
Counties with the most college graduates in West Virginia
Counties with the most college graduates in West Virginia
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 West Virginia 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. Wayne County
- Less than high school diploma: 20.2% ($17,005 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 40.6% ($30,751)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 24.1% ($31,721)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.7% ($41,534)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.4% ($56,599)
#29. Monroe County
- Less than high school diploma: 15.4% ($25,000 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 49.4% ($32,575)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 19.8% ($24,700)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.8% ($37,111)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.6% ($29,432)
#28. Mineral County
- Less than high school diploma: 7.8% ($29,123 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 49.2% ($29,117)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.5% ($31,707)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.4% ($51,232)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.1% ($55,036)
#27. Nicholas County
- Less than high school diploma: 13.1% ($15,066 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 48% ($28,356)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 23.2% ($26,913)
- Bachelor's degree: 9% ($41,408)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.7% ($44,515)
#26. Barbour County
- Less than high school diploma: 14.7% ($21,350 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 47.3% ($26,864)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 22.4% ($25,494)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.7% ($39,306)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.9% ($49,342)
#25. Preston County
- Less than high school diploma: 13.2% ($24,256 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 47.2% ($27,545)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 22.7% ($31,184)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.7% ($51,421)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.2% ($53,795)
#24. Upshur County
- Less than high school diploma: 14.6% ($29,974 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 49% ($26,292)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 19.6% ($30,032)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.6% ($41,776)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.3% ($52,051)
#23. Morgan County
- Less than high school diploma: 14.1% ($25,670 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 40.4% ($29,221)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.5% ($35,838)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.6% ($47,071)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.3% ($40,833)
#22. Gilmer County
- Less than high school diploma: 14.9%
- High school graduate: 44.7% ($30,713)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 23.4% ($22,957)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.2% ($22,500)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.8% ($41,806)
#21. Doddridge County
- Less than high school diploma: 17.9% ($28,750 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 43.7% ($34,583)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 21.2% ($21,768)
- Bachelor's degree: 13% ($32,005)
- Graduate or professional degree: 4.1%
#20. Taylor County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.7% ($16,682 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 47.2% ($30,662)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 24.8% ($33,559)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.3% ($49,071)
- Graduate or professional degree: 5% ($46,821)
#19. Randolph County
- Less than high school diploma: 14.5% ($20,811 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 48.5% ($27,631)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 19.7% ($29,550)
- Bachelor's degree: 10% ($41,619)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.3% ($54,615)
#18. Hancock County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.6% ($21,291 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 41.9% ($26,367)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.1% ($32,192)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.9% ($39,551)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.5% ($56,357)
#17. Jackson County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.7%
- High school graduate: 44.1% ($30,973)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26.9% ($35,080)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.9% ($41,635)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.4% ($55,280)
#16. Marshall County
- Less than high school diploma: 7.7% ($21,122 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 44.5% ($31,771)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.7% ($33,223)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.6% ($40,207)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.4% ($47,212)
#15. Raleigh County
- Less than high school diploma: 13.4% ($23,342 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 40% ($26,436)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.1% ($31,156)
- Bachelor's degree: 11.5% ($41,286)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7% ($52,619)
#14. Brooke County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.4% ($28,333 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 40.9% ($31,016)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 30.7% ($33,950)
- Bachelor's degree: 11.9% ($44,505)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.1% ($54,059)
#13. Tucker County
- Less than high school diploma: 12.2% ($22,442 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 46.8% ($27,664)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 21.6% ($31,786)
- Bachelor's degree: 11.5% ($37,697)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.9% ($27,050)
#12. Mercer County
- Less than high school diploma: 16.5% ($20,788 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 39.5% ($29,067)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 24.6% ($25,803)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.7% ($38,187)
- Graduate or professional degree: 6.7% ($51,510)
#11. Greenbrier County
- Less than high school diploma: 14% ($16,962 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.8% ($24,359)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.3% ($29,383)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.7% ($32,971)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.2% ($49,797)
#10. Berkeley County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.9% ($25,051 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.6% ($33,607)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 30.2% ($41,958)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.6% ($51,798)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.7% ($58,275)
#9. Wood County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.1% ($18,429 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 34.4% ($26,796)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 33.6% ($30,290)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.6% ($43,629)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8.3% ($55,885)
#8. Marion County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.5% ($18,739 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 40.7% ($27,897)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26.2% ($34,865)
- Bachelor's degree: 14.6% ($45,771)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8% ($58,149)
#7. Harrison County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.2% ($22,256 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 38.6% ($30,519)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26.9% ($37,014)
- Bachelor's degree: 14.3% ($51,811)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8.9% ($56,231)

#6. Kanawha County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.3% ($20,293 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 37.1% ($27,403)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26.1% ($32,007)
- Bachelor's degree: 14.9% ($46,351)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10.6% ($63,539)

#5. Cabell County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.9% ($15,620 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 33.3% ($28,165)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.7% ($30,366)
- Bachelor's degree: 15.1% ($44,600)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10.9% ($56,630)
#4. Putnam County
- Less than high school diploma: 8.3% ($21,283 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 36.5% ($31,709)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.3% ($41,985)
- Bachelor's degree: 15.7% ($57,913)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10.4% ($73,878)
#3. Jefferson County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.2% ($26,834 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 31% ($34,866)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.1% ($45,152)
- Bachelor's degree: 19% ($63,562)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.8% ($75,987)

#2. Ohio County
- Less than high school diploma: 6.6% ($16,955 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 34.2% ($27,681)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.3% ($33,308)
- Bachelor's degree: 19.4% ($46,250)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.6% ($57,168)
#1. Monongalia County
- Less than high school diploma: 7.6% ($20,848 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 27.2% ($29,010)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 22.3% ($31,072)
- Bachelor's degree: 21% ($45,014)
- Graduate or professional degree: 21.8% ($61,530)