MD Among Top 3 Most Educated U.S. States: WalletHub

MARYLAND — Maryland residents are among some of the most educated in the United States, according to a recently released analysis by credit and finance website WalletHub.

To determine the most and least educated U.S. states, WalletHub compared each across 18 metrics that indicate a well-educated population, including educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races.

According to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, the most educated states provide high-quality educational experiences from elementary school all the way to graduate programs.

"(This) helps parents raise children in an environment that gives them as many opportunities as possible," Lupo said. "The top states also provide equitable schooling conditions, with low racial and gender gaps in educational attainment.”

Maryland came in at No. 2 in this year's ranking, second only to Massachusetts. In quality of education, the state was ranked second, while it came in at No. 4 for educational attainment.

According to the ranking, Maryland is notable for enacting a free statewide community college program that allows anyone who wants to pursue higher education the opportunity.

"This is partially responsible for why Maryland has the fourth-highest share of residents ages 25+ with at least a bachelor’s degree and the second-highest share with a graduate or professional degree," the ranking states.

Rounding out the top five most educated states were Vermont, Colorado and Connecticut.

The least educated states, according to the ranking, were West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

See the full ranking at WalletHub.com.