National rankings · 2019
Best & Worst States for College Outcomes
State-level rollups of the same federal corpus the rest of this site is built on — College Scorecard institution-level outcomes (Treasury earnings, IPEDS completion). Each state's value is the median across its Title-IV main campuses, weighted equally per institution. 52 ingested states ranked today.
Top 10 Highest Median earnings · 10 years after entry (USD)What this meansMedian annual earnings of federally aided students 10 years after first enrolling, computed from Treasury IRS tax records. The cohort includes non-completers and out-of-state movers — selection effects (who enrolls, who completes, what fields they enter) drive most of the variation across institutions.
States whose Title-IV institutions report the highest median 10-year-after-entry earnings — Treasury cohorts, all federally aided enrollees.
| # | State | Institutions | Median earnings · 10 years after entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | 15 | $68.9k |
| 2 | Connecticut | 46 | $57.5k |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 131 | $56.0k |
| 4 | Vermont | 16 | $50.3k |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 256 | $49.9k |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 27 | $49.7k |
| 7 | District of Columbia | 18 | $49.0k |
| 8 | New York | 384 | $48.9k |
| 9 | Alaska | 10 | $48.5k |
| 10 | Minnesota | 84 | $48.3k |
Top 10 Lowest Median earnings · 10 years after entry (USD)What this meansMedian annual earnings of federally aided students 10 years after first enrolling, computed from Treasury IRS tax records. The cohort includes non-completers and out-of-state movers — selection effects (who enrolls, who completes, what fields they enter) drive most of the variation across institutions.
States whose Title-IV institutions report the lowest median 10-year-after-entry earnings.
| # | State | Institutions | Median earnings · 10 years after entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puerto Rico | 94 | $23.4k |
| 2 | Idaho | 29 | $30.5k |
| 3 | Mississippi | 46 | $33.0k |
| 4 | Louisiana | 89 | $33.1k |
| 5 | Arkansas | 76 | $34.9k |
| 6 | Utah | 52 | $35.8k |
| 7 | North Carolina | 142 | $36.0k |
| 8 | Florida | 265 | $36.3k |
| 9 | New Mexico | 31 | $36.9k |
| 10 | Kentucky | 74 | $37.1k |
Top 10 Highest Completion rate · 150% of expected time (share of cohort)What this meansShare of first-time, full-time freshmen who complete their program within 150% of expected time (six years for a four-year degree, three years for a two-year degree). Reported by IPEDS Graduation Rate survey. Tiny cohorts skew toward 100% — top tables apply a 1,000-undergrad floor where editorially relevant.
States with the highest median 150%-time completion across Title-IV institutions.
| # | State | Institutions | Completion rate · 150% of expected time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | 15 | 70.6% |
| 2 | Connecticut | 46 | 70.2% |
| 3 | Utah | 52 | 69.4% |
| 4 | Vermont | 16 | 66.7% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 131 | 66.5% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 256 | 66.1% |
| 7 | Florida | 265 | 65.6% |
| 8 | New York | 384 | 64.2% |
| 9 | Idaho | 29 | 64.1% |
| 10 | Nevada | 20 | 62.5% |
Top 10 Lowest Completion rate · 150% of expected time (share of cohort)What this meansShare of first-time, full-time freshmen who complete their program within 150% of expected time (six years for a four-year degree, three years for a two-year degree). Reported by IPEDS Graduation Rate survey. Tiny cohorts skew toward 100% — top tables apply a 1,000-undergrad floor where editorially relevant.
States with the lowest median 150%-time completion across Title-IV institutions.
| # | State | Institutions | Completion rate · 150% of expected time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | 31 | 39.2% |
| 2 | Alaska | 10 | 41.3% |
| 3 | Hawaii | 20 | 41.4% |
| 4 | Georgia | 114 | 41.6% |
| 5 | Arizona | 73 | 43.0% |
| 6 | Wyoming | 10 | 43.3% |
| 7 | Alabama | 69 | 43.4% |
| 8 | South Carolina | 75 | 44.4% |
| 9 | Montana | 27 | 46.1% |
| 10 | North Carolina | 142 | 46.1% |