Q3 2024 529 Performance Rankings: Ten-Year

Each quarter Saving For College analyzes the investment returns for thousands of 529 portfolios and ranks the 529 savings plans based on the overall investment performance. This table shows how we ranked all direct-sold 529 plans for ten-year performance. Direct-sold plans are ones that consumers can enroll in without using a broker or financial advisor. Click here for one-year performance table, three-year performance table, and five-year performance table.

The Saving For College enrollment-based performance rankings analyze the returns of all age-based or year-of-enrollment portfolios offered by 529 plans. The methodology calculates a hypothetical average annual return for each portfolio across a glidepath from age 0 to 19+ and then ranks the plans from highest to lowest returns. Please view our methodology for more details.

This ranking could be a useful tool when comparing and selecting a 529 plan.

Rankings use data as of September 30, 2024.

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Rank	Plan	State	Average return
1	Maryland College Investment Plan	Maryland	7.21%Enroll Now
2	Alaska 529	Alaska	7.11%Enroll Now
2	T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan	Alaska	7.11%Enroll Now
4	SMART529 Select	West Virginia	7.07%
5	ISave 529	Iowa	6.80%Enroll Now
6	Nebraska Education Savings Trust -- Direct College Savings Plan	Nebraska	6.71%Enroll Now
7	START Saving Program	Louisiana	6.54%
8	Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan	Colorado	6.51%
9	Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold)	Kansas	6.45%
10	SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan	West Virginia	6.44%
11	NC 529 Plan	North Carolina	6.36%Enroll Now
12	Florida 529 Savings Plan	Florida	6.30%Enroll Now
13	NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan	New Jersey	6.21%
14	Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold)	South Carolina	6.11%Enroll Now
15	MOST - Missouri's 529 Education Plan (Direct-sold)	Missouri	6.06%Enroll Now
16	AZ529, Arizona's Education Savings Plan	Arizona	6.00%
16	DE529 Education Savings Plan	Delaware	6.00%
18	U.Fund College Investing Plan	Massachusetts	6.00%
19	UNIQUE College Investing Plan	New Hampshire	6.00%
20	Schwab 529 College Savings Plan	Kansas	5.88%
21	CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold)	South Dakota	5.84%Enroll Now
22	USAA 529 Education Savings Plan	Nevada	5.81%
23	NextGen 529 -- Client Direct Series	Maine	5.74%
24	Invest529	Virginia	5.64%Enroll Now
-	Hawaii's College Savings Program	Hawaii	N/A
-	Achieve Montana	Montana	N/A
-	Arkansas Brighter Future Direct Plan	Arkansas	N/A
-	Bloomwell 529 Education Savings Plan	Nebraska	N/A
-	Bright Start Direct-Sold College Savings Program	Illinois	N/AEnroll Now
-	College SAVE (Direct)	North Dakota	N/A
-	CollegeBound Saver (Direct-sold)	Rhode Island	N/A
-	CollegeCounts 529 Fund	Alabama	N/AEnroll Now
-	Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET)	Connecticut	N/A
-	DC College Savings Plan	District of Columbia	N/A
-	DreamAhead College Investment Plan	Washington	N/AEnroll Now
-	Edvest 529	Wisconsin	N/AEnroll Now
-	Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal)	Idaho	N/A
-	Indiana529 Direct Savings Plan	Indiana	N/AEnroll Now
-	KY Saves 529	Kentucky	N/A
-	Michigan Education Savings Program (MESP)	Michigan	N/A
-	Minnesota College Savings Plan	Minnesota	N/A
-	Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program	Mississippi	N/A
-	my529	Utah	N/AEnroll Now
-	New York's 529 College Savings Program -- Direct Plan	New York	N/AEnroll Now
-	Ohio's 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage	Ohio	N/A
-	Oklahoma 529	Oklahoma	N/A
-	Oregon College Savings Plan	Oregon	N/AEnroll Now
-	Path2College 529 Plan	Georgia	N/A
-	Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan	Pennsylvania	N/A
-	ScholarShare 529	California	N/A
-	Texas College Savings Plan	Texas	N/AEnroll Now
-	The Education Plan	New Mexico	N/A
-	The Vanguard 529 College Savings Plan	Nevada	N/AEnroll Now
-	TNStars College Savings 529 Program	Tennessee	N/AEnroll Now
-	Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan	Vermont	N/A

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More information

NA = Not Applicable = Program does not have at least three portfolios covering at least 10 age bands with sufficiently long performance to be included in our ranking model.

The Saving For College enrollment-based rankings compare historical investment returns of only the age-based and year-of-enrollment portfolios offered by each 529 plan.

The performance data underlying these rankings represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future performance. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data used. A plan portfolio's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares or units when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investors should carefully consider plan investment goals, risks, charges and expenses by obtaining and reading the plan's official program description before investing. Investors should also consider whether their beneficiary's home state offers any tax or other benefits that are available for investments only in such state's 529 plan.

For a more in-depth explanation of our methodology, please read our white paper.

Brokers, please note: For internal use only and not for use with or to be shown to the investing public.

Disclaimer: Saving For College, LLC shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in this report. Users should rely on official program disclosures.

For broker-sold plan rankings, click here.

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Saving For College is an unbiased, independent resource for parents and financial professionals, providing them with information and tools to understand the benefits of 529 college savings plans and how to meet the challenge of increasing college costs.