College Graduation Rate Comparison
Education

California vs Colorado: College Graduation Rate

California has a higher 4-year college graduation rate than Colorado.

California flag
California
CA • West
Winner
60.2%
4-year college graduation rate (%).
Colorado flag
Colorado
CO • West
46.6%
4-year college graduation rate (%).

Visual Comparison

California 60.2%
Colorado 46.6%

Difference: 13.58 percentage points — California leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for college graduation rate.

California #6 · 60.2%
Colorado #36 · 46.6%
Lowest Highest

Top 10 States — College Graduation Rate

#1 Rhode Island flag Rhode Island
73.3%
#2 Massachusetts flag Massachusetts
66.7%
#3 Vermont flag Vermont
63.6%
#4 Connecticut flag Connecticut
63.6%
#5 Iowa flag Iowa
63.1%
#6 California flag California
60.2%
#7 Minnesota flag Minnesota
59.8%
#8 Virginia flag Virginia
58.6%
#9 Pennsylvania flag Pennsylvania
58.5%
#10 Maine flag Maine
57.7%
Selected states
#36 Colorado flag Colorado
46.6%

California ranks 6th and Colorado ranks 36th nationally for college graduation rate.

What This Means

California vs Colorado: College Graduation Rate in context

California has a college graduation rate of 60.2%, compared with 46.6% in Colorado, a gap of 29.1%. 4-year college graduation rate (%).

California
60.2%
Colorado
46.6%
Difference
13.58 percentage points

People Also Ask

California vs Colorado College Graduation Rate — Common Questions

Q What is California's college graduation rate?

California's college graduation rate is 60.2%.

Q What is Colorado's college graduation rate?

Colorado's college graduation rate is 46.6%.

Q Which state has a higher college graduation rate — California or Colorado?

California has a higher 4-year college graduation rate than Colorado.

Q How much more college graduation rate does California have compared to Colorado?

13.58 percentage points.

More Comparisons: California vs Colorado

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

K-12 Education Rank High School Graduation Rate Student-Teacher Ratio School Spending Teacher Salary Public School Ranking Student Loan Debt
Full Comparison

Explore Each State

California flag California Symbols Colorado flag Colorado Symbols Compare Other States

Sources: Core demographic data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census, with land area from U.S. Census Bureau TIGER files. Income, housing, affordability, and tax fields are maintained in our comparison dataset; purchasing-power figures use BEA Regional Price Parities. Minimum wage data comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, gas prices from AAA, and electricity rates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Political control and election fields use 2024 presidential results together with National Conference of State Legislatures data. Gun-law labels use the Giffords scorecard, alcohol system data comes from NABCA, and marijuana status uses NCSL's state cannabis laws tracker.