Demographics

Alabama vs California: Bachelor's Degree

California has a higher college-educated share than Alabama.

Alabama flag
Alabama
AL · South
28.9%
Adults age 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher (ACS 2023).
California flag
California
CA · West
Winner
37.5%
Adults age 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher (ACS 2023).

Visual comparison

Alabama28.9%
California37.5%

Difference: 8.60 percentage points — California leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for bachelor's degree.

Alabama #43 · 28.9%
California #16 · 37.5%
Lowest Highest

Top 10 States — Bachelor's Degree

#1 Massachusetts flag Massachusetts
47.8%
#2 Colorado flag Colorado
46.4%
#3 New Jersey flag New Jersey
43.8%
#4 Maryland flag Maryland
43.7%
#5 Vermont flag Vermont
43.7%
#6 Connecticut flag Connecticut
42.9%
#7 Virginia flag Virginia
42.4%
#8 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
40.7%
#9 New York flag New York
40.6%
#10 Washington flag Washington
40.5%
Selected states
#43 Alabama flag Alabama
28.9%
#16 California flag California
37.5%

Alabama ranks 43rd and California ranks 16th nationally for bachelor's degree.

Related context

Education & Economic Outcomes

College attainment correlates strongly with income, employment, and economic mobility.

What this means

Alabama vs California: Bachelor's Degree in context

California's bachelor's degree is 37.5%, compared with 28.9% in Alabama, a gap of 29.8%. Adults age 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher (ACS 2023).

Alabama
28.9%
California
37.5%
Difference
8.60 percentage points

People also ask

Alabama vs California Bachelor's Degree — common questions

QWhat is Alabama's bachelor's degree?

Alabama's bachelor's degree is 28.9%.

QWhat is California's bachelor's degree?

California's bachelor's degree is 37.5%.

QWhich state has a higher bachelor's degree — Alabama or California?

California has a higher college-educated share than Alabama.

QHow much more bachelor's degree does California have compared to Alabama?

8.60 percentage points.

More comparisons: Alabama vs California

Grouped tabs keep the deep-dive links tighter and easier to scan.

Full comparison

Data source and freshness

Data period
ACS 2023 estimates
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
State values or ratios calculated from ACS fields.