The states home to colleges with the highest-earning graduates revealed
Massachusetts is the state with the highest-earning college graduates, who average an annual salary of $59,862 just 4 years after leaving college.
Connecticut and New Jersey also ranked high on the list, with average earnings of $59,356 and $58,904, respectively.
Dartmouth College was the only Ivy League school to rank as the institution with the highest-earning graduates in any state.
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Although college generally remains a good investment, there is a significant geographic disparity when it comes to what states offer the most lucrative degrees. Graduates of universities in the Northeast and West go on to earn higher salaries after leaving school than other parts of the country.
Our research shows that Massachusetts is the state with the colleges whose graduates earn the most, according to College Scorecard data.
College Scorecard is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education that compiles reliable data on colleges and universities, allowing users to search and compare colleges based on various indicators like costs and earnings.
States by earnings of college graduates
To ascertain what states are home to the colleges with the highest earning graduates, we analyzed the latest College Scorecard data on the median earnings of degree holders who received at least $1 in financial aid (this covers about 85% of all students) and who were working and not enrolled 4 years after completing their degree in 2022.
We gathered data on over 5,500 institutions that primarily confer 4-year degrees. Then, we aggregated the data by state, also retrieving the institution whose graduates earn the most, 4 years after getting their degree.
Note that this article is based on aggregated data from individual colleges and universities. Graduates do not always stay in the state where they got their degree. Thus, this article does not comprise a list of states with the highest earnings for all degree holders.
While our analysis was limited to institutions that primarily grant bachelor’s degrees, data was not disaggregated by degree level.
» Also read: Student loan debt by state
The states whose colleges had the highest-earning graduates working and not enrolled, 4 years on
| State | Average earnings |
|---|---|
| 1. Massachusetts | $59,862 |
| 2. Connecticut | $59,356 |
| 3. New Jersey | $58,904 |
| 4. California | $58,441 |
| 5. Nevada | $58,376 |
| 6. Maryland | $57,844 |
| 7. Rhode Island | $57,255 |
| 8. New Hampshire | $55,482 |
| 9. Washington | $55,125 |
| 10. Delaware | $54,810 |
Source: College Scorecard
1. Massachusetts
Massachusetts topped our study. Graduates of its colleges have the highest average earnings of any state in the country. Students who studied at Massachusetts institutions averaged an annual salary of $59,862 just 4 years after leaving college. Those previously enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were the biggest earners in the state, securing a huge average annual salary of $129,392.
2. Connecticut
Connecticut fell just short of Massachusetts in the study, with the second highest-earning graduates. 4 years after completing their degree, graduates of Connecticut colleges earned an average salary of $59,356. The American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Science produced the most well-paid graduates in the state, with alumni averaging $91,818, over $30,000 more than the average state-wide salary of college graduates.
3. New Jersey
New Jersey is one of 5 Northeastern states to be named among the top 10 states with the highest-earning college graduates. With an average of $58,904, graduates who studied at New Jersey colleges are the third highest earning in the entire country. Private institution the Stevens Institute of Technology was home to the state’s wealthiest alumni 4 years after graduation. They were earning an average salary of $94,319.
4. California
California claimed the fourth spot on our study of the states with the highest-earning college graduates. According to College Scorecard data, people who graduated from a California institution earned an average salary of $58,441 just 4 years later. Graduates from the California Institute of Technology have the highest median salary of any college alumni in the entire state and across the entire country. 4 years after completing their degree, Caltech graduates earn an estimated $139,418.
5. Nevada
Nevada filled out the top 5 states with the highest-earning college graduates. Students who had finished at a Nevada college 4 years ago took home an average yearly income of $58,376, higher than any state in the West other than California. The Roseman University of Health Sciences is the college with the highest earners in the state. Graduates from Roseman take home around $90,036 per annum 4 years on from finishing their college course.
See the best-value colleges in Nevada
6. Maryland
Maryland is the state with the sixth highest-earning college graduates. Graduates who studied in the state rank among the highest average earners in the country, securing an annual salary of $57,844 four years after completing their studies. The state’s highest-earning graduates were found at Capitol Technology University. People who studied at Capitol Tech had an average annual salary of $101,939, close to double the average graduate salary in the state.
See the best-value colleges in Maryland
7. Rhode Island
Rhode Island is home to the seventh highest-earning graduates in America. People who graduated from Rhode Island institutions pocketed an average annual salary of $57,255 only 4 years after leaving college. Despite having an Ivy League college in Brown University, Bryant University produces the highest-earning graduates in the state, with alumni earning $74,390 on average.
8. New Hampshire
New Hampshire is also where some of America’s highest-earning graduates can be found. Those studying in New Hampshire earn an estimated $55,482 four years after graduating, helping secure its position as the state with the eighth highest earning graduates. Esteemed Ivy League institution Dartmouth College produces the highest-earning graduates in the state, with graduates reaching $90,893 annually just a few years after completing their degrees. Dartmouth was the only Ivy League college to rank top in any state.
9. Washington
College graduates in Washington earned average annual salaries of $55,125 just 4 years after graduation. The Evergreen State is known for its tech scene, and fittingly, the university with the highest-paid grads was DigiPen Institute of Technology, whose alumni earn an average of $77,998.
10. Delaware
Rounding out our list, Delaware college grads earn an average of $54,810 only 4 years after leaving school. The University of Delaware, the state’s flagship public institution, was the university with the highest-paid alumni, at $65,354 per annum.
See the best-value colleges in Delaware
States whose colleges have the lowest-earning graduates
The states with the lowest earning college graduates, 4 years after finishing their degrees, were New Mexico ($42,414 per annum on average), Mississippi ($42,868), and Arkansas ($43,478). Data is for individuals who are employed and not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program, who received at least $1 in financial aid. We analyzed colleges that primarily grant 4-year degrees.
| State | Average earnings |
|---|---|
| 50. New Mexico | $42,414 |
| 49. Mississippi | $42,868 |
| 48. Arkansas | $43,478 |
| 47. South Carolina | $44,054 |
| 46. Kentucky | $44,639 |
| 45. Idaho | $45,019 |
| 44. North Carolina | $45,893 |
| 43. Vermont | $46,186 |
| 42. West Virginia | $46,430 |
| 41. Kansas | $47,354 |
Source: College Scorecard
Analysis
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Northeast seems to produce more higher-earning graduates than any other region of America. With a number of quality educational opportunities and a high cost of living compared to the South and Midwest, it remains to be seen whether these institutions retain their popularity over the next few years or if college prospects opt for more affordable regions of America.
With the acceptance rate of elite colleges hitting historic lows and college applications reaching new heights, it will be interesting to see which colleges produce the top earners in the next few years.
With only one Ivy League college (Dartmouth) producing the top earners in any state, it will be fascinating to keep an eye out and see if these emerging higher education trends propel any of these historic institutions to the very top of the study.
Final thoughts: keeping colleges accountable
Given the long-term financial burden of student loans, it is crucial for students to consider the economic outcomes of a college degree, no matter what state they study in. In turn, to help students succeed, institutions of higher learning must be transparent about their post-graduation economic outcomes.
The Department of Education’s College Scorecard is one way the federal government is keeping colleges accountable. It is also an excellent resource for students to make informed decisions about higher education.
At Degreechoices, we use data from College Scorecard, as well as other government sources like IPEDS and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to rank colleges based on outcome-driven factors, namely return on educational investment. Our methodology seeks to ensure our rankings are as transparent and objective as possible.
See our rankings of the best national universities, by value for money.
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