Average Cost of College by State (2026 stats)
TL;DR
State-by-state comparison of college costs, showing regional variations in tuition and fees.
Key Facts
- Data analysis based on College Scorecard 2024 data.
Download the data
Downloads reflect the processed dataset used to generate this page’s charts and tables.
Top 10 States
State-Level Variation
Significant variation exists across states, with the highest state showing values 3.1x higher than the lowest. This reflects differences in state funding, cost of living, and institutional characteristics.
Top 10 states by average cost of college by state. Source: College Scorecard (2024 data).
What's Included in Average Cost
Understanding Average Cost
The average cost of college includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and other expenses. This represents the total cost of attendance (COA) that students can expect to pay.
Average cost represents the total cost of attendance (COA) as reported by institutions to the U.S. Department of Education. Source: College Scorecard (2024 data).
Data by State
| State | Median | Mean | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | $48,795 | $42,813.20 | 10 |
| Rhode Island | $39,847 | $35,266.29 | 14 |
| Massachusetts | $34,256 | $34,271.60 | 93 |
| Connecticut | $21,044 | $30,796.67 | 33 |
| Iowa | $20,270 | $23,679.94 | 49 |
| District of Columbia | $19,529.50 | $30,186.93 | 14 |
| Pennsylvania | $19,450 | $26,901.19 | 181 |
| Florida | $16,838.50 | $17,958.15 | 176 |
| Virginia | $16,364 | $18,326.33 | 107 |
| New Hampshire | $15,838 | $21,749.19 | 21 |
| Michigan | $15,221 | $18,072.92 | 96 |
| Ohio | $15,202.50 | $20,322.69 | 154 |
| Tennessee | $15,120 | $19,179.48 | 69 |
| Missouri | $14,822 | $17,760.83 | 81 |
| New York | $13,810 | $22,730.42 | 272 |
| Illinois | $13,248 | $18,678.33 | 131 |
| Maine | $12,983 | $22,741.39 | 28 |
| South Carolina | $12,978 | $16,648.95 | 63 |
| New Jersey | $12,950 | $17,583.04 | 84 |
| Oregon | $11,997 | $20,040.45 | 42 |
| Kentucky | $11,652 | $17,237.23 | 53 |
| Delaware | $11,650 | $10,663.12 | 8 |
| Maryland | $10,410 | $18,769.92 | 48 |
| Indiana | $10,090.50 | $18,827.35 | 92 |
| Alabama | $10,024 | $10,851.57 | 63 |
| Colorado | $9,958 | $14,381.77 | 43 |
| Texas | $9,939.50 | $14,417.71 | 184 |
| Nebraska | $9,903 | $16,941.42 | 31 |
| Wisconsin | $9,856 | $19,335.22 | 54 |
| Minnesota | $9,706 | $17,056.04 | 92 |
| Nevada | $9,663 | $11,421.50 | 12 |
| West Virginia | $9,574 | $12,343.47 | 36 |
| Kansas | $9,282 | $14,865.03 | 60 |
| Alaska | $9,198 | $10,914.38 | 8 |
| Louisiana | $9,181 | $13,534.42 | 48 |
| Idaho | $9,048 | $13,208.07 | 15 |
| South Dakota | $8,845 | $13,072.26 | 19 |
| Arizona | $8,773.50 | $11,116.20 | 54 |
| Utah | $8,658 | $12,585.90 | 21 |
| Puerto Rico | $8,562.50 | $8,562.86 | 104 |
| Georgia | $8,492 | $13,999.13 | 117 |
| Washington | $8,256 | $15,340.34 | 70 |
| California | $8,093 | $16,696.99 | 287 |
| Oklahoma | $7,921 | $13,066.50 | 42 |
| Arkansas | $7,334 | $10,338.47 | 51 |
| Hawaii | $7,107 | $11,136.06 | 16 |
| North Dakota | $7,053.50 | $9,244.50 | 20 |
| North Carolina | $6,906 | $14,116.43 | 133 |
| Montana | $4,961 | $9,308.33 | 24 |
| Mississippi | $4,806 | $9,100.19 | 37 |
| Wyoming | $4,706.50 | $4,995.38 | 8 |
| New Mexico | $2,289 | $5,529.43 | 30 |
FAQ
What does the Average Cost of College by State (2026 stats) dataset measure?
It summarizes the metrics shown on this page (charts and tables) using the sources listed in the Data Sources section, with national aggregates and breakdowns where available.
What is the primary data source?
College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education). Some pages also incorporate Census ACS context where noted.
How often is this page updated?
Pages update when the underlying processed datasets are refreshed and the HTML is regenerated; the Last updated date reflects the most recent build.
Analysis & insights
The charts summarize average cost of college by state (2026 stats) from EDsmart files and the cited sources; they describe historical records, not future outcomes. National aggregates flatten real variation—Ohio, Georgia, and Washington can look like different worlds. Skewed distributions split the median and the mean into different stories. Program, year, and campus still matter more than any single national line.
Patterns may line up with state policy, labor markets, or mission; association is easy to spot, causation is not. Populous states weigh heavily in national totals. Campus-level detail for a given year lives in the College Scorecard or IPEDS. Suppressed cells in federal releases can move medians in thin markets. Small changes between data refreshes are normal for living files.
Data Sources
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and enrollment data
- Data year: 2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Census ACS - U.S. Census Bureau
- Demographic and workforce data
- Data year: 2023
- Source: census.gov