In this article, we look at the 20 least educated states in America. You can skip our detailed analysis on educational attainment levels in these states, and head over directly to the 5 Least Educated States in America.
A report by The Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 highlighted the direct relationship that exists between education levels and earnings. Their findings also show a correlation between education and less unemployment. Individuals whose education levels were less than a high school diploma, on average, earned $682 per week, compared to $1,005 for someone with a college or associate degree. Earnings continue to rise with the attainment of higher education – $1,432 per week for those holding a bachelor’s degree, followed by $1,661 for master’s, and over $2,000 per week for professional and doctoral degrees.
West Virginia is the least educated state in America. According to The Census Bureau, 35.8% of the population aged between 18 and 24 are high school graduates, while 36% of them have a college or associate degree. On the other hand, only 14.2% of the population aged 25 and above have a bachelor’s degree, and just 9.9% hold a graduate or professional degree. In contrast, states like Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont are considered among the most educated states in the US due to a higher share of educational attainment across all levels of education.
Many large corporations in the US are actively taking steps to provide easy access to education at a lower cost. There is great hope that technology and the internet can help provide quality education in a more cost effective manner. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) does not just provide textbooks for tertiary education, but also provides digital infrastructure to a number of online education companies. Moreover, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), under its Project Kuiper, will be launching over 3,000 satellites into orbit with the goal of providing affordable internet to communities around the world that are currently underserved. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) started working on this project in 2018 and received the license of deployment from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in July 2020. If achieved, this program could make it easier for millions of people to attain quality education using the internet.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s TechSpark program, which is aimed at providing digital skills and access to residents in rural areas of the US, has worked wonders in Northeast Wisconsin, where now 88% of the schools offer computer sciences education, catering to the requirements of the job market. In Jackson, Mississippi, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has launched a Cybersecurity Readiness Program at Jackson State University. The program involves training and providing cyber security experience to at least 100 students.
Moreover, under this partnership between Mississippi and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), is another initiative called the CoBuilder Accelerator Program, which brings together entrepreneurs from startup companies and provides them with necessary training for their ventures. In addition to this, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:AMZN) offers instructors and students at educational institutions to sign up for its Office 365 Education, which grants free access to platforms such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Methodology
We have ranked the 20 least educated states in America using five weighted metrics – population aged between 18-24 with less than high school education (20%), population aged between 18-24 with high school graduation (15%), population aged between 18-24 with some college or associate degree (15%), population aged 25 and above with a bachelor’s degree (20%), and population aged 25 and above with a graduate or professional degree (30%). Data has been sourced from The Census Bureau, and is from the year 2021. We developed a score and ranked the states in descending order of low scores.
20 Least Educated States in America
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Now let's head over to the list of the least educated states in America.
20 least educated states in America
20. Texas
Population aged 18-24 Less than high School: 11.3%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 35.1%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 38.6%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 21.2%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 11.9%
Score: 16.60
Our list of least educated states in the US starts with Texas. More than 11% of the state’s youth has not completed high school education. Texas also ranks low when it comes to its share of the population that has completed graduation or master’s level education.
19. Iowa
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 10.9%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 30.7%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 46.9%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 20.7%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 9.9%
Score: 16.57
Iowa is situated in the upper Midwest region of the United States. It ranks 19th among the least educated states in America, mainly due to a significantly low percentage of the population holding bachelor’s and master’s degree qualifications.
18. Florida
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 13.2%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 33.9%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 41.3%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 20.6%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 12.6%
Score: 16.54
Just a little over one-fifths of Florida’s population aged 25 or above have completed a bachelor’s degree, while only 12.6% hold a graduate or professional degree. More than 13% of the youth have not completed high school.
17. Idaho
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 13.3%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 40.8%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 39.2%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 20.2%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 10.5%
Score: 16.53
Idaho is a northwestern US state, where 13.3% of its population aged between 18 and 24 has not completed high school, and only 10.5% of the population considered for this analysis holds a graduate or master’s degree.
