What state reads the least?

California consistently ranks as the state with the lowest adult literacy rate in the U.S., with around 23% of adults lacking basic prose skills, while New Mexico, Louisiana, and Mississippi also have some of the nation's lowest literacy scores, particularly for children, according to data from various literacy assessments.

Which US state has the lowest literacy rate?

New Hampshire has the highest state literacy rate at 94.2%. California has the lowest adult literacy rate among U.S. states at 76.9%. In New Mexico, 29% of adults scored at or below Level 1 proficiency, compared to 28% in California and Texas.

Which state is lowest in literacy?

However, in Lowest Literacy States in India such as Rajasthan, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, the gender gap is still large—ranging between 16% and 20%.

What state has the most people who can't read?

California has the lowest literacy rate in the country, with 23% of them having little to no proficiency in reading skills.

What is the US ranked in literacy?

The U.S. literacy ranking varies by study but generally falls outside the top 10 globally, with some reports placing it around 36th globally for adult skills, despite near-universal basic literacy rates, because many adults read below a 6th-grade level. While 79% of U.S. adults have medium to high literacy, a significant portion struggles with complex texts, placing the nation lower in comparative assessments like PIAAC than countries like Japan or Finland.
 

40% of Kids Can’t Read and Teachers Are Quitting

Which state is number 1 in reading?

States with the High Literacy Rates

• New Hampshire. New Hampshire has the lowest percentage (5.8%) of adults lacking basic prose literacy skills, making New Hampshire's literacy rate of 94.2%. ...
• Minnesota. ...
• North Dakota. ...
• Vermont. ...
• South Dakota. ...
• 1. California. ...
• New York. ...
• Florida.

What country has a 99% literacy rate?

Many countries boast a 99% or near-100% literacy rate, including developed nations like Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA, alongside European countries such as Finland, Norway, and Ukraine, and former Soviet states like Uzbekistan and Belarus, indicating near-universal basic reading and writing skills in these regions. While some lists show countries like Andorra, Finland, or North Korea at 100%, many others consistently report 99% or higher, like Antigua and Barbuda, Croatia, and Israel. 

What is the most uneducated state in the USA?

New Mexico

New Mexico ranks among the lowest in education. In WalletHub's 2025 study, it was 42nd overall, with the nation's lowest Quality of Education rank (50th). New Mexico's high school graduation rate (around 76 percent) is 49th out of 50 states, ahead of only Arizona (per 2021 data).

What race has the lowest literacy rate?

Functional illiteracy is defined as the inability to read and comprehend relatively short texts or understand basic vocabulary. Illiteracy affects 18% of US adults (approximately 57.4 million people), most commonly impacting black people, Hispanic people, and low-income individuals.

What are signs of low literacy?

Word level reading deficits are characterised by difficulty decoding words, reading them accurately and rapidly or fluently and spelling them. In addition, reading is likely to be effortful and tiring, non-fluent and lacking in intonation and stress.

Which state is top in education?

Top five states with the best public education

• New York. New York ranks the highest overall for public education, taking last year's crown from Massachusetts. ...
• Connecticut. Connecticut ranks second overall for public education, with strong marks across several key metrics. ...
• Massachusetts. ...
• New Jersey. ...
• Illinois.

Which state is good in literacy rate?

Mizoram. Mizoram stands proudly at the top with an astounding 98.2% literacy rate, making it the most literate state in India. Mizoram is the first fully literate Indian state in 2025. Education in Mizoram is deeply rooted in its social fabric.

Where has the lowest literacy rate?

25 Most Illiterate Countries

1. 10 Of The Most Illiterate Countries In The World. Rank. ...
2. Chad - 27.28% Chad: Sheep herder with herd of sheep in village in desert countryside. ...
3. Mali - 30.76% ...
4. Burkina Faso - 34.49% ...
5. South Sudan - 34.52% ...
6. Afghanistan - 37.27% ...
7. Central African Republic - 37.49% ...
8. Niger - 38.1%

Which state has the lowest female literacy?

The correct answer is Bihar.

Do 54% of Americans read below?

Yes, a widely cited statistic from sources like the Barbara Bush Foundation and Forbes indicates that 54% of U.S. adults (aged 16-74) read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). This means over half of American adults struggle with everyday tasks like reading medicine labels or job applications, with nearly 28% reading below a third-grade level.
 

What are the main causes of illiteracy in the US?

What Causes Illiteracy?

• Parents with little schooling;
• Lack of books at home and lack of stimulation as to the importance of reading;
• Doing badly at or dropping out of school—many have not completed high school;
• Difficult living conditions, including poverty;
• Learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.

Which state is #1 in illiteracy?

Decades of underinvestment in schools, culture battles over bilingual education, and stark income inequality have made California the least literate state in the nation, as Capitol Weekly reported. Nearly 1 in 4 people over the age of 15 lack the skills to decipher the words in this sentence.

Which religion has a less literacy rate?

As per the Census 2011, the literacy rate among Muslims was 68.54%, Christians (84.53%), Sikhs (75.39%), Buddhists (81.29%) and Jains (94.88%) in comparison to the national literacy rate of 72.98% in the Country.

Which US states read the most?

A new survey shows that the US states of Vermont and Oregon have the strongest reading habits in the country. Surveyors asked US adults whether they had read at least one play, novel, short story, or poem in the last 12 months, outside of work or school.

What state is #1 in quality of life?

There isn't one single answer, as different studies rank states differently, but Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Jersey frequently appear at the top for quality of life, with Vermont leading in CNBC's metrics (health, environment, inclusion), Massachusetts in WalletHub's overall rankings (healthcare, education), and New Jersey praised for safety and health. States like Minnesota, Idaho, and Utah also consistently rank high, emphasizing factors like strong economies, environments, and community well-being. 

What is the #1 most educated city in America?

Ann Arbor, Michigan held steady at No. 1 for the second year in a row. With nearly 96% of adults holding a high school diploma, 58% with a bachelor's, and 31% with an advanced degree, this city continues to dominate both the “Educational Attainment” and “Quality of Education & Attainment Gap” categories.

Which state is least in education?

While rankings vary slightly, New Mexico, Arizona, West Virginia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Alaska consistently appear as states with some of the worst K-12 education systems, often due to low test scores (especially in math), high dropout rates, funding issues, and teacher retention challenges, according to sources like WalletHub, Consumer Affairs, and World Population Review. 

What are the signs of low literacy?

Poor spelling, both on tests and in written compositions: Frequent misspellings, guesses. Slow, halting reading (poor fluency) Must reread to understand. Weak reading comprehension: Can't recognize words in a passage or sound out important words; so slow and halting, she can't recall what's been read.

What is the most educated country in the world?

The Top 10 Most-Educated Countries

Based on the OECD's data for 2022, Canada is the most educated country globally, with 63% of adults meeting the OECD criteria. Japan has the second-highest percentage of 56%, followed by Ireland with 54%.

Where does the US rank in literacy?

The U.S. literacy ranking varies by study but generally falls outside the top 10 globally, with some reports placing it around 36th globally for adult skills, despite near-universal basic literacy rates, because many adults read below a 6th-grade level. While 79% of U.S. adults have medium to high literacy, a significant portion struggles with complex texts, placing the nation lower in comparative assessments like PIAAC than countries like Japan or Finland.