For most of us, learning and earning go hand-in-hand.

While it’s possible to make a respectable living without a degree, higher education generally leads to higher income — and a lower chance of being unemployed.

That’s true on both an individual and societal level. Here’s the situation in all 50 states, according to a recent WalletHub study that considers both the educational attainment of adults aged 25 or older and the quality of that education.

Our analysis also includes other data from 2019, such as detailed educational stats from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and student loan data from the Institute for College Access & Success. Information on the best schools comes from Forbes’ 2019 Top Colleges List.

Curious where your state fits in the rankings? We start with the most educated:

1. Massachusetts

Share of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 48%

Indisputably, Massachusetts is at the very top of the class.

The Bay State ranks first for both educational attainment and quality of education and also has the second-highest average university quality.

On top of that, Massachusetts has both the highest percentage of residents with bachelor’s degrees (but no graduate degree) and the highest percentage with graduate degrees in the country.

The state is home to Harvard, the top-ranked school in the U.S. according to Forbes, as well as MIT, the fourth most highly rated school.

2. Maryland

Share of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 42%

Claiming the No. 2 spot overall, Maryland ranks second for quality of education and third for educational attainment.

Maryland has the second-highest share of residents with a graduate degree in the country, and the third-highest share of residents with a bachelor’s degree (but not a graduate degree).

The Free State is home to Johns Hopkins University and the United States Naval Academy, both of which rank among the top 25 schools in the U.S.