Nebraska is the eighth-most financially literate state in 2026, according to a new WalletHub study. The study analyzed financial-education programs and consumer habits in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, along with the results of WalletHub's proprietary WalletLiteracy Survey. The data set of 17 key metrics ranges from high-school financial literacy grades to the share of adults with rainy-day funds.
“Too many Americans lack comprehensive financial literacy, which causes them to have lower credit scores, prevents them from getting credit with good interest rates and lowers the amount of wealth they build throughout their life, among other negative consequences,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “Because financial literacy is so essential, states should prioritize teaching it from a young age. It's not surprising that the most financially literate states all require personal-finance education before students graduate from high school.”
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Most Financially Literate States
Financial literacy is more important now than ever. For example, it can help people weather the difficulties of inflation and be prepared for future crises on the scale of the Great Recession or the COVID-19 pandemic.
But how much have we learned from past mistakes, and what are we doing to help future generations avoid repeating them? Not enough, it would seem. For instance, Americans ended 2025 with nearly $1.39 trillion in total credit card debt, and nearly 2 in 5 people say they will have more credit card debt by the end of 2026.
Not all states struggle with financial literacy, though. Below, you can see the ones that excel the most.
Overall Rank | State | Total Score | WalletLiteracy Rank | Financial Planning & Habits Rank | Financial Knowledge & Education Rank |
1 | Minnesota | 71.37 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
2 | Colorado | 70.28 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
3 | Wisconsin | 69.66 | 15 | 11 | 3 |
4 | New Hampshire | 68.91 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
5 | Virginia | 68.51 | 28 | 3 | 2 |
6 | Pennsylvania | 68.09 | 26 | 7 | 6 |
7 | Ohio | 67.27 | 30 | 4 | 11 |
8 | Nebraska | 66.66 | 8 | 40 | 9 |
9 | New Jersey | 66.59 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
10 | Maryland | 65.92 | 12 | 9 | 27 |
The methodology can be found on the full version of the article on WalletHub.
