West virginia, the state with the lowest percentage of college graduates in the united states,

A new study released by the personal finance website wallethub.com shows West Virginia as one of the least educated states in the United States. The study cross-examines several aspects of education, including the percentage of people with associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, where West Virginia ranked 50th.

West Virginia University at Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer says there’s likely a correlation between the type of economy West Virginia has and why the amount of two and four year degrees are so low.

He says states that rely heavily on natural resources or agriculture and lack a large urban center often lag behind in degree attainment, much like West Virginia.

Gilmer says there are some high paying entry level jobs available in West Virginia for those with high school educations, but he says even a one-year certificate can do a lot for a career.

“And so what we’re trying to do, is convince the people of West Virginia that even if you graduate from high school job ready and you can go into a high paying job in the oil and gas industry or something of that nature, what that’s really preparing you for is an entry level job. And then you need to think what’s going to happen when you want to be a supervisor,” said Gilmer.

Gilmer is part of a group of higher education officials working to get 60% of West Virginians a college education by 2030 called West Virginia’s Climb.

“So many of the jobs that are coming into the economy now are jobs that you have to have a higher education for,” said Gilmer.

Despite the Wallet Hub study, Gilmer says WVUP’s spring enrollment is up 9% from last spring.

West virginia, the state with the lowest percentage of college graduates in the united states,

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Education is essential. In September 2015, world leaders created the 17 Global Goals for sustainable development. These goals aimed to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect our planet by 2030. At the core of each of these goals is education. Education is the best way for people to improve their quality of life by decreasing their chances of unemployment, increasing their earning potential, and meeting their career goals.

About 90% of the U.S. population over 25 have a high school diploma, and 34% have a Bachelor's degree. The national education budget in 2016-2017 was $1.3 trillion, the majority of which came from state and local governments. The U.S. spends more on education than any other country in the world. Education in the United States includes public schools, private schools, and approved homeschooling. State governments set education standards. Depending on the state, education is compulsory starting between five and eight up until between ages 16 and 18. Additionally, states typically mandate standardized tests for K-12 public school systems.

The Least Educated States

Education varies between states. Wallethub compared all 50 U.S. states using 20 different metrics across two dimensions: Educational Attainment and Quality of Education. These metrics included share of adults over 25 years old with a high school diploma/some college/at least a Bachelor’s degree/etc., quality of public school systems, public high school graduation rate, enrolled students in top universities, public college graduation rate, and more. Each state was given a score of zero to 100, with 100 being the "most educated." Each state's weighted average across all metrics was then determined to rank the states. Below are the country's least educated states, according to Wallethub.

West Virginia is the least educated U.S. state, with an overall score of 23.65. West Virginia ranks last for Educational Attainment with the lowest shares of people with associate degrees or some college experience and those with Bachelor's degrees, at 20.6%. West Virginia also has the fourth-lowest average university quality. Mississippi has a score of 25.18. As the second-least educated state, it ranks 49th for Educational Attainment and 44th for Quality of Education. Mississippi has the third-lowest share of high school diploma holders at 84.5%, the second-lowest share of Bachelor's degree holders, and the fifth-lowest share of both people with associate's degrees or college experience and graduate degree holders.

Louisiana holds the third-place spot for the least educated states. Louisiana has a score of 25.72 and ranks 48th for Educational Attainment and 44th for Quality of Education. Louisiana has the fourth-lowest share of high school diploma holders and Bachelor's degree holders, the second-lowest share of associates degree holders, and the fourth-lowest share of graduate degree holders. Arkansas's score is 30.06 out of 100. Arkansas is in 47th for Educational Attainment, and its Quality of Education rank is a slight improvement at 31. Arkansas has the third-lowest share of associates, Bachelor's, and graduate degree holders. Alabama is the country's fifth-least educated state. Alabama's Education Attainment rank is 45, and its Quality of Education rank is 41, with a total score of 32.29. About 22% of Alabama adults have a Bachelor's degree or higher, which is lower than the 25% nationwide average; however, this gap is closing.

On the other hand, the most educated U.S. states are: Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Vermont, and Colorado.

Here are the 10 states with the lowest high school graduation %:

  1. California - 83.92%
  2. Texas - 84.36%
  3. Mississippi - 85.32%
  4. Louisiana - 85.85%
  5. New Mexico - 86.50%
  6. Alabama - 86.87%
  7. Nevada - 86.91%
  8. Arkansas - 87.15%
  9. Kentucky - 87.16%
  10. New York - 87.22%

Least Educated States 2022

Least Educated States 2022

Least Educated States 2022

  1. Most & Least Educated States in America

Sources