U.S. College Enrollment Rate by State 2026: Statistics & Charts
The college enrollment rate is the share of residents ages 18–24 enrolled in public or private college or graduate school. State values use the 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, the latest complete source available for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The measure follows students by place of residence rather than campus location. It differs from the immediate college enrollment rate for recent high school completers and from institution-based enrollment totals reported by colleges.
College Enrollment Statistics
National totals and state benchmarks are calculated from ACS table B14004.
College Enrollment Rate Ranking
Rates are ranked from the unrounded ACS estimate for each state and the District of Columbia.
College Enrollment Rate Among 18–24-Year-Old Residents
All 51 jurisdictions, 2024 ACS 1-year estimates
The chart is a visual ranking of the same values preserved in the full HTML table.
Upper-rank concentration
- Seven of the first 10 jurisdictions are in the Northeast.
- The middle half of jurisdictions falls between 35.7% and 43.4%, a spread of 7.7 percentage points.
State College Enrollment Rate Table
Counts and rates describe residents ages 18–24. The ranking uses the rate rather than the enrolled count.
| Rank | State/DC | Rate | Enrolled 18–24 | 18–24 population | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 52.2% | 37,011 | 70,860 | South |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 50.6% | 56,530 | 111,702 | Northeast |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 50.6% | 357,707 | 707,064 | Northeast |
| 4 | Connecticut | 48.0% | 164,054 | 341,838 | Northeast |
| 5 | New York | 47.5% | 844,132 | 1,776,645 | Northeast |
| 6 | Maine | 47.3% | 52,225 | 110,476 | Northeast |
| 7 | California | 47.0% | 1,713,047 | 3,644,130 | West |
| 8 | North Dakota | 46.2% | 40,348 | 87,325 | Midwest |
| 9 | Vermont | 45.2% | 28,079 | 62,118 | Northeast |
| 10 | New Jersey | 44.6% | 356,849 | 800,206 | Northeast |
| 11 | Delaware | 44.6% | 40,782 | 91,460 | South |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | 44.0% | 523,244 | 1,188,407 | Northeast |
| 13 | Alabama | 43.7% | 212,284 | 485,435 | South |
| 14 | Utah | 43.1% | 180,146 | 417,656 | West |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 43.0% | 52,784 | 122,828 | Northeast |
| 16 | Virginia | 42.7% | 352,395 | 824,337 | South |
| 17 | Nebraska | 41.7% | 82,984 | 199,010 | Midwest |
| 18 | Illinois | 41.5% | 485,188 | 1,168,050 | Midwest |
| 19 | Maryland | 41.2% | 218,762 | 530,791 | South |
| 20 | Iowa | 41.2% | 132,520 | 321,744 | Midwest |
| 21 | Florida | 40.8% | 778,627 | 1,906,324 | South |
| 22 | Michigan | 40.3% | 376,215 | 934,316 | Midwest |
| 23 | North Carolina | 39.4% | 413,774 | 1,049,988 | South |
| 24 | Kansas | 39.3% | 117,025 | 297,448 | Midwest |
| 25 | Colorado | 39.3% | 214,360 | 545,685 | West |
| 26 | Wyoming | 39.0% | 20,786 | 53,288 | West |
| 27 | Wisconsin | 38.7% | 214,921 | 555,061 | Midwest |
| 28 | Idaho | 37.9% | 75,403 | 198,965 | West |
| 29 | Georgia | 37.7% | 400,378 | 1,060,982 | South |
| 30 | Mississippi | 37.6% | 108,048 | 287,446 | South |
| 31 | Minnesota | 37.5% | 195,185 | 519,877 | Midwest |
| 32 | Ohio | 37.5% | 397,838 | 1,061,428 | Midwest |
| 33 | South Carolina | 37.2% | 187,109 | 503,116 | South |
| 34 | Oregon | 36.9% | 133,551 | 362,169 | West |
| 35 | Arizona | 36.9% | 267,897 | 726,880 | West |
| 36 | Kentucky | 36.2% | 152,912 | 421,989 | South |
| 37 | Indiana | 36.0% | 237,546 | 659,956 | Midwest |
| 38 | Texas | 35.9% | 1,096,295 | 3,056,382 | South |
| 39 | Missouri | 35.5% | 204,326 | 575,388 | Midwest |
| 40 | Louisiana | 35.4% | 148,333 | 418,749 | South |
| 41 | West Virginia | 34.6% | 53,140 | 153,712 | South |
| 42 | Hawaii | 34.4% | 39,745 | 115,613 | West |
| 43 | Oklahoma | 33.8% | 136,792 | 404,802 | South |
| 44 | Tennessee | 33.6% | 219,987 | 654,793 | South |
| 45 | Washington | 33.3% | 224,581 | 674,671 | West |
| 46 | New Mexico | 33.2% | 66,633 | 200,903 | West |
| 47 | Arkansas | 31.7% | 92,499 | 291,543 | South |
| 48 | South Dakota | 30.9% | 25,896 | 83,838 | Midwest |
| 49 | Montana | 30.0% | 31,084 | 103,469 | West |
| 50 | Nevada | 28.9% | 75,753 | 262,085 | West |
| 51 | Alaska | 18.7% | 12,738 | 68,011 | West |
Rate rank and enrollment scale
- California has the largest enrolled count at 1,713,047 and ranks seventh by rate.
