- Utah finishes just outside "Best Education States" top 10 list.
- WalletHub education analysis ranked 50 states based on educational attainment and quality of education.
- The link between higher education and higher income was also demonstrated in a 2025 Utah report.
The Beehive State couldn’t quite crack the top 10 list in a recent report identifying the most (and least) educated states in the U.S. — but it came close.
Utah was ranked 11th in a WalletHub “Most Educated States” analysis released this week — and was also included among the states who are dual-categorized as “High Education Levels/High Income Levels.”
In determining the country’s most educated states, WalletHub compared all 50 across 18 metrics examining “key factors” of a well-educated population: educational attainment, school quality, and achievement gaps between genders and races.
WalletHub analysts noted the link between acquiring higher education and enjoying greater incomes and economic stability — a conclusion also reached by Utah researchers in a 2025 report.
“There’s a strong correlation between being more educated and receiving higher compensation,” said analyst Chip Lupo in the WalletHub release.
“The most educated states provide high-quality educational experiences from elementary school all the way to graduate programs, which helps parents raise children in an environment that gives them as many opportunities as possible.”
The top states, added Lupo, “also provide equitable schooling conditions — with low racial and gender gaps in educational attainment.”
From Massachusetts to West Virginia: Ranking all 50 states
Massachusetts, Vermont, Maryland, Connecticut and Colorado claimed the top five education spots in the WalletHub analysis.
Home to elite colleges such as Harvard and MIT, Massachusetts had the highest percentage of adults, ages 25 and older, with at least a bachelor’s degree — over 47%.
And nearly 22% of Bay State adult residents have earned graduate or professional degrees, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts reportedly has the nation’s second-best public schools system, with K-12 students recording the highest math and reading test scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), aka “The Nation’s Report Card.”
Maryland secured a high ranking in the WalletHub report, in part, because of its free statewide community college program for any resident who wants to pursue higher education.
On the opposite end, West Virginia received the report’s lowest ranking, with near-the-bottom marks in both “Educational Attainment” and “Quality of Education.”
Other poor performing states from the WalletHub report include Nevada, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
How were the education rankings determined?
While Utah received a high “Education Attainment” mark in the study (No. 11), its “Quality of Education” ranking was significantly lower (No. 26).
Of note, Utah has the nation’s second highest percentage of “associate’s degree holders or college-experienced adults,” listed only behind Colorado.
To determine its most and least educated states, WalletHub compared the 50 states by examining two key dimensions — “Educational Attainment” and “Quality of Education” — by analyzing 18 weighted metrics.
“Educational Attainment” metrics included the share of adults with, in separate measurements, at least a high school diploma, at least some college experience, at least a bachelor’s degree and, finally, adults with graduate and professional degrees.
The “Quality of Education & Attainment Gap” dimension included far more metrics — including quality of school systems, average quality of universities, high school graduation rates, NAEP math and reading scores and Advanced Placement success.
The WalletHub study also measured a state’s racial and gender gaps in educational attainment.
Utah research: More education = more cash
The correlation between “higher education” and “higher compensation” posited in this week’s WalletHub report is supported by local research.
Last year, the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute affirmed that earning a college degree in Utah is a demonstrable method for earning a higher salary — while also enjoying social mobility and several other positive individual benefits.
Utah, according to the Gardner report, boasts the country’s third most well-trained and educated workforce.
Just over 61% of Utahns have attained some form of postsecondary education — including a degree or some form of certification or certificate.
Meanwhile, just over 25% of Utah’s working-age adults have claimed a bachelor’s degree — while 13% have earned a graduate or professional degree.
In 2023, the average median earnings for Utahns, ages 25 and older, was $52,000.
Median earnings for Utahns with a graduate or professional degree was $92,000 — significantly higher than those whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s degree, at $63,000.
Meanwhile, the median earnings for high school graduates was $41,000.
The Gardner report also noted that less than 4% of adult Utahns with a bachelor’s degree or higher are living below the poverty level. Conversely, the rate is almost 10% of Utahns with only a high school diploma.
And almost 80% of Utah adults with degrees reported being happy. That was 16% higher on the “happy” scale than Utahns without a degree. Those differences were somewhat similar to life-quality metrics such as “healthy” and “confident in future career success.”