Counties with the most college graduates in Missouri
Counties with the most college graduates in Missouri
The American philosopher and psychologist John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Dewey advocated for an educational paradigm called pragmatism, which stresses the importance of learning academic concepts by experiencing them firsthand, instead of through lecture and repetition in a classroom.
While the philosophy is used by many educators (especially those working in fields where the value of work experience exceeds the value placed on an academic background), many people take great pride in their formal educational credentials because of the valuable skills such educations provided and because of the immense amount of work that goes into earning a degree.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most college graduates in Missouri using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percent of the population 25 years and over that has a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
Keep reading to see which counties in your state have the most college graduates.

#30. Jefferson County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.9% ($28,775 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 31.6% ($34,080)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 37.1% ($40,338)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.6% ($55,730)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.8% ($62,013)
#29. Moniteau County
- Less than high school diploma: 14.7% ($31,707 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 40.1% ($32,337)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 24.8% ($33,550)
- Bachelor's degree: 15% ($43,138)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.5% ($47,955)
#28. Franklin County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.5% ($27,178 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 32.7% ($32,928)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 34.8% ($38,449)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.6% ($47,793)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.3% ($58,750)

#27. Camden County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.5% ($20,970 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.9% ($26,222)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.4% ($27,515)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.5% ($36,875)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.6% ($48,144)
#26. Buchanan County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.7% ($21,183 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.8% ($31,172)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.4% ($33,076)
- Bachelor's degree: 14.1% ($43,806)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7% ($57,508)
#25. Clinton County
- Less than high school diploma: 8% ($29,630 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 40% ($38,640)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 30.3% ($42,132)
- Bachelor's degree: 15.1% ($48,179)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.6% ($55,332)
#24. Cooper County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.3% ($22,100 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.5% ($30,105)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29% ($35,808)
- Bachelor's degree: 15.2% ($46,550)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.9% ($46,346)

#23. Marion County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.9% ($14,515 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37% ($30,285)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.6% ($30,786)
- Bachelor's degree: 14.5% ($39,258)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.8% ($54,762)
#22. Atchison County
- Less than high school diploma: 8.5% ($21,360 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 39% ($30,163)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.5% ($32,500)
- Bachelor's degree: 16.7% ($41,042)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.4% ($46,250)
#21. Callaway County
- Less than high school diploma: 13.8% ($21,787 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 36.1% ($29,905)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27% ($34,720)
- Bachelor's degree: 15.4% ($46,286)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.7% ($45,554)

#20. Jasper County
- Less than high school diploma: 13.2% ($22,165 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 33.6% ($30,318)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.6% ($32,295)
- Bachelor's degree: 16.7% ($39,338)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.9% ($52,664)
#19. Andrew County
- Less than high school diploma: 8.3% ($30,669 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.4% ($32,334)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.4% ($37,017)
- Bachelor's degree: 16.8% ($47,254)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8% ($53,799)
#18. Howard County
- Less than high school diploma: 12.1% ($18,977 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.1% ($30,755)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 25.6% ($29,955)
- Bachelor's degree: 14.8% ($48,821)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10.3% ($43,750)
#17. Cass County
- Less than high school diploma: 7.6% ($25,006 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 33.9% ($36,923)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.2% ($42,376)
- Bachelor's degree: 17.1% ($56,199)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9.2% ($58,741)
#16. Pulaski County
- Less than high school diploma: 7.2% ($16,676 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 27.5% ($25,096)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 37.1% ($32,664)
- Bachelor's degree: 17.7% ($41,370)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10.5% ($57,841)
#15. Nodaway County
- Less than high school diploma: 7.7% ($24,917 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.7% ($30,468)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26.1% ($32,383)
- Bachelor's degree: 16.1% ($39,564)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.5% ($53,125)
#14. Christian County
- Less than high school diploma: 8% ($27,174 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 29.4% ($31,906)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 34% ($31,700)
- Bachelor's degree: 18.6% ($44,813)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10.1% ($53,674)
#13. Johnson County
- Less than high school diploma: 7.5% ($21,139 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 30.7% ($30,186)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.9% ($34,480)
- Bachelor's degree: 16.5% ($38,980)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.3% ($51,073)
#12. Phelps County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.7% ($22,140 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 30.4% ($26,821)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.7% ($32,275)
- Bachelor's degree: 16% ($39,324)
- Graduate or professional degree: 13.2% ($58,224)

#11. Greene County
- Less than high school diploma: 8.3% ($23,816 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28% ($30,204)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 33.2% ($31,500)
- Bachelor's degree: 19.4% ($42,048)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.1% ($53,163)
#10. Adair County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.8% ($22,100 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 34.4% ($26,037)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 24.6% ($32,429)
- Bachelor's degree: 14.5% ($39,175)
- Graduate or professional degree: 16.5% ($51,174)

#9. Cape Girardeau County
- Less than high school diploma: 9% ($23,578 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 31.2% ($29,868)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.3% ($34,271)
- Bachelor's degree: 19.2% ($44,785)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.3% ($49,487)

#8. Jackson County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.4% ($22,816 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.3% ($30,758)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 30.7% ($36,937)
- Bachelor's degree: 20% ($51,524)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.6% ($62,870)
#7. Clay County
- Less than high school diploma: 6.7% ($29,060 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.4% ($34,891)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.8% ($40,658)
- Bachelor's degree: 22.4% ($54,476)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10.8% ($63,215)

#6. Cole County
- Less than high school diploma: 7.7% ($24,048 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 29.7% ($31,212)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.3% ($34,959)
- Bachelor's degree: 21.5% ($49,861)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.8% ($51,485)
#5. St. Louis city
- Less than high school diploma: 12.2% ($19,951 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 23.9% ($26,124)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.5% ($31,159)
- Bachelor's degree: 19.7% ($48,733)
- Graduate or professional degree: 16.6% ($59,957)

#4. St. Charles County
- Less than high school diploma: 5.3% ($25,916 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 24.6% ($36,584)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.3% ($43,926)
- Bachelor's degree: 24.7% ($62,117)
- Graduate or professional degree: 14.1% ($73,146)

#3. Platte County
- Less than high school diploma: 4.2% ($30,738 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 22.1% ($35,389)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 30.6% ($42,043)
- Bachelor's degree: 26.4% ($58,538)
- Graduate or professional degree: 16.7% ($71,865)
#2. St. Louis County
- Less than high school diploma: 6.5% ($23,475 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 21.2% ($30,634)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.6% ($36,640)
- Bachelor's degree: 24.8% ($57,318)
- Graduate or professional degree: 18.8% ($76,344)
#1. Boone County
- Less than high school diploma: 5.4% ($26,676 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 21.3% ($30,532)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.1% ($33,322)
- Bachelor's degree: 26.1% ($44,206)
- Graduate or professional degree: 19.9% ($55,556)