The following table shows the percentage of non-prior service active-duty Army recruits who are defined as 'high quality.' The Department of Defense (DoD) defines 'high quality' as those recruits who are both tier 1 (have a regular high school diploma or above) AND have scored in upper half of the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). The DoD norms the scores of the test through its wide administration of the test on youth across the country in high schools and elsewhere (not just recruits).
Statistics were derived from data obtained by NPP through a FOIA.
| Rank | Location | Total Army Recruits | Percent High Quality |
| - | U.S. | 68,556 | 46.83 |
| - | U.S. w/territories | 69,383 | 46.58 |
| 50 | Alabama | 1,518 | 36.63 |
| 39 | Alaska | 238 | 42.44 |
| 14 | Arizona | 1,554 | 51.35 |
| 49 | Arkansas | 981 | 38.02 |
| 20 | California | 6,339 | 48.11 |
| 13 | Colorado | 1,134 | 51.68 |
| 5 | Connecticut | 386 | 55.44 |
| 29 | Delaware | 105 | 44.76 |
| 30 | District of Columbia | 61 | 44.26 |
| 35 | Florida | 4,301 | 43.11 |
| 46 | Georgia | 2,525 | 39.68 |
| 43 | Hawaii | 346 | 41.04 |
| 24 | Idaho | 388 | 47.16 |
| 23 | Illinois | 2,534 | 47.83 |
| 21 | Indiana | 1,763 | 48.10 |
| 3 | Iowa | 663 | 56.26 |
| 12 | Kansas | 863 | 51.80 |
| 40 | Kentucky | 990 | 41.72 |
| 48 | Louisiana | 921 | 38.98 |
| 38 | Maine | 432 | 42.59 |
| 18 | Maryland | 1,135 | 48.63 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 777 | 54.05 |
| 17 | Michigan | 2,595 | 49.21 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 751 | 51.93 |
| 51 | Mississippi | 582 | 35.05 |
| 19 | Missouri | 1,676 | 48.27 |
| 34 | Montana | 335 | 43.58 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 447 | 57.94 |
| 47 | Nevada | 577 | 39.17 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 293 | 54.95 |
| 26 | New Jersey | 936 | 46.79 |
| 36 | New Mexico | 538 | 42.94 |
| 28 | New York | 3,219 | 45.54 |
| 25 | North Carolina | 2,533 | 46.94 |
| 1 | North Dakota | 103 | 59.22 |
| 8 | Ohio | 2,615 | 53.77 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 1,296 | 42.90 |
| 33 | Oregon | 943 | 43.80 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 2,058 | 53.64 |
| 45 | Rhode Island | 144 | 40.97 |
| 44 | South Carolina | 1,298 | 40.99 |
| 10 | South Dakota | 183 | 53.01 |
| 42 | Tennessee | 1,468 | 41.14 |
| 22 | Texas | 8,214 | 47.88 |
| 27 | Utah | 396 | 45.96 |
| 15 | Vermont | 84 | 51.19 |
| 32 | Virginia | 1,925 | 43.90 |
| 16 | Washington | 1,414 | 49.72 |
| 31 | West Virginia | 462 | 43.94 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 1,396 | 55.52 |
| 41 | Wyoming | 121 | 41.32 |