With April being National Financial Literacy Month and less than half of adults setting a budget, the free credit score website WalletHub today released its report on 2025’s Most & Least Financially Literate States, which analyzes financial-education programs and consumer habits in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, along with expert commentary.
The study uses a data set of 17 key metrics, which range from high-school financial literacy grade to the share of adults with rainy-day funds. The metrics also include the results of WalletHub’s WalletLiteracy Survey.
| Most Financially Literate States | Least Financially Literate States |
| 1. Minnesota | 42. District of Columbia |
| 2. Colorado | 43. California |
| 3. Nebraska | 44. Alaska |
| 4. Virginia | 45. Louisiana |
| 5. Wisconsin | 46. Mississippi |
| 6. New Hampshire | 47. Tennessee |
| 7. Iowa | 48. Kentucky |
| 8. Washington | 49. South Dakota |
| 9. Vermont | 50. Oklahoma |
| 10. New Jersey | 51. Arkansas |
Key Stats
- Minnesota has the lowest share of residents who spend more than they earn, which is 1.5 times lower than in Mississippi, the state with the highest.
- Hawaii has the lowest share of residents paying only the minimum on their credit card(s), which is 1.7 times lower than in Mississippi, the state with the highest.
- Colorado has the highest share of residents who attended financial-education classes or counseling sessions in past 12 months, which is 3.8 times higher than in West Virginia, the state with the lowest.
- Vermont and Virginia have the lowest share of unbanked households, which is 10.4 times lower than in Mississippi, the state with the highest.