- Texas has the second-largest enrolled count at 1,096,295 but ranks 38th by rate.
- The District of Columbia ranks first by rate with 37,011 enrolled residents, showing why rate rank and student count should be read separately.
Regional Enrollment Rates and Institution Sector Mix
Regional rates are weighted by the 18–24 population. Region labels follow the four Census regions, with the District of Columbia included in the South.
Public and Private College Enrollment Mix by Region
Sector shares among enrolled residents ages 18–24
Public institutions enroll most 18–24-year-old college students nationally, while the Northeast has a more even public-private split.
Public and private sector mix
- Public institutions account for 76.2% of enrolled 18–24-year-old residents nationally.
- The public share ranges from 58.2% in the Northeast to 82.9% in the West.
| Region | Rate | Enrolled 18–24 | 18–24 population | Public share | Private share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 40.5% | 12,650,448 | 31,270,959 | 76.2% | 23.8% |
| Northeast | 46.6% | 2,435,604 | 5,221,284 | 58.2% | 41.8% |
| West | 41.4% | 3,055,724 | 7,373,525 | 82.9% | 17.1% |
| Midwest | 38.8% | 2,509,992 | 6,463,441 | 76.8% | 23.2% |
| South | 38.1% | 4,649,128 | 12,212,709 | 80.8% | 19.2% |
Regional rate and scale
- The Northeast has the highest weighted rate at 46.6%.
- The South contains 4,649,128 enrolled residents ages 18–24, the largest regional count, while its weighted rate is 38.1%.
- The West rate is 41.4%, above the U.S. rate, and the Midwest rate is 38.8%.
What the State Rates Show
Rate, count, residence, and institution sector answer different enrollment questions.
Resident Rate vs. Campus Headcount
A state rate counts enrolled people who live in that state. It does not count every student attending a campus located there, so cross-border and out-of-state enrollment can produce a different institution-based pattern.
Rate Rank vs. Student Count
A high rate does not imply a large student population. Population size changes the count, while the rate compares enrolled residents with the full 18–24 resident population.
Recent Graduate Enrollment
The ACS measure covers all residents ages 18–24, including continuing undergraduates and graduate students. It is not the share of one high school graduating class entering college immediately after graduation.
Institution Sector
Public and private shares identify the sector attended by enrolled residents. They do not describe tuition, degree level, school selectivity, completion, or student outcomes.
Data Sources and Measurement
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year Detailed Table B14004, “Sex by College or Graduate School Enrollment by Type of School by Age for the Population 15 Years and Over.”
Numerator: B14004_E005 + B14004_E010 + B14004_E021 + B14004_E026. Denominator: the numerator plus B14004_E015 + B14004_E031.
Percent of residents ages 18–24 enrolled in public or private college or graduate school. Coverage is 50 states plus the District of Columbia; Puerto Rico is excluded.
Regional rates are calculated from summed enrolled counts divided by summed 18–24 populations. They are not simple averages of state percentages.
Ranks use unrounded rates. Displayed rates and sector shares are rounded to one decimal place; population and enrollment counts are shown as whole-person survey estimates.
NCES publishes a related national college enrollment rate indicator. State calculations here use ACS B14004 so the same resident-based measure can be applied across all jurisdictions.
The Census API group page lists the B14004 estimates and margins of error used in the calculation.
ACS 1-year values are survey estimates for calendar year 2024 rather than administrative college enrollment records.
“Not enrolled in college or graduate school” includes residents who were not enrolled in any school and residents enrolled at another school level. Adding that group to college-enrolled residents produces the full age 18–24 denominator used for the rate.
The ACS publishes margins of error for the source cells. A margin of error for each derived percentage was not calculated here. Close rank positions should therefore be treated as descriptive ordering rather than proof that adjacent jurisdictions have different underlying rates.