Special Report
This Is the Least Educated ZIP Code in Alaska
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The average cost of a college education in the United States is $35,720 a year — three times higher than it was two decades ago. While rising tuition costs are discouraging many Americans from enrolling, a college education is an investment that can increase access to career opportunities, improve job security, and increase earning potential.
Nationwide, an estimated 32.1% of American adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Educational attainment rates vary considerably across the country, however, and in every state, there is at least one ZIP code where the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree is well below the national average.
In Alaska’s 99926 ZIP code, located in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, only 10.4% of the adult population have a bachelor’s degree, the smallest share of any ZIP code in the state. Meanwhile, across Alaska, 29.6% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
The average weekly wage for a college-educated worker in the United States is about 67% higher than it is for those with no more than a high school diploma — and in places with lower educational attainment, incomes also tend to be lower than average. In the 99926 ZIP code, the typical household earns just $56,188 per year, less than the median household income across Alaska of $77,640.
All data in this story are five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. We considered all ZIP codes with available data for which the margin of error was within an acceptable threshold.
| Least educated ZIP | Adults with a bachelor’s degree (%) | Adults with a bachelor’s degree, statewide (%) | Median household income ($) | Median household income, statewide ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama: ZIP 36048 | 5.3 | 25.5 | 31,250 | 50,536 |
| Alaska: ZIP 99926 | 10.4 | 29.6 | 56,188 | 77,640 |
| Arizona: ZIP 86020 | 2.9 | 29.5 | 33,958 | 58,945 |
| Arkansas: ZIP 71644 | 2.2 | 23.0 | 32,723 | 47,597 |
| California: ZIP 92233 | 1.6 | 33.9 | 37,009 | 75,235 |
| Colorado: ZIP 80828 | 8.6 | 40.9 | 48,219 | 72,331 |
| Connecticut: ZIP 06608 | 6.8 | 39.3 | 34,743 | 78,444 |
| Delaware: ZIP 19941 | 8.3 | 32.0 | 55,547 | 68,287 |
| Florida: ZIP 32445 | 4.9 | 29.9 | 34,638 | 55,660 |
| Georgia: ZIP 30428 | 3.1 | 31.3 | 32,409 | 58,700 |
| Hawaii: ZIP 96783 | 13.4 | 33.0 | 42,375 | 81,275 |
| Idaho: ZIP 83849 | 6.4 | 27.6 | 43,548 | 55,785 |
| Illinois: ZIP 62846 | 2.4 | 34.7 | 37,321 | 65,886 |
| Indiana: ZIP 46571 | 4.5 | 26.5 | 69,896 | 56,303 |
| Iowa: ZIP 51105 | 8.3 | 28.6 | 48,250 | 60,523 |
| Kansas: ZIP 66607 | 4.5 | 33.4 | 33,610 | 59,597 |
| Kentucky: ZIP 40828 | 5.8 | 24.2 | 27,468 | 50,589 |
| Louisiana: ZIP 71327 | 4.3 | 24.1 | 48,047 | 49,469 |
| Maine: ZIP 04289 | 8.5 | 31.8 | 46,196 | 57,918 |
| Maryland: ZIP 21746 | 4.9 | 40.2 | N/A | 84,805 |
| Massachusetts: ZIP 01841 | 8.1 | 43.7 | 43,411 | 81,215 |
| Michigan: ZIP 48210 | 5.1 | 29.1 | 30,142 | 57,144 |
| Minnesota: ZIP 56446 | 8.4 | 36.1 | 45,121 | 71,306 |
| Mississippi: ZIP 38963 | 4.2 | 22.0 | 41,250 | 45,081 |
| Missouri: ZIP 63660 | 4.3 | 29.2 | 41,068 | 55,461 |
| Montana: ZIP 59022 | 10.0 | 32.0 | 39,886 | 54,970 |
| Nebraska: ZIP 68107 | 8.8 | 31.9 | 43,754 | 61,439 |
| Nevada: ZIP 89030 | 4.0 | 24.7 | 36,275 | 60,365 |
| New Hampshire: ZIP 03582 | 8.8 | 37.0 | 45,492 | 76,768 |
| New Jersey: ZIP 08314 | 4.2 | 39.7 | 78,796 | 82,545 |
| New Mexico: ZIP 87305 | 2.3 | 27.3 | 24,447 | 49,754 |
| New York: ZIP 12929 | 3.6 | 36.6 | 51,429 | 68,486 |
| North Carolina: ZIP 28347 | 3.1 | 31.3 | 29,722 | 54,602 |
| North Dakota: ZIP 58852 | 12.2 | 30.0 | 88,194 | 64,894 |
| Ohio: ZIP 44902 | 3.4 | 28.3 | 27,815 | 56,602 |
| Oklahoma: ZIP 74829 | 4.3 | 25.5 | 27,969 | 52,919 |
| Oregon: ZIP 97844 | 6.1 | 33.7 | 62,167 | 62,818 |
| Pennsylvania: ZIP 15510 | 4.9 | 31.4 | N/A | 61,744 |
| Rhode Island: ZIP 02863 | 8.1 | 34.2 | 32,928 | 67,167 |
| South Carolina: ZIP 29570 | 5.0 | 28.1 | 28,917 | 53,199 |
| South Dakota: ZIP 57770 | 8.8 | 28.8 | 43,333 | 58,275 |
| Tennessee: ZIP 37755 | 4.2 | 27.3 | 34,063 | 53,320 |
| Texas: ZIP 77093 | 3.0 | 29.9 | 31,301 | 61,874 |
| Utah: ZIP 84534 | 7.5 | 34.0 | 31,597 | 71,621 |
| Vermont: ZIP 05459 | 10.3 | 38.0 | 52,731 | 61,973 |
| Virginia: ZIP 24430 | 2.9 | 38.8 | 31,250 | 74,222 |
| Washington: ZIP 99173 | 4.2 | 36.0 | 34,889 | 73,775 |
| West Virginia: ZIP 26386 | 7.0 | 20.6 | 50,161 | 46,711 |
| Wisconsin: ZIP 53936 | 4.7 | 30.1 | 41,875 | 61,747 |
| Wyoming: ZIP 82716 | 11.8 | 27.4 | 75,468 | 64,049 |
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