What does this public colleges ranking show?

It orders states by Share of local colleges that are public. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

IPEDS supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Rankings · Schools

Highest public colleges by state

Share of local colleges that are public.

This measure has no better end. The order describes the states, it does not rank them — see the other direction.

Public institutions as a share of those in the county, the rest being private non-profit and for-profit. It matters mostly for price: in-state tuition exists only at public institutions. Shown only where the county has at least one college, since a share of nothing is not zero percent.

How to read this ranking

Wyoming has the highest published public colleges in this comparison, at 88.9%. The next states shown are New Mexico (77.8%) and Montana (75.0%).

The table orders 51 states by share of local colleges that are public. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. Public institutions as a share of those in the county, the rest being private non-profit and for-profit. It matters mostly for price: in-state tuition exists only at public institutions. Shown only where the county has at least one college, since a share of nothing is not zero percent.

1Wyoming88.9%
2New Mexico77.8%
3Montana75.0%
4Mississippi67.6%
5North Dakota66.7%
6Arkansas65.5%
7Oklahoma64.4%
8Alabama62.3%
9Maryland59.3%
10Delaware57.1%
11New Hampshire56.0%
12Washington56.0%
13North Carolina54.3%
14South Dakota54.2%
15Kansas53.2%
16Louisiana53.2%
17Hawaii52.4%
18West Virginia52.0%
19Alaska50.0%
20Colorado50.0%
21Maine50.0%
22Minnesota50.0%
23South Carolina50.0%
24Michigan47.4%
25Wisconsin46.5%
26Tennessee46.2%
27Georgia45.5%
28Idaho44.4%
29Texas42.5%
30Nebraska41.5%
31Kentucky41.0%
32Oregon40.0%
33Illinois38.5%
34Arizona38.4%
35California37.2%
36Connecticut36.4%
37Nevada36.4%
38Virginia36.4%
39Ohio33.0%
40Florida31.8%
41New Jersey31.7%
42Utah30.8%
43Missouri29.9%
44Iowa29.7%
45Vermont28.6%
46Massachusetts28.4%
47Pennsylvania26.7%
48New York26.5%
49Indiana22.5%
50Rhode Island18.8%
51District of Columbia4.8%

Related schools rankings

Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Share of local colleges that are public. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: IPEDS. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

Put this map on your own site

Free to use. The chart names its source and links back, so it stays honest wherever it ends up.

<iframe src="https://movermath.com/embed/public-colleges" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Share of local colleges that are public by state"></iframe>

Source: IPEDS. · How this is built

Loading MoverMath…