4%	18
Pennsylvania	88.6%	23
Rhode Island	84.8%	37
South Carolina	84.2%	42
South Dakota	90.6%	12
Tennessee	84.2%	40
Texas	81.1%	51
Utah	90.3%	14
Vermont	91.8%	5
Virginia	87.8%	27
Washington	90.1%	16
West Virginia	84.2%	41
Wisconsin	90.4%	13
Wyoming	92.0%	3

Source

2011 American Community Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2012.