It’s the tale of two ZIP codes.
Just 1% of adults in Green Bay, Wis.,hold a college degree — making it the least educated ZIP code in the entire country, according to new US Census Bureau data that lays bare a stunning educational divide across America.
At the other end of the spectrum, a swanky Boston neighborhood in the heart of the Seaport District, where the average home goes for a cool $1.3 million, leads the nation with 95.7% of adults holding college degrees.
The findings come from American Community Survey estimates analyzed by UnitedStatesZipCodes.org, based on Census data collected between 2020 and 2024 and released in 2026. The survey examined the top 50 most educated and 50 least educated of the nation’s 41,552 active ZIP codes.
Short Hills, NJ (07078) — another moneyed area — ranks second at 93.5% of adults 25 and older holding a college degree, while the wealthy Chicago suburb of Kenilworth, Ill. (60043), lands third at 93.3%.
NYC suburbs flexed serious academic muscle. Irvington, in opulent Westchester County (10533), ranked 14th nationally with 90% of adults holding college degrees, while Jersey City’s ZIP code 07310 cracked the top 25 at 89.5%.
Newport Coast, Calif., (92657) boasts 87.8%, good for No. 50 in the country.
Sheepskins were much rarer in Green Bay’s ZIP code 54307, which ranked dead last nationally with just 1% of residents 25 and older holding a college degree. Kincheloe, Mich. (49784) followed at 2%, while Brickeys, Ark. (72320) rounded out the bottom three at 3%.
And experts say the diploma boom is only growing.
“Over the last five years, we’ve noticed a significant increase in the percentage of adults completing higher education,” said Erik Hernandez, a Census Bureau statistician.
“Approximately 89% of metro areas experienced an increase in the percentage of population 25 years and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher when compared to the 2015-2019 period.”
The stats sound terrific, but an increasing number of Gen Z college grads are realizing their degrees are worth zilch on the job market with the introduction of AI. Four years of classes, thousands of dollars in tuition and one freshly minted diploma — all to be outdone by a chatbot.
In fact, a 2024 Pew study found that only 22% of US adults believe a four-year degree is worth the price tag if you have to take out loans.
Trade schools, community colleges and certification programs, as well as apprenticeships and on-the-job training, are far better and more practical options for many young Americans.
In New York State, 49.6% of adults 25 and older have a four-year degree or higher. After Irvington, an upscale pocket of the Upper East Side (10065) posted an 87.3% rate, while nearby Lenox Hill’s 10075 trailed slightly at 87%.
Brooklyn neighborhoods also landed in the academic winner’s circle, with Park Slope’s 11215 taking the No. 20 spot and Brooklyn Heights’ 11201 arriving at No. 28.
At the other end of New York State’s rankings, Ray Brook (12977), near Lake Placid in Essex County, posted just 2.8% of adults age 25 and older with a college degree.
