The rankings are in for this year’s analysis of the top degree-producing community colleges by Community College Week. In addition to listing the top 100 schools, researchers also discovered that the overall number of associate degrees earned made a jump this year to the top one million for the first time in history. Some schools that contributed significantly to this total are now celebrating their accomplishments with recognition in the rankings.
How States Fared
The latest analysis also looked at the number of associate degrees by state. That total number was weighed against the total population in the state to get a more accurate idea of the percentage of state residents earning degrees or certifications from community colleges. While states with larger populations also tended to issue more associate degrees, some states turned out more community college graduates as a percentage of their total population than others.
California had the most associate degrees during the 2011-2012 academic year, with 114,612 degrees awarded. California also boasts one of the country's largest overall populations and the largest community college system in the U.S. However, the second biggest degree-producing state was Florida, even though that state ranked fourth in overall population.
Other states that ranked in the top 10 in terms of degree productions included:
- New York (69,654)
- Texas (69,654)
- Arizona (62,990)
- Illinois (41,618)
- Ohio (35,871)
- Michigan (33,322)
- Pennsylvania (29,794)
- Washington (28,977)
The smallest number of associate degrees was earned in Vermont, where just 1,196 two-year degrees were