16. Missouri
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 11.8%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 33.5%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 41.9%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 19.5%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 12.2%
Score: 16.51
Nearly 42% of the population aged between 18 and 24 hold a college or associate degree in Missouri. However, a low percentage of the population attaining higher education remains a concern in the state, and is one of the reasons why Missouri ranks among the 25 Poorest States in America.
15. Ohio
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 11.7%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 37.4%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 38.5%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 18.9%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 11.8%
Score: 16.37
We discussed in our introduction about how education levels impact earnings. Ohio faces a problem related to disparity of income among its residents, with more than 12% of the population living below the poverty line. This can be attributed to the low percentage of its people that have attained higher education.
14. Kentucky
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 10.3%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 38.7%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 39.5%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 15.9%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 11.1%
Score: 16.18
Kentucky is situated in the southeastern region of the United States. 10.3% of its population in the age group of 18-24 years has not completed high school education, according to the Census Bureau. The state fares low on higher education attainment as well, with around 15.9% of the population aged 25 or above having completed a bachelor's degree, while just 11.1% holding a graduate or professional degree. All of these factors combine to include Kentucky in the list of the least educated states in America.
13. Arizona
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 14.7%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 35.9%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 38.9%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 19.8%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 12.6%
Score: 16.02
Close to 15% of the youth in Arizona aged between 18 and 24 have not completed high school, around 36% of them have completed high school graduation, while 38.9% hold a college or associate degree. The major concern for the state is a considerably low percentage of population aged 25 or above who have obtained bachelor's and master's degrees.
12. Wyoming
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 7.1%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 27.4%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 42%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 18.5%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 10.7%
Score: 15.90
Due to a lower attainment of bachelor's and graduate degrees in Wyoming, the state ranks among the least educated states in America. It is likely that because of this factor, the median income in Wyoming of $41,898 per year is less than the national average of the country which stands at $45,943.
11. Tennessee
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 14%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 36.5%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 38.8%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 19.2%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 11.3%
Score: 15.73
Tennessee is one of the most poverty affected states in the US. It is also among the least educated. 14% of the state's population aged between 18 and 24 has not completed high school education, less than 20% have a bachelor's degree, and only 11.3% have a graduate or professional degree.
10. Alabama
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 13.4%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 36.3%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 41.2%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 16.6%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 10.9%
Score: 15.54
Next on our list on tenth is the southeastern state of Alabama. While the state does reasonably well with respect to the percentage of its youth attaining a college or associate degree, it is found wanting when it comes to higher education. About one-sixth of its population aged 25 or above hold a bachelor's degree.
9. Arkansas
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 11.5%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 40%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 38.8%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 15.9%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 9.4%
Score: 15.52
Arkansas is one of the least educated states in the US, with 11.5% of its youth not completing high school education, and only 9.4% of those aged 25 or above holding a graduate or professional degree according to the US Census Bureau.
8. South Carolina
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 14.9%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 32.6%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 40.4%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 19.6%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 10.1%
Score: 15.46
Nearly 15% of South Carolina’s youth have not completed their high school education, while 32.6% have a high school educaton. On the other hand, only 10.1% of the people aged 25 or above in South Carolina have a master’s or professional degree.
7. Nevada
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 13.7%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 42.9%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 35.2%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 17.9%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 9.6%
Score: 15.44
Nevada ranks seventh in our list of the least educated states in the US. With a percentage of just 9.6%, the state ranks among the lowest in terms of population aged between 25 or above with a graduate or professional degree. 13.7% of those in the 18-24 years age group have not completed high school.
6. Indiana
Population aged 18-24 less than high school: 13.4%
Population aged 18-24 with high school graduation: 36.6%
Population aged 18-24 with some college or associate degree: 38.2%
Population aged 25 or above with bachelor’s degree: 18.5%
Population aged 25 or above with graduate or professional degree: 10.4%
Score: 15.36
A mere 10.4% of Indiana’s population aged 25 or above hold a graduate or professional degree. Less than one-fifth of them have a bachelor’s degree, while 13.4% of the youth has not completed high school education. Indiana ranks sixth on the list of the least educated states in America.