Rhode Island is the state where college costs the most relative to income, and Utah is the state where it costs the least, according to a Nov. 12 report from WalletHub.
The personal finance company analyzed the cost of attendance for full-time, in-state undergraduate students living on campus in 48 states, including tuition, room and board, and other college expenses. It then compared those costs with each state’s median household income. Alaska and Wyoming were excluded due to data limitations.
In Rhode Island, a year of college costs an average of $79,194, or about 90% of the state’s median household income, according to the report.
Here are the 10 states where college costs the most and least, by cost as a share of median household income:
10 states where college costs the most
1. Rhode Island: 90.2%
2. Maine: 80.19%
3. Pennsylvania: 73.74%
4. New York: 71.57%
5. Connecticut: 69.64%
6. Massachusetts: 65.78%
7. Vermont: 65.11%
8. Illinois: 62.17%
9. Ohio: 58.71%
10. Missouri: 57.35%
10 states where college costs the least
1. Utah: 27.58%
2. Hawaii: 35.87%
3. Nevada: 35.88%
4. South Dakota: 36.66%
5. North Dakota: 36.98%
6. Maryland: 38.64%
7. Kansas: 40.68%
8. Idaho: 41.32%
9. Delaware: 41.36%
10. Virginia: 42.1%
