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America's most and least educated cities

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A link to the article, more information as well as some visual aids!

A shorter article.

They may not always be the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, but the college-educated third of Americans often have a leg up on their non-degree-holding peers. With more schooling, educated workers not only have access to better job opportunities and bigger salaries, but they also fill their cities’ coffers with the most tax dollars over time, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

One way to strengthen an economy, the EPI suggests, is to attract well-paying employers “by investing in education and increasing the number of well-educated workers.” In states with the least schooled workforces, the median wage is $15 an hour compared with $19 to $20 an hour in states where 40 percent or more of the working population holds at least a bachelor’s degree. Local governments appear to be catching on and maximizing the appeal of their cities to college graduates.

As the fall semester draws near, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, to determine where the most educated Americans are putting their degrees to work. In order to make such a comparison, we examined each metro area across nine key metrics, ranging from the percentage of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher to the educational attainment gap between women and men.

Topping the list yet again is Ann Arbor, Michigan. The city claims the highest percentage of associate degree holders or adults with some college experience, as well as the highest percentage of bachelor’s degree and graduate or professional degree holders. The Washington, D.C. metro area; San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California; Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Madison, Wisconsin round out the top five. Madison claims the highest percentage of high school diploma holders among its population while the San Jose metro area maintains the highest quality universities.

At the other end of the spectrum, McAllen-Edinburgh-Mission, Texas ranks as the least educated metro area in America, with among the lowest percentages of high school diploma holders, associate, bachelor, and graduate degree holders.Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas; Visalia-Porterville, Texas; Bakersfield, California; and Modesto, California round out the bottom five.


Methodology

To identify the most educated cities in America, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 150 most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across two key dimensions, including “Educational Attainment” and “Quality of Education & Attainment Gap.”

We evaluated these categories using nine relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the highest educational attainment and quality.

We then calculated overall scores for each metro area using the weighted average across all metrics, which we then used to construct our overall rankings.

Educational Attainment - Total Points: 80
• Percentage of Adults Aged 25 & Older with at Least a High School Diploma: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Percentage of Adults Aged 25 & Older with at Least Some College Experience or an Associate's Degree: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Percentage of Adults Aged 25 & Older with at Least a Bachelor's Degree: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Percentage of Adults Aged 25 & Older with at Least a Graduate or Professional Degree: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)

Quality of Education & Attainment Gap - Total Points: 20
• Public-School-System Ranking: Double Weight (~5.71 Points)
• Average Quality of Universities: Double Weight (~5.71 Points)
• Number of Enrolled Students in Top 200 Universities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Racial Gap in Educational Attainment*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Gender Gap in Educational Attainment*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

The list from the most educated to least:

1) Ann Arbor, MI
2) Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
3) San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
4) Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
5) Madison, WI
6) Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
7) San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
8) Provo-Orem, UT
9) Austin-Round Rock, TX
10) Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
11) Tallahassee, FL
12) Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
13) Trenton, NJ
14) Raleigh, NC
15) Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
16) Colorado Springs, CO
17) Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
18) Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
19) Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
20) Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
21) San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
22) Portland-South Portland, ME
23) Eugene, OR
24) Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
25) Lansing-East Lansing, MI
26) New Haven-Milford, CT
27) Huntsville, AL
28) Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
29) Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
30) Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA
31) Honolulu, HI
32) Salt Lake City, UT
33) St. Louis, MO-IL
34) Anchorage, AK
35) Albuquerque, NM
36) Columbus, OH
37) New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
38) Tucson, AZ
39) Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
40) Rochester, NY
41) Kansas City, MO-KS
42) Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
43) Pittsburgh, PA
44) Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
45) Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
46) Worcester, MA-CT
47 Lexington-Fayette, KY
48) Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
49) Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
50) Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
51) Manchester-Nashua, NH
52) Santa Rosa, CA
53) Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
54) Syracuse, NY
55) Columbia, SC
56) Richmond, VA
57) Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
58) Reno, NV
59) Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
60) Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
61) Asheville, NC
62) Charleston-North Charleston, SC
63) Boise City, ID
64) Cleveland-Elyria, OH
65) Ogden-Clearfield, UT
66) Oklahoma City, OK
67) Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
68) Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
69) Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
70) Akron, OH
71) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
72) Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
73) Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
74) Savannah, GA
75) Dayton, OH
76) Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
77) Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
78) North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
79) Birmingham-Hoover, AL
80) Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL
81) Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
82) Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
83) Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
84) Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO
85) Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
86) Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
87) Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
88) New Orleans-Metairie, LA
89) Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
90) Jackson, MS
91) Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
92) Toledo, OH
93) Jacksonville, FL
94) Springfield, MO
95) Peoria, IL
96) Springfield, MA
97) Tulsa, OK
98) Winston-Salem, NC
99) Wichita, KS
100) Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
101) Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
102) Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
103) Greensboro-High Point, NC
104) Baton Rouge, LA
105) Fayetteville, NC
106) Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
107) Fort Wayne, IN
108) Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
109) Montgomery, AL
110) San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
111) Knoxville, TN
112) Killeen-Temple, TX
113) Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
114) Memphis, TN-MS-AR
115) Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
116) Salem, OR
117) Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
118) Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS
119) Port St. Lucie, FL
120) Flint, MI
121) Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
122) Salisbury, MD-DE
123) Chattanooga, TN-GA
124) Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
125) York-Hanover, PA
126) Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA
127) Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
128) Canton-Massillon, OH
129) Mobile, AL
130) Rockford, IL
131) Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
132) Lancaster, PA
133) Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
134) Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
135) Corpus Christi, TX
136) Reading, PA
137) Stockton-Lodi, CA
138) Ocala, FL
139) El Paso, TX
140) Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
141) Salinas, CA
142) Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
143) Lafayette, LA
144) Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
145) Fresno, CA
146) Modesto, CA
147) Bakersfield, CA
148) Visalia-Porterville, CA
149) Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
150) McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
I am finding out so many things as to why I hated living in Bakersfield lol. Like it all makes sense now, I got smarter while living in the Bay Area but got dumber when I was in Bakersfield.
 

Jive Turkey

Unconfirmed Member
131) Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

Not surprised in the least. Seems pretty silly too since there's like 5 colleges in those three cities.
 
I live in Colorado Springs, and it confuses me how it could be so high. The general population here is incredibly ignorant.
 

Apt101

Member
I expected Northern Virginia to be #1. Surprised it's not.

Oh hey my area is #39. We do have great schools in Virginia, and for some reasons tons of educated professionals are attracted to the state.

Texas, well, can't say I'm surprised.
 
My home state of Washington is representing in the top 10 in the past two studies posted here recently:

Education
One of the least violent states (#42, Louisiana is #1)
 
8 Provo Orem UT
32 Salt Lake City UT

I live about half way between these two cities but I think i may identify more with Provo. So should I clock myself half way between the two?
 

Apt101

Member
I don't buy it. They've got 5 of the bottom 10 cities.

California is huge, and look at the metrics they used. But examining everything, it seems like (my guess) many cities in CA are wealthy but they import their workforce from elsewhere, and their institutions of higher education are concentrated in certain areas and aren't exactly renowned for being accessible.
 
2) Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Thanks to the late Senator Byrd, a small part of WV gets counted as the second most educated area of the US.


(I grew up in the D.C. metro area part of WV and am feeling a weird bit of pride right now.)
 
87) Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

A little below average, but not too bad.

I'm happy Philly is higher. Not surprised Reading is that low. I can live the rest of my life just fine never going there again.

Thank god Bucks county isn't anywhere on this list lol.
 

Spenny

Member
San Diego/Carlsbad in top 25? I'll take it! Wtf is wrong with the rest of SoCal? Is it all the eighteen years old wannabe actor transplants who don't have educations that hold us down?
 
Colorado Springs is my hometown, way to represent in Colorado! Probably because of Air Force Academy and Colorado College. They have University of Colorado, Colorado Springs campus (UCCS) and Pikes Peak Community College as well.

I almost thought that Denver or Boulder would outrank Colorado Springs hands down but then I thought about the actual college offerings in Colorado Springs and its a prestigious military academy, a prestigious private college, an off-shoot campus of the state university (the main CU is in Boulder), and a well-reputed community college. I guess it's got the whole spectrum. There's tons of technical schools where people can receive good associates degrees as well.

... Being from there, can't help that the general populace doesn't seem highly educated, though.

EDIT: beaten

I live in Colorado Springs, and it confuses me how it could be so high. The general population here is incredibly ignorant.
 

Laws00

Member
Both of my parents are from 13) Trenton, NJ lol

Both left the city, finished high school, and have college degrees from Rider University one in Elementary Education, and the other in Business Administration

not that it matters but they're both
African American
 

sirronoh

Member
12) Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
37) New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
83) Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Not bad. Having lived there for 9 years, I'm definitely not surprised about the Norwalk and Stamford area.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Wow I'm really surprised Trenton, NJ is that high up on the list. I mean its really HIGH up there and I live there and was not expecting it to be in the top half, let alone in the top 20. Very interesting.
 
Charlotte getting dragged down by Gastonia AKA The Florida of North Carolina is hilarious.

Cool to see Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh all in the top 15 tho
 

jblank83

Member
Why is California so dumb?

California has a population of 39 million, 1/10th the entire USA.
The land size is 5% of the entire land mass of the USA.

It ranges from affluent coastal cities to mountain top villages to barren inland deserts to lush farmland.

Likewise the population has a huge range in terms of education. Highly educated in places like northern coastal San Diego or tech areas in San Francisco to very poor in some of the less prosperous areas of the San Joaquin valley.
 

Ron Mexico

Member
Wow I'm really surprised Trenton, NJ is that high up on the list. I mean its really HIGH up there and I live there and was not expecting it to be in the top half, let alone in the top 20. Very interesting.

Trenton has to be buoyed by the rest of the MSA. Thinking Hamilton, Lawrence, Bordentown, Chesterfield, etc.
 
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