Most & Least Educated Cities in America

Adam McCann, Financial WriterJul 18, 2022

Adam McCann, Financial Writer
Jul 18, 2022

Cities want to attract highly educated workers to fuel their economic growth and tax revenues. Higher levels of education tend to lead to higher salaries. Plus, the more that graduates earn, the more tax dollars they contribute over time, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In turn, educated people want to live somewhere where they will get a good return on their educational investment. People also tend to marry others of the same educational level, which means that cities that already have a large educated population may be more attractive to people with degrees.

Not all highly educated people will flock to the same areas, though. Some may prefer to have many people with similar education levels around them for socializing and career connections. Others may want to be a big fish in a little pond. Not every city will provide the same quality of life to those with higher education, either. In addition, the most educated cities could shift in the near future because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it had on schooling. During the pandemic, standardized test scores experienced sizeable drops, and score gaps between low-poverty and high-poverty districts increased.

To determine where the most educated Americans are putting their degrees to work, WalletHub compared the 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across 11 key metrics. Our data set ranges from the share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher to the quality of the public-school system to the gender education gap.

Table of Contents

Main Findings

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Most Educated Cities

Overall Rank*	MSA	Total Score	Educational Attainment	Quality of Education & Attainment Gap
1	Ann Arbor, MI	93.99	1	1
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	82.03	5	5
3	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	81.78	3	27
4	Madison, WI	80.83	2	49
5	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA	80.77	4	17
6	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	78.26	6	47
7	Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	78.06	9	4
8	Raleigh-Cary, NC	77.08	7	44
9	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	75.34	10	14
10	Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX	73.84	11	13
11	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT	71.96	8	146
12	Provo-Orem, UT	71.73	17	24
13	Colorado Springs, CO	71.64	14	30
14	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO	70.78	12	79
15	Trenton-Princeton, NJ	70.11	15	71
16	Portland-South Portland, ME	69.58	16	70
17	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	69.24	19	50
18	Tallahassee, FL	68.47	22	7
19	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	68.12	13	116
20	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	67.58	20	83
21	Huntsville, AL	67.41	24	12
22	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	67.13	25	3
23	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	67.07	18	118
24	Lexington-Fayette, KY	66.17	23	31
25	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	65.23	27	16
26	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA	64.97	28	20
27	Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT	64.07	21	127
28	Asheville, NC	62.61	38	26
29	Urban Honolulu, HI	62.49	45	10
30	Lansing-East Lansing, MI	62.30	34	41
31	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	62.09	31	58
32	Eugene-Springfield, OR	61.97	43	18
33	Pittsburgh, PA	61.59	40	38
34	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	61.38	36	63
35	Salt Lake City, UT	61.15	41	46
36	Richmond, VA	61.07	32	85
37	Manchester-Nashua, NH	61.03	26	132
38	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	60.96	30	95
39	Rochester, NY	60.37	33	106
40	Kansas City, MO-KS	60.13	29	117
41	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA	60.12	37	90
42	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	60.10	52	23
43	New Haven-Milford, CT	59.56	39	110
44	Tucson, AZ	59.48	49	43
45	St. Louis, MO-IL	59.00	35	137
46	Columbus, OH	59.00	42	112
47	Albuquerque, NM	58.80	54	40
48	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	58.79	53	56
49	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	58.64	56	35
50	Boise City, ID	58.50	63	21
51	Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	58.26	55	52
52	Worcester, MA-CT	58.23	50	76
53	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	58.00	59	29
54	Charleston-North Charleston, SC	57.85	47	111
55	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	57.20	44	124
56	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	56.54	62	62
57	Anchorage, AK	56.41	48	128
58	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	56.22	46	135
59	Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	56.20	51	134
60	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	56.08	75	15
61	Syracuse, NY	55.77	58	107
62	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	55.38	83	11
63	Reno, NV	55.37	74	25
64	Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI	55.29	66	84
65	Naples-Marco Island, FL	55.24	60	120
66	Columbia, SC	55.05	67	74
67	Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN	54.89	64	105
68	Springfield, MA	54.72	70	60
