Best colleges by ROI, state by state

Each state page ranks its colleges by payback years — total net cost against earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. Federal data, our math. (Scorecard, 2026.)

• Alabama 54
• Alaska 6
• Arizona 63
• Arkansas 47
• California 334
• Colorado 50
• Connecticut 36
• Delaware 6
• District of Columbia 9
• Florida 166
• Georgia 100
• Hawaii 13
• Idaho 14
• Illinois 116
• Indiana 56
• Iowa 47
• Kansas 57
• Kentucky 51
• Louisiana 52
• Maine 27
• Maryland 52
• Massachusetts 85
• Michigan 85
• Minnesota 68
• Mississippi 32
• Missouri 71
• Montana 18
• Nebraska 27
• Nevada 22
• New Hampshire 20
• New Jersey 78
• New Mexico 32
• New York 203
• North Carolina 115
• North Dakota 17
• Ohio 144
• Oklahoma 53
• Oregon 38
• Pennsylvania 169
• Puerto Rico 71
• Rhode Island 14
• South Carolina 60
• South Dakota 17
• Tennessee 91
• Texas 213
• Utah 24
• Vermont 9
• Virginia 81
• Washington 64
• West Virginia 30
• Wisconsin 53
• Wyoming 9