This Map Shows The Most Educated States In America

New data from comparison shopping platform FindTheBest shows the states with the highest percentage of college-educated residents. Unsurprisingly, the nation's capital ranked highest with approximately 50% of locals holding a four year degree.

As for an actual state, Massachusetts reigned supreme with close to 40% college grads -- no big surprise, considering it's home to a wealth of institutions, including Harvard, Tufts, Boston University, Boston College, UMass, and Northeastern. FindTheBest used data from the U.S. Census Bureau to compile its ranking.

Here are the top 5 states by % of residents holding a four-year degree:

1. Washington D.C. (50.5%)
2. Massachusetts (38.7%)
3. Colorado (36.3%)
4. Maryland (36.1%)
5. Connecticut (35.7%)

FindTheBest also provided us with a list of the five wealthiest states and - perhaps unsurprisingly again - four of the top five coincided with the education list, with New Jersey as the only outlier. The company compiled the data using its Neighborhoods comparison, which is also based on U.S. Census data.

The top 5 states with households earning over $150k:

1. Washington D.C. (20%)
2. Maryland (17%)
3. New Jersey (17%)
4. Connecticut (16%)
5. Massachusetts (15%)

As you can see, the wealth map is similar to the education map: