Massachusetts has a bachelor’s-or-higher attainment share of 47.3% and a median household income of $103,960. Colorado’s corresponding estimates are 45.7% and $95,470. Putting these measures together is useful context, but it does not estimate the causal return to a college degree.
Editorial date:
· First published September 30, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026
Data reviewed September 30, 2026; definition labels reviewed October 1,
2026 · American Public Data
Adults and households are different statistical units
Degree attainment uses residents age 25 and older. Median household income uses households, which may include several adults, children and multiple earners. These are not linked records of the same people. A state-level comparison therefore cannot say how much a particular graduate earns, whether the graduate’s household has multiple earners, or which member’s credential explains household income.
Bachelor’s-or-higher includes postgraduate degrees
The source numerator combines bachelor’s, master’s, professional and doctoral degrees. It does not count only bachelor’s holders without further qualifications. Adult residents may have completed their education elsewhere. A state with a high attainment share is not necessarily the state where those degrees were awarded, so this measure cannot serve as a ranking of local colleges.
Nearby income estimates require uncertainty
Maryland’s household income median is $103,678 and New Jersey’s is $103,556. Massachusetts, Maryland and New Jersey have close point estimates in this collection. The direct income indicator retains the producer’s 90% margins of error. Their sorted positions should not be presented as conclusive statistical differences without an appropriate comparison test.
Explore the figures behind this comparison
Change the measure or switch a percentage to its source count
. The table and download update together. The United States is a separate
benchmark; selected states are examples, rather than a complete ranking.
Residents age 25 and older who completed at least a bachelor’s degree. Reference period: 2020–2024. Educational attainment describes adult residents, not graduation rates or the performance of schools in the area.
Bachelor’s degree or higher·
2020–2024· U.S. Census
Bureau
Source counts and periods come from snapshot apd-2026-10-01-r3. Derived percentage
uncertainty is not calculated; direct margins of error remain in the
indicator download.
Per-capita income answers another question
The interactive table also offers per-capita income. That measure relates aggregate income to the source population and differs from a household median. It can respond differently to household size, the number of children and the income distribution. Combining state medians or taking their simple average cannot reproduce a national median. The national reference is the separately published Census observation.
An association leaves many explanations open
Occupation mix, industry, migration, age, household composition and local prices can affect these patterns. Descriptive state totals do not control for those factors. A visible association between attainment and income is not evidence of a guaranteed salary, a particular university’s effectiveness or the effect of enrolling in a program. Restricted-cohort education outcomes would need their own source definitions.
Build a report around the exact question
For resident educational context, cite the adult universe and attainment table. For household resources, cite the income measure and its 2024-dollar basis. For institutional completion or graduate earnings, use validated institution and cohort data rather than extending this state comparison. The exports preserve both definitions, and the measure selector makes their different units explicit instead of placing unrelated values on a misleading shared axis.
Source tables and calculation record
Original producer: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2024 five-year detailed tables, describing 2020–2024.
Website data snapshot: apd-2026-10-01-r3. The article arithmetic uses retained
observations and documented indicator definitions; displayed percentages
are rounded, while exports preserve their underlying precision.
Census comparison guidance
explains why source product and sampling uncertainty belong in a survey
comparison.
Population Estimates Program documentation
explains the estimate framework and vintage revisions. The article
examples do not imply household-level links between separate state
totals.
Explore New York’s no-vehicle households alongside public transit and driving commute shares. Understand household and worker denominators in Census data.
Compare residents age 65 and older by percentage and count. Maine and Florida illustrate how service planning differs from a demographic share comparison.
Colorado leads the state work-from-home point estimates. Explore the worker universe, five-year period and why usual commuting does not measure hybrid schedules.