69	North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL	54.70	57	144
70	Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR	54.54	90	2
71	Dayton-Kettering, OH	54.29	73	54
72	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	54.12	81	34
73	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	54.12	72	55
74	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	53.64	65	133
75	Jacksonville, FL	53.38	80	57
76	Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	53.34	68	123
77	Akron, OH	53.04	76	89
78	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	53.03	77	68
79	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL	52.94	93	8
80	Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR	52.94	82	69
81	Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA	52.75	79	82
82	Birmingham-Hoover, AL	52.66	78	87
83	Savannah, GA	52.34	69	130
84	Oklahoma City, OK	52.15	86	53
85	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	51.76	89	39
86	Cleveland-Elyria, OH	51.51	71	140
87	Ogden-Clearfield, UT	51.17	61	150
88	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	50.82	94	33
89	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	50.70	101	22
90	Knoxville, TN	50.61	91	59
91	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	50.59	88	91
92	Jackson, MS	50.44	85	109
93	Wichita, KS	50.27	84	122
94	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	50.08	87	104
95	Greenville-Anderson, SC	49.82	99	48
96	Springfield, MO	49.69	92	72
97	Peoria, IL	49.05	100	66
98	New Orleans-Metairie, LA	48.92	96	78
99	Montgomery, AL	48.84	95	100
100	Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ	48.57	97	94
101	Greensboro-High Point, NC	48.41	105	37
102	Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL	48.16	98	103
103	Toledo, OH	47.29	104	92
104	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	46.59	103	114
105	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	46.55	115	28
106	Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL	46.40	107	93
107	Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC	46.36	111	36
108	Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	46.32	102	141
109	Fort Wayne, IN	46.08	108	86
110	Tulsa, OK	45.36	110	102
111	Winston-Salem, NC	45.20	120	19
112	Chattanooga, TN-GA	44.92	112	77
113	Baton Rouge, LA	44.91	114	65
114	Fayetteville, NC	44.88	116	51
115	Salisbury, MD-DE	44.16	106	143
116	Salem, OR	43.45	121	45
117	Port St. Lucie, FL	42.87	119	99
118	Killeen-Temple, TX	42.83	113	125
119	Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC	42.12	117	129
120	Vallejo, CA	41.93	109	148
121	Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	41.33	118	138
122	Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV	41.25	126	32
123	Gulfport-Biloxi, MS	41.13	122	108
124	Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA	40.42	123	119
125	Shreveport-Bossier City, LA	40.09	125	101
126	Lancaster, PA	39.67	128	73
127	Flint, MI	39.49	124	126
128	Canton-Massillon, OH	39.48	129	75
129	York-Hanover, PA	39.10	127	98
130	Reading, PA	37.17	131	113
131	Rockford, IL	36.92	130	131
132	Mobile, AL	36.88	132	80
133	Lafayette, LA	36.17	137	6
134	Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA	35.22	133	88
135	Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH	34.97	134	64
136	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	33.48	136	67
137	Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	32.21	140	61
138	El Paso, TX	31.90	139	81
139	Fresno, CA	30.00	142	42
140	Salinas, CA	29.61	141	115
141	Corpus Christi, TX	29.26	138	139
142	Ocala, FL	28.74	135	149
143	Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX	28.08	143	96
144	Stockton, CA	25.84	145	97
145	Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	24.75	144	145
146	Modesto, CA	20.58	146	142
147	Bakersfield, CA	16.74	147	136
148	McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX	14.88	150	9
149	Brownsville-Harlingen, TX	10.34	149	121
150	Visalia, CA	9.09	148	147

Note: *1 = Most Educated
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that MSA, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

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Note: For readability purposes, the above chart displays only 50 metro areas from a total sample of 150

% of High School Diploma Holders

Highest

Highest
1. Ann Arbor, MI
2. Madison, WI
3. Provo-Orem, UT
4. Portland-South Portland, ME
5. Colorado Springs, CO

Lowest

Lowest
146. Bakersfield, CA
147. Salinas, CA
148. Visalia, CA
149. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
150. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

% of Associate's Degree Holders or College-Experienced Adults

Highest

Highest
1. Ann Arbor, MI
2. Provo-Orem, UT
3. Madison, WI
4. Raleigh-Cary, NC
T-5. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
T-5. Colorado Springs, CO

Lowest

Lowest
146. Lafayette, LA
147. Bakersfield, CA
148. Visalia, CA
149. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
150. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

% of Bachelor's Degree Holders

Highest

Highest
1. Ann Arbor, MI
2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
3. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
4. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
T-5. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
T-5. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT

