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Degrees in the Statehouse

June 12, 2011
EdLeg dummy png

Details on each state ↓
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois
Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana
Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania
Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Degrees in the Statehouse

How educated are state legislators?

The Chronicle has looked at where each of the 7,000-plus state legislators in America went to college—or whether they went at all. In doing so, we got a glimpse of how the citizens who hold these seats reflect the average American experience.

Built by Josh Keller and Alex Richards / Produced by Xarissa Holdaway, Gabriela Montell, and Carmen Mendoza
About This Map

Education data were obtained from Project Vote Smart, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group. This information is primarily self-reported by the legislators, either through biographical surveys or in campaign literature. In some cases, ambiguity or a lack of information meant that degrees earned and colleges attended, if any, could not be determined. The state where this is most evident is New Hampshire. Because of its unusually large, part-time legislature, the educational attainments of an inordinate number of lawmakers are unknown.

MORE ON THE REPORT

How Educated Is Your Legislature?
A Chronicle examination of 7,000 state representatives finds that just three in four have completed college. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
Lawmakers Talk About Their Degrees – or the Lack of Them
One five-decade Iowa legislator and veteran makes higher education a priority, while a self-taught Utah senator thinks college is useless for some.
4 Experts Weigh In
How important is it for state legislators to hold college degrees?
How a Degree Influences Decision Making
More than a third of South Carolina’s state legislators went to the University of South Carolina, but that doesn’t seem to be helping its budget.

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Details on each state ↓
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois
Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana
Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania
Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Degrees in the Statehouse

How educated are state legislators?

The Chronicle has looked at where each of the 7,000-plus state legislators in America went to college—or whether they went at all. In doing so, we got a glimpse of how the citizens who hold these seats reflect the average American experience.

Built by Josh Keller and Alex Richards / Produced by Xarissa Holdaway, Gabriela Montell, and Carmen Mendoza
About This Map

Education data were obtained from Project Vote Smart, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group. This information is primarily self-reported by the legislators, either through biographical surveys or in campaign literature. In some cases, ambiguity or a lack of information meant that degrees earned and colleges attended, if any, could not be determined. The state where this is most evident is New Hampshire. Because of its unusually large, part-time legislature, the educational attainments of an inordinate number of lawmakers are unknown.

MORE ON THE REPORT

How Educated Is Your Legislature?
A Chronicle examination of 7,000 state representatives finds that just three in four have completed college. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
Lawmakers Talk About Their Degrees – or the Lack of Them
One five-decade Iowa legislator and veteran makes higher education a priority, while a self-taught Utah senator thinks college is useless for some.
4 Experts Weigh In
How important is it for state legislators to hold college degrees?
How a Degree Influences Decision Making
More than a third of South Carolina’s state legislators went to the University of South Carolina, but that doesn’t seem to be helping its budget.
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We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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