US Census Data

Most college-educated in North Carolina

North Carolina counties and cities ranked by share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher.

This page ranks the counties and cities of North Carolina by share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher — which have the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher, according to the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Among counties, Orange County leads at 61.8%.

Among cities & places, Grandfather Village leads at 88.0%.

Counties

Top 100.
#NameBachelor's+ (25+)
1Orange County61.8%
2Wake County56.3%
3Durham County53.5%
4Mecklenburg County48.6%
5Chatham County48.0%
6Watauga County47.7%
7New Hanover County44.8%
8Buncombe County44.6%
9Dare County42.8%
10Moore County40.9%
11Union County39.0%
12Transylvania County38.6%
13Guilford County38.1%
14Cabarrus County37.7%
15Forsyth County36.9%
16Henderson County35.1%
17Pitt County33.9%
18Iredell County33.3%
19Brunswick County33.2%
20Polk County32.9%
21Carteret County32.3%
22Madison County31.5%
23Clay County31.4%
24Jackson County30.0%
25Pender County29.8%
26Haywood County29.4%
27Currituck County29.3%
28Alamance County27.7%
29Johnston County27.6%
30Cumberland County27.2%
31Lincoln County27.0%
32Pasquotank County26.9%
33Davie County26.8%
34Onslow County26.1%
35Craven County26.0%
36Gaston County26.0%
37Camden County25.8%
38Pamlico County25.4%
39Catawba County24.9%
40Macon County24.6%
41Chowan County24.5%
42Franklin County24.4%
43Cherokee County24.2%
44Granville County24.0%
45Harnett County23.9%
46Mitchell County23.1%
47Yancey County23.0%
48Alleghany County22.8%
49Ashe County22.4%
50Avery County21.9%
51Nash County21.7%
52Lee County21.6%
53Rowan County21.5%
54Wayne County21.3%
55Hoke County21.3%
56Swain County21.3%
57Cleveland County21.1%
58Davidson County20.7%
59Rutherford County20.7%
60Beaufort County20.6%
61Bladen County20.6%
62Perquimans County20.4%
63Wilson County20.3%
64Burke County20.2%
65Person County19.8%
66Stanly County19.7%
67Surry County19.4%
68Montgomery County19.3%
69Warren County19.0%
70Northampton County19.0%
71Caldwell County18.6%
72Stokes County18.5%
73Vance County18.5%
74Jones County17.9%
75Bertie County17.8%
76Randolph County17.6%
77McDowell County17.6%
78Duplin County17.5%
79Graham County16.8%
80Hertford County16.7%
81Edgecombe County16.7%
82Wilkes County16.7%
83Richmond County16.2%
84Rockingham County16.1%
85Caswell County16.0%
86Sampson County15.8%
87Lenoir County15.8%
88Yadkin County15.8%
89Halifax County15.5%
90Alexander County15.4%
91Martin County15.1%
92Columbus County15.1%
93Scotland County14.8%
94Tyrrell County14.7%
95Robeson County14.6%
96Hyde County13.7%
97Greene County12.2%
98Washington County12.2%
99Anson County10.9%
100Gates County10.8%

Cities & places

Top 100.
#NameBachelor's+ (25+)
1Grandfather Village88.0%
2Biltmore Forest85.3%
3Bald Head Island84.2%
4Blue Clay Farms82.4%
5Glenwood81.5%
6Marvin79.7%
7Briar Chapel79.4%
8Fearrington Village77.9%
9Governors Club77.6%
10Chapel Hill77.2%
11Seven Devils76.2%
12Davidson75.6%
13Carolina Meadows75.4%
14Morrisville73.9%
15Governors Village73.0%
16Valle Crucis72.9%
17Wrightsville Beach71.6%
18Lake Santeetlah71.4%
19Holden Beach71.2%
20Carrboro70.4%
21Cary70.2%
22Rodanthe68.8%
23Walnut Creek68.0%
24Holly Springs67.7%
25Porters Neck67.5%
26Lake Norman of Iredell66.7%
27Apex66.6%
28Rolesville66.5%
29Weaverville66.0%
30Buies Creek66.0%
31Indian Beach66.0%
32Weddington65.9%
33St. James65.7%
34Flat Rock65.1%
35Duck64.5%
36Ocean Isle Beach64.4%
37Forest Hills64.2%
38Topsail Beach63.2%
39Pine Knoll Shores62.8%
40Pinehurst62.0%
41Hillsborough61.8%
42Brandywine Bay61.1%
43Trent Woods60.8%
44Bayshore60.6%
45Whispering Pines60.3%
46Blowing Rock59.9%
47Laurel Park59.8%
48Cornelius59.6%
49Summerfield59.4%
50Washington Park59.3%
51Sugar Mountain58.9%
52Black Mountain58.7%
53Lake Lure58.7%
54Caswell Beach58.0%
55Wake Forest57.8%
56Northlakes57.5%
57Huntersville57.3%
58Southern Shores56.7%
59Bell Arthur56.3%
60Durham55.7%
61Harrisburg55.7%
62McAdenville55.4%
63Waxhaw54.9%
64Ogden54.7%
65Southern Pines54.7%
66Royal Pines54.4%
67Webster54.0%
68Beech Mountain54.0%
69Matthews53.9%
70Elon53.2%
71Bolivia53.1%
72Boone53.1%
73Highlands53.0%
74Raleigh52.9%
75Fuquay-Varina52.9%
76North Topsail Beach52.7%
77Oriental52.6%
78Asheville52.0%
79Emerald Isle52.0%
80Jamestown51.8%
81Atlantic Beach51.7%
82Nags Head51.7%
83Lake Junaluska51.3%
84Stallings51.0%
85Westport50.9%
86Cypress Landing50.9%
87Saluda50.8%
88Surf City50.8%
89Kure Beach50.7%
90Oak Ridge50.6%
91Mars Hill50.1%
92Fairview49.6%
93Hatteras49.6%
94Holly Ridge49.4%
95Clemmons49.1%
96Horse Shoe48.5%
97Bermuda Run47.9%
98Carolina Beach47.5%
99Charlotte47.4%
100Woodfin46.9%

Nationwide

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Other rankings in North Carolina

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