Adult Literacy Rates by State, PIAAC Scores 2012 to 2017

Key points

• New Hampshire has the highest average adult literacy score, 278.9, with Minnesota a very close second at 278.8.
• Alaska, Washington, DC and Vermont follow, all at 276.7.
• New Mexico and Louisiana have the lowest scores, 251.5 each, followed by Mississippi at 251.7.
• The scores cover working-age adults aged 16 to 65 and combine PIAAC survey results from 2012, 2014 and 2017. USAFacts gives the national average as 263.5 [1].
• Every state falls in the PIAAC Level 2 range (226 to below 276) or, for four states and DC, just above it in Level 3. No state averages below 251 [2].

Adult literacy rates by state, in text

Title: Which states have the highest (and lowest) adult literacy rates? Subtitle: Average literacy score by state, working-age adults ages 16 to 65, 2012 to 2017. The map shades each state from light pink to dark purple using seven bands: below 226 (at-risk), 226 to 236, 236 to 246, 246 to 256, 256 to 266, 266 to 276, and 276 or above (proficient). A side panel lists the top 10 and bottom 10.

Note printed on the graphic: Data reflects literacy rates using PIAAC survey data from 2012/2014/2017 and auxiliary data from the American Community Survey (2013 to 2017). Source: National Center for Education Statistics. Logo: USAFacts.

All 50 states and DC as printed, sorted from highest to lowest:

What the scores measure

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) tests literacy, numeracy and problem solving in adults aged 16 to 65 [1]. It defines literacy as “understanding, evaluating, using and engaging with written text to participate in the society, to achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and potential”, and all US results are for English literacy [1].

Scores run from 0 to 500 and are grouped into levels. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sets Below Level 1 at 0 to 175 points, Level 1 at 176 to 225 and Level 3 at 276 to 325 [2]. Adults at Level 3 can, in the NCES description, construct meaning across larger chunks of text or perform multi-step operations to find and formulate responses [2]. NCES reports Level 2 as 226 to below 276 [3]. So the map’s “proficient” band at 276 matches the start of Level 3, and its “at-risk” band below 226 matches Level 1 or below.

The survey sample is too small to give direct results for every state. NCES therefore produced state and county estimates by combining the survey with American Community Survey data, and publishes them in its interactive U.S. Skills Map [1] [4].

Newer national results

The state map uses 2012 to 2017 data, and USAFacts says these are still the most recent state figures [1]. National results from the 2023 round are lower. NCES reports that average scores for US adults fell in literacy and numeracy between 2017 and 2023, and that the share at the lowest literacy level (Level 1 or below) rose from 19% to 28% [3]. USAFacts describes this as a 13-point drop in the average literacy score and the first statistically significant decline since data collection began in 2012 [1]. NCES cautions that comparisons need care because the 2023 test was given entirely on a tablet [3].

Notes on this infographic

• Scores, not rates. Despite the title, the map shows average scores, not the percentage of adults who can read.
• DC in the top 10. The “Top 10” list includes Washington, DC, which is not a state, so it shows nine states.
• Shared band edges. The legend bands share end points (for example 266 appears in two bands), so a state at exactly a boundary value could be shaded either way. Missouri and Rhode Island, both 266.0, sit on one.
• Estimates. State figures are model-based estimates from a survey, so small differences between neighbouring states may not be meaningful.

Questions about adult literacy by US state

Which state has the highest adult literacy rate?

New Hampshire has the highest average adult literacy score, 278.9, with Minnesota a very close second at 278.8. Alaska, Washington, DC and Vermont follow at 276.7 each. These are average PIAAC scores on a 0 to 500 scale for adults aged 16 to 65, combining survey results from 2012, 2014 and 2017, not the percentage of adults who can read.

Which state has the lowest adult literacy rate?

New Mexico and Louisiana share the lowest average adult literacy score, 251.5, followed by Mississippi at 251.7 and Texas at 253.6. USAFacts gives the national average as 263.5 [1]. The state figures are model-based estimates that combine PIAAC survey data with American Community Survey data, so small differences between neighbouring states may not be meaningful [1] [4].

What do PIAAC literacy levels mean?

PIAAC scores run from 0 to 500 and are grouped into levels. NCES sets Below Level 1 at 0 to 175 points, Level 1 at 176 to 225 and Level 3 at 276 to 325 [2], with Level 2 at 226 to below 276 [3]. Every state falls in Level 2 or, for four states and DC, just above it in Level 3, which the map labels proficient.

Did adult literacy in the US fall between 2017 and 2023?

Yes, NCES reports that average literacy scores for US adults fell between 2017 and 2023, and the share at Level 1 or below rose from 19% to 28% [3]. USAFacts describes this as a 13-point drop and the first statistically significant decline since data collection began in 2012 [1]. NCES cautions that comparisons need care because the 2023 test was given entirely on a tablet [3].

Sources

1. USAFacts, Which states have the highest and lowest adult literacy rates?, updated 10 July 2025. The creator’s article for this map.
2. National Center for Education Statistics, PIAAC proficiency levels for literacy.
3. National Center for Education Statistics, Highlights of the 2023 U.S. PIAAC Results.
4. National Center for Education Statistics, PIAAC U.S. Skills Map, state and county indicators.

Last reviewed 30 October 2026