Map: States with the best community colleges in 2024

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FILE - A Wind Turbine technician approaches a nacelle, which houses the gear box and generator of a wind turbine, on the campus of Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, New Mexico, on July 11, 2024. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Image

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Between tuition and fees, higher education costs in America can be astronomical – leaving them out of reach for many. Community colleges, on the other hand, can offer significant savings for students interested in pursuing a degree.

New rankings published on Tuesday by WalletHub identify the best U.S. community colleges, as well as a state-by-state ranking of the best community college systems nationwide.

The personal finance site said it determined the best and worst community colleges by analyzing several key metrics – focusing on cost and quality – for a sample of 653 institutions.

In conducting a state-by-state analysis, it calculated a weighted average of the scores earned by the community colleges in each state, as well as the number of students enrolled in each school.

The state with the highest average received the No. 1 rank, which was found to be Maryland, according to WalletHub.

"Maryland has the best community colleges, with its five best schools all ranking within the top 45 community colleges nationwide," WalletHub said in its report. "Maryland is also one of the states that currently offers free community college education."

The report named Montgomery College as Maryland’s top community college with several campuses in the area. WalletHub said the school ranks 10th among the best community colleges nationally, due to high median salaries for graduates, good student retention rates and the fact that it offers credit for life experiences.

"A good community college minimizes costs for students while also providing an enriching learning experience that leads to high student retention and high graduation rates," said Cassendra Happe, a Wallethub analyst.

"The best colleges also help their students even post-graduation by offering employment services to help them find jobs with good salaries," Happe continued. "Finally, many of the best community colleges realize school isn’t the only place people learn, so they offer credit for life experiences."

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Top 20 states with the best community college systems

Behind Maryland, New Mexico had the second-best community colleges, according to WalletHub – which noted that the state's five best schools ranked in the top 70 nationwide. New Mexico also offers free community college to all residents.

Connecticut ranked third-best for community college with its five best schools all ranking in the top 55 community colleges in the nation. Like Maryland and New Mexico, WalletHub said Connecticut also offers free community college education to many residents. It also "prepares people well to advance to higher education" since it has the second-best public schools in the nation, the report added.

Here are the top 20 states for community college systems:

Maryland
New Mexico
Connecticut
Wyoming
Oregon
Hawaii
Wisconsin
North Dakota
South Dakota
Minnesota
Kansas
Washington
Colorado
Iowa
Michigan
New York
California
Tennessee
Massachusetts
West Virginia

Top 20 US community colleges, according to report

Manhattan Area Technical College in Manhattan, Kansas, ranked No. 1 in America, which WalletHub said was in large part because it "puts students on track for good future earnings."

Over 77% of former students earn more than the average income of people with only a high school education, the report said. Graduates also have a median salary of over $50,000, which is the fifth-highest among the schools in the analysis. Manhattan Area Technical College also offers employment services to help students find jobs.

Another plus is that Manhattan Area Technical College has the lowest student-loan default rate, the fifth-highest graduation rate and the third-best retention rate of students between year one and year two, according to WalletHub.

Additionally, Manhattan Area Technical College offers credit for certain life experiences such as volunteer experience or special training outside of school, the report said.

Here are WalletHub's top 20 community college systems in the U.S.: