Reference · 48 states + DC · federal College Scorecard, July 2026 refresh
Across 2,072 U.S. colleges enrolling at least 1,000 students, the median public college charged a family earning $75,000–$110,000 $13,736 a year — but that figure swings between $8,776 in Kentucky and $20,993 in New Hampshire depending purely on where a family lives.
1. The middle-income squeeze is real, and nobody publishes it.
At 1 in 13 colleges (149 of 1,929 with data for both bands), families earning $75,000–$110,000 pay the same or more than families earning over $110,000. Need-based aid has phased out for them, but merit money often hasn't arrived — the donut hole where most middle-class parents actually live.
2. The advertised price predicts about 51% of your bill.
Across the 2,000 colleges publishing both, a school's sticker price statistically explains only 51% of the variation in what $75–110k families actually paid. The other 49% is invisible until an aid letter arrives.
3. Your state matters more than most rankings admit.
Median public net price at that same income runs from $8,776 (Kentucky) to $20,993 (New Hampshire) — a 2.4× spread on identical household income.
| Household income | Median public | Median private nonprofit |
|---|---|---|
| Under $30k | $7,978 | $18,472 |
| $30–48k | $8,534 | $18,465 |
| $48–75k | $10,607 | $20,572 |
| $75–110k | $13,736 | $24,369 |
| Over $110k | $16,299 | $30,832 |
Medians across 1,296 public and 653 private nonprofit colleges. "Net price" is what families actually paid after grants and scholarships, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education — not a calculator's estimate. Public figures reflect in-state families. Federal reporting groups every income above $110k into a single band.
| State | Colleges | Median public | Median private |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 39 | $16,716 | $26,420 |
| Arizona | 36 | $15,191 | $34,557 |
| Arkansas | 20 | $15,140 | $21,725 |
| California | 210 | $12,305 | $29,378 |
| Colorado | 30 | $15,787 | $25,276 |
| Connecticut | 22 | $20,208 | $30,956 |
| Florida | 68 | $12,456 | $29,063 |
| Georgia | 64 | $12,211 | $25,184 |
| Hawaii | 12 | $10,873 | $28,054 |
| Idaho | 11 | $14,490 | $19,729 |
| Illinois | 87 | $11,415 | $23,086 |
| Indiana | 38 | $15,450 | $23,155 |
| Iowa | 34 | $14,317 | $22,336 |
| Kansas | 20 | $14,266 | $27,231 |
| Kentucky | 37 | $8,776 | $20,294 |
| Louisiana | 32 | $15,943 | $25,808 |
| Maine | 16 | $12,620 | $20,371 |
| Maryland | 33 | $14,104 | $27,170 |
| Massachusetts | 68 | $12,359 | $27,127 |
| Michigan | 57 | $10,869 | $19,358 |
| Minnesota | 52 | $15,489 | $22,913 |
| Mississippi | 25 | $11,280 | $19,476 |
| Missouri | 43 | $14,999 | $21,859 |
| Montana | 7 | $18,896 | $23,919 |
| Nebraska | 15 | $13,494 | $25,401 |
| Nevada | 9 | $13,513 | — |
| New Hampshire | 13 | $20,993 | $28,741 |
| New Jersey | 48 | $13,997 | $28,749 |
| New Mexico | 10 | $10,182 | — |
| New York | 141 | $13,776 | $28,236 |
| North Carolina | 81 | $11,040 | $21,765 |
| North Dakota | 8 | $14,579 | $18,205 |
| Ohio | 71 | $15,540 | $24,130 |
| Oklahoma | 31 | $15,138 | $23,184 |
| Oregon | 26 | $14,678 | $26,070 |
| Pennsylvania | 97 | $20,633 | $24,965 |
| Rhode Island | 11 | $12,809 | $34,134 |
| South Carolina | 36 | $14,917 | $22,288 |
| South Dakota | 11 | $19,425 | $23,081 |
| Tennessee | 42 | $10,284 | $21,936 |
| Texas | 131 | $12,873 | $24,317 |
| Utah | 13 | $12,542 | $14,824 |
| Vermont | 7 | $20,668 | $24,316 |
| Virginia | 52 | $11,741 | $21,035 |
| Washington | 51 | $13,121 | $27,607 |
| Washington DC | 7 | $16,312 | $28,198 |
| West Virginia | 17 | $13,336 | $20,215 |
| Wisconsin | 40 | $15,585 | $23,332 |
| Wyoming | 8 | $12,195 | — |
Covers 48 states + DC — every state with at least 5 colleges clearing the size floor. Alaska and Delaware are omitted: too few qualifying colleges to report a median we'd stand behind, and we'd rather leave a state out than publish a figure resting on one or two campuses. Linked states have a full campus-by-campus breakdown.
Every figure here is computed from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (July 2026 refresh), which reports the average net price paid by aided, full-time, first-time students in each household income band. We include colleges enrolling at least 1,000 students, because federal price cells at very small schools are volatile enough to manufacture dramatic-looking patterns that disappear at scale — we checked, and dropped one such finding rather than publish it. Open-admission colleges are included; they are where a large share of families actually enroll. Medians, not averages, so a single very expensive campus can't drag a state's figure. This is planning data, not an offer — verify final prices with each school.
Reusing this: the underlying data is public federal reporting, and these aggregates are free to cite or reproduce with attribution to College Compass and a link to this page. No permission needed.
These are medians. Your family isn't a median.
College Compass runs specific schools against your student's real GPA, your real income band, and your actual high school — admit odds with the math shown, merit likelihood, and the season's deadlines. First three schools free.
Real costs at every school → · Do we make too much for aid? → · Why sticker price is a fiction →