Counties with the most college graduates in Maryland
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 Maryland 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 using 2020 5-year estimates.
Keep reading to see which counties in your state have the most college graduates.
#24. Somerset County
- 15.8% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 16.5% ($16,432 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.1% ($26,817)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 30.7% ($32,370)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.8% ($36,000)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.0% ($54,167)
#23. Caroline County
- 19.0% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 15.7% ($25,633 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 39.2% ($33,558)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26.1% ($35,875)
- Bachelor's degree: 11.4% ($55,137)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.6% ($70,357)
#22. Allegany County
- 19.3% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 10.2% ($21,875 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 40.5% ($30,160)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.9% ($32,474)
- Bachelor's degree: 11.4% ($49,680)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.9% ($59,586)
#21. Dorchester County
- 19.9% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 13.0% ($17,165 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 38.4% ($32,556)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.7% ($31,760)
- Bachelor's degree: 11.6% ($48,620)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8.2% ($67,262)
#20. Washington County
- 22.4% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 11.9% ($28,560 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 36.0% ($34,301)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.8% ($41,678)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.2% ($57,282)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9.1% ($77,472)
#19. Garrett County
- 23.5% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 9.8% ($17,340 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 42.7% ($31,710)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 24.0% ($34,221)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.6% ($52,778)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9.9% ($61,983)
#18. Cecil County
- 25.3% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 10.0% ($25,451 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 35.2% ($40,843)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.5% ($48,262)
- Bachelor's degree: 15.3% ($62,772)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10.0% ($73,446)
#17. Wicomico County
- 28.0% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 12.3% ($24,194 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 33.1% ($32,044)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26.6% ($35,481)
- Bachelor's degree: 16.3% ($53,286)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.7% ($65,543)
#16. Worcester County
- 29.8% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 7.8% ($22,244 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 30.8% ($30,672)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.6% ($39,987)
- Bachelor's degree: 18.7% ($50,292)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.1% ($68,711)
#15. Charles County
- 30.0% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 6.4% ($32,177 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 31.1% ($45,370)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.5% ($56,783)
- Bachelor's degree: 17.6% ($73,008)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.4% ($93,157)
#14. St. Mary's County
- 32.0% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 9.6% ($33,067 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 30.5% ($41,535)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.8% ($57,553)
- Bachelor's degree: 18.6% ($83,375)
- Graduate or professional degree: 13.5% ($99,630)
#13. Baltimore city
- 32.9% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 14.5% ($24,734 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.5% ($31,044)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 24.2% ($37,783)
- Bachelor's degree: 16.7% ($56,117)
- Graduate or professional degree: 16.1% ($69,823)
#12. Calvert County
- 34.2% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 5.7% ($41,689 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 29.1% ($50,292)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.0% ($55,074)
- Bachelor's degree: 18.7% ($86,152)
- Graduate or professional degree: 15.5% ($93,218)
#11. Prince George's County
- 34.4% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 12.8% ($30,710 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 25.3% ($37,794)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.5% ($47,622)
- Bachelor's degree: 19.2% ($63,208)
- Graduate or professional degree: 15.2% ($84,851)
#10. Kent County
- 36.3% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 10.7% ($33,813 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 31.2% ($34,382)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 21.8% ($40,772)
- Bachelor's degree: 21.1% ($56,651)
- Graduate or professional degree: 15.2% ($74,038)
#9. Queen Anne's County
- 36.5% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 6.8% ($27,736 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 29.0% ($43,227)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.7% ($48,293)
- Bachelor's degree: 21.5% ($66,182)
- Graduate or professional degree: 14.9% ($75,431)
#8. Harford County
- 36.9% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 6.9% ($29,409 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 26.0% ($40,274)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 30.2% ($50,856)
- Bachelor's degree: 21.4% ($73,498)
- Graduate or professional degree: 15.5% ($87,336)
#7. Carroll County
- 37.0% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 6.9% ($26,563 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.8% ($42,059)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.4% ($53,008)
- Bachelor's degree: 23.0% ($70,124)
- Graduate or professional degree: 13.9% ($81,977)
#6. Talbot County
- 39.7% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 8.8% ($32,813 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 23.1% ($32,047)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.3% ($39,728)
- Bachelor's degree: 21.2% ($50,625)
- Graduate or professional degree: 18.5% ($82,350)
#5. Baltimore County
- 39.8% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 8.4% ($28,376 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 25.2% ($38,182)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26.6% ($43,986)
- Bachelor's degree: 22.7% ($61,226)
- Graduate or professional degree: 17.0% ($79,680)
#4. Frederick County
- 41.7% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 7.4% ($33,647 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 23.8% ($41,035)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.1% ($50,637)
- Bachelor's degree: 23.2% ($71,741)
- Graduate or professional degree: 18.5% ($88,701)
#3. Anne Arundel County
- 43.0% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 6.8% ($30,994 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 22.7% ($41,463)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.5% ($51,914)
- Bachelor's degree: 24.7% ($71,898)
- Graduate or professional degree: 18.3% ($92,419)
#2. Montgomery County
- 59.2% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 8.6% ($27,411 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 13.4% ($32,976)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 18.7% ($42,252)
- Bachelor's degree: 27.3% ($66,364)
- Graduate or professional degree: 32.0% ($103,483)
#1. Howard County
- 62.7% of population 25 years and over with Bachelor's degree or higher
- Less than high school diploma: 4.5% ($31,592 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 13.3% ($40,028)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 19.5% ($48,552)
- Bachelor's degree: 30.4% ($76,792)
- Graduate or professional degree: 32.3% ($102,467)