Lowest

Lowest
146. Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
147. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
148. Modesto, CA
149. Bakersfield, CA
150. Visalia, CA

% of Graduate or Professional Degree Holders

Highest

Highest
T-1. Ann Arbor, MI
T-1. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
T-1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
T-1. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
T-1. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

Lowest

Lowest
146. Bakersfield, CA
147. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
T-148. Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
T-148. Modesto, CA
150. Visalia, CA

Avg. University Quality

Highest

Highest
1. Trenton-Princeton, NJ
2. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
3. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
4. Tallahassee, FL
5. Ann Arbor, MI

Lowest

Lowest
T-136. Anchorage, AK
T-136. Ogden-Clearfield, UT
T-136. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
T-136. Bakersfield, CA
T-136. Vallejo, CA
T-136. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

Racial Education Gap

Largest
(favoring Black People)

Largest
(favoring Black People)
1. Worcester, MA-CT
2. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
3. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
4. El Paso, TX
5. Albuquerque, NM

Largest
(favoring White People)

Largest
(favoring White People)
136. Ann Arbor, MI
137. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
138. Richmond, VA
139. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
140. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

Gender Education Gap

Largest
(favoring Women)

Largest
(favoring Women)
1. Anchorage, AK
2. Tallahassee, FL
3. Lafayette, LA
4. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
5. Asheville, NC

Largest
(favoring Men)

Largest
(favoring Men)
146. Greenville-Anderson, SC
147. Manchester-Nashua, NH
148. Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
149. Pittsburgh, PA
150. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

Ask the Experts

Research shows that a skilled and educated workforce provides a significant boost to the economy. For strategies aimed at increasing a city’s brainpower and the best approaches to educational development, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

Should local authorities target policies and programs to attract highly educated people? If so, what works?
Are highly educated cities better able to withstand economic shocks?
In your opinion, what is the most important step we can take as a country to develop a more educated and skilled workforce?
How can the U.S. reform its immigration policy in order to attract and retain highly educated workers from abroad?

Ask the Experts

A. Aneesh
Professor of Sociology – University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Read More

F. Chris Curran
Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy; Director, Education Policy Research Center; Program Coordinator, Educational Leadership Program; Affiliate Faculty, Lastinger Center for Learning and Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies – University of Florida, College of Education, School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education
Read More

Michael T. Miller
Professor, Higher Education, College of Education and Health Professions – University of Arkansas
Read More

William Schmidt
University Distinguished Professor, Director, Center for the Study of Curriculum Policy; Program Director, Measurement and Quantitative Methods – Michigan State University
Read More

Stephen M. Brown
Professor Emeritus of Management, John F. Welch College of Business – Sacred Heart University
Read More

Methodology

To identify the most and least educated cities in America, WalletHub 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 those dimensions using 11 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest educational attainment and quality of education. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each metro area’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Educational Attainment - Total Points: 80

Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with a High School Diploma or Higher: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with at Least Some College Experience or an Associate's Degree or Higher: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with a Graduate or Professional Degree: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)

Quality of Education & Attainment Gap - Total Points: 20

Quality of Public School System: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
Note: This metric is based on GreatSchools.org’s ratings of U.S. public schools.
Average Quality of Universities: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub “College & University” rankings report.
Enrolled Students in Top 1,015 Universities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub “College & University” rankings report.
Number of Summer Learning Opportunities per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Racial Education Gap*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: This metric specifically measures the difference between the percentage of black bachelor’s degree holders and the percentage of their white counterparts.
Gender Education Gap*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: This metric specifically measures the difference between the percentage of female bachelor’s degree holders and the percentage of their male counterparts.
Education Equality Index Score: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: The Education Equality Index (EEI) is a comparative measure of the achievement gap between students from low-income families, as measured by participation in the free and reduced price lunch program, and their more advantaged peers. The EEI compares the proportion of students from low-income families who are proficient on a state assessment to all students across the state who took that same grade or subject level assessment.

*Additional context: In metro areas where women have an advantage over men and black people have an advantage over white people, we gave extra credit compared to the metro areas with no gender-based/racial inequality.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, GreatSchools.org, Education Cities.org, Yelp and WalletHub research.

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Questions & Answers(1 question)

How do graduation rates assist in determining education rates given that faculty are incentivized to pass failing students?

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