Do smarter states vote blue? Study finds the most educated states lean Democratic

A new study has revealed the most well-educated states in the U.S., and Massachusetts has topped the leaderboard.

Essay writing company EssayShark gathered data about academic performance, adult education, public resources, educational attainment, higher education access, school infrastructure, resources, and socioeconomic barriers to create an education index score out of 100 for each state. The states were ranked from highest to lowest scores to reveal the top 10 most educated states in the U.S.

Top 10 Most Educated States

Massachusetts is crowned the most educated state in America, scoring 80.44 out of 100 on the education index. The state has scored the best for academic performance, educational attainment, and socioeconomic barriers.

In Massachusetts, 46.63% of over 25s have a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is the highest rate in the country. 91.34% have a high school diploma or higher education. Massachusetts also has excellent adult education, public resources, access to higher education, and school infrastructure.

Connecticut is the second most educated state in the country, with an education index score of 71.24. The state scores well for academic performance, educational attainment and school infrastructure and resources.

91.38% of the population has a high school education or higher, and 42.26% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Public spending for things like student support, food, services, transportation, and school maintenance is also higher than average.

New Jersey ranks third, scoring 70.29 out of 100 on the education index. The state has the second-best academic performance in the country and third-best school infrastructure.

In New Jersey, 90.75% have a high school education and 43.68% have a bachelor’s degree, with above-average public spending on school resources and support for students.

Vermont residents are the fourth most educated, scoring 68.93. Vermont has the second-best educational attainment and school resources but falls behind when it comes to adult education and socioeconomic barriers.

Vermont has the highest percentage of adults over 25 with a high school education, at 94.75%. 44.37% of people over 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

New York has an education index score of 65.95, putting the state in fifth place. New York has scored the highest for adult education and school resources and has the third-best higher education access in the country.

87.95% of all New Yorkers over 25 have a high school diploma, and 39.99% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Interestingly, New York libraries typically hold more books than any other state, with a staggering 64,494 books on average.

New York dedicates the most spending to student support, food, services and transportation at approximately $2,736.44 a year and school maintenance at $2,280.77 a year. However, New York’s overall index score is hindered by the state’s socioeconomic barriers, with 18.50% of children under 18 living in poverty.

New Hampshire scores 64.50 out of 100 on the education index, meaning the state comes in sixth place. New Hampshire has the third-best academic performance in the country and scores highly for educational attainment.

94.72% of all adults over 25 have a high school education or higher, as well as 41.08% having obtained a bachelor’s degree. New Hampshire has the fewest children under 18 living in poverty, at just 5.60%.

Virginia is the seventh most educated state, scoring 64.38 out of 100 on the index. The state has good educational attainment and fewer socioeconomic barriers than average. 91.62% have a high school education, and 42.28% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Maryland is in eighth place, with an education index score of 63.79 out of 100. The state has the third-best educational attainment and good higher education, with 91.51% having a high school diploma and 43.85% with a bachelor’s degree.

Colorado ranks ninth, scoring 60.07 on the education index. Colorado has good educational attainment and performance, as 45.90% have earned a bachelor’s degree and 92.89% have a high school education.

Maine scores 59.80 out of 100 on the education index, meaning residents are the tenth most educated in America. Mainers have the fourth-best school infrastructure in the country, with 94.66% obtaining a high school education and 35.58% obtaining a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Frederick Poche, CMO at EssayShark, commented on the findings: “These findings give us valuable insights into where the most educated Americans are, and why these states are so well-educated. States at the top of the ranking, such as Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey have some of the best educational attainment and academic performance in the country. The national average for adults who have completed high school is 91.10%, and 38.40% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, meaning all states in the ranking are above these averages.

“The majority of the top 10 states also dedicate higher amounts of public spending on school infrastructure, support and resources for students. New York, Vermont and Connecticut spend the most money on these kinds of services.

“However, socioeconomic barriers have negatively affected the overall education score in some states, despite other areas like academic performance, resources and access being the very best. For example, New York scored low for socioeconomic barriers, as the child poverty rates are higher. Findings like these reveal that even the most educated states have cracks in the system that need attention.”