5. The Most and Least Educated States in America
Massachusetts – home to Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and several other top-tier universities – is the most educated state in the US, according to a new study.
In its 2024 Most & Least Educated States in America, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 18 key indicators of a well-educated population: educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races.
Massachusetts has the highest share of bachelor’s degree holders aged 25 and older, which is two times higher than in West Virginia, the state with the lowest.
States with the highest percentage of high-school diploma holders include Montana, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Wyoming. States with the lowest percentage of high-school diploma holders include Nevada, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and California.
You can dive deeper into all the data here.
4. College Majors with the Most Depressed Students
Business may rank among the most popular undergraduate majors, but that doesn’t mean it brings happiness to students. According to Newsweek, business clocks in at No. 5 for the highest rates of depression among students in a survey conducted by Degreechoices.
In 2019, Newsweek shared that nearly a third or 29.5% of business students were struggling with depression. Fast forward, and the numbers have gone up some. A good 32.6% of business majors said the same in 2024.
What’s happening here? It’s no secret that mental health among young people in the U.S. is subpar. According to Inside Higher Ed, two in five students reported that their mental health is affecting their ability to focus and perform academically. Experts are saying this could be due to the instability of the economy.
3. Ranking Analysis
Surprising none of our dedicated readers, but three of our most clicked stories of 2024 all deal with college rankings. While rankings are both loved and hated by college administrators, they can be a valuable tool for prospective students weighing the pros and cons on their school wish lists – if they actually measure data points that matter.
No wonder, then, that our analysis of Wall Street Journal’s 2025 Best Colleges in America racked up 128,902 views to date, while Forbes’ annual university ranking has 63,852 views. U.S. News’ Best Undergraduate Business Programs of 2025, meanwhile, has more than 11,000 in three months.
WSJ’s ranking with College Pulse evaluated more than 400 U.S. private and public universities on student outcomes (70% weight), learning environment (20%) and diversity (10%).
To compile its ranking, Forbes starts with a list of U.S. colleges based on the Carnegie Classification which categorizes institutions by degree offerings, research output, and specialty focus. This list included doctoral research universities, master’s universities and colleges, baccalaureate colleges, and colleges with specialized programs in engineering, business, and art. It uses the following metrics to calculate its list: Alumni Salary (20%), Debt (15%), Graduation Rate (15%), Forbes American Leaders List (15%), Return On Investment (15%), Retention Rate (10%), and Academic Success (10%).
U.S. News’ ranking of undergraduate business schools is based solely on its survey of deans and senior faculty of AACSB accredited business programs. Its list, then, is more like a popularity contest, based solely on school brand and reputation. It also creates a lot of ties because there are only 5 points on the scale and so it is difficult to create distance between programs.
