With the fall semester drawing near and higher levels of education correlating with higher median weekly earnings, a new report reveals 2018s Most & Least Educated Cities in America.
Perhaps you are wondering where the most educated people live in America — is it where you were born and raised — our someplace you never dreamed.
Are there more in the East Coast than the West Coast ? Should you pack up and move so your kids can also get a better education in these hot spots?
You might surprised to learn which cities in the country are best — and worst for where those who are educated reside.
To determine where the most educated Americans are choosing to settle, the study compared the 150 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across 11 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher to racial education gap to quality of the public school system.
| Most Educated Cities | Least Educated Cities | |||
| 1 | Ann Arbor, MI | 141 | Ocala, FL | |
| 2 | Washington, DC | 142 | Fresno, CA | |
| 3 | San Jose, CA | 143 | Stockton, CA | |
| 4 | Durham, NC | 144 | Salinas, CA | |
| 5 | San Francisco, CA | 145 | Hickory, NC | |
| 6 | Madison, WI | 146 | Modesto, CA | |
| 7 | Boston, MA | 147 | Bakersfield, CA | |
| 8 | Austin, TX | 148 | McAllen, TX | |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | 149 | Brownsville, TX | |
| 10 | Bridgeport, CT | 150 | Visalia, CA | |
Key Stats
- Go Blue! Looks like the Ann Arbor, MI, metro area has the highest share of Bachelor’s degree holders aged 25 and older, 53.3 percent, which is 3.8 times higher than in Visalia-Porterville, CA, the metro area with the lowest at 14.0 percent.
- The Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA, metro area has the highest racial education gap, with the share of black Bachelor’s degree holders aged 25 and older at 25.19 percent, compared with 19.52 percent for their white counterparts, a difference of 5.67 percent favoring blacks. For comparison, the national average for blacks with the same attributes is 13.09 percent and 20.28 percent for their white counterparts.
- The Anchorage, AK, metro area has the highest gender education gap, with the share of female Bachelor’s degree holders aged 25 and older at 21.56 percent, compared with 17.91 percent for their male counterparts, a difference of 3.65 percent favoring women. For comparison, the national average for females with the same attributes is 19.02 percent and 18.59 percent for their male counterparts.
Should you relocate?
Depending on what you are looking for whether it’s to hob-knob with the highly educated or not, these rankings are a sampling of where you can find those who are more educated than others. That’s certainly not to say that the city where you come is bad.
Ask yourself what you are looking for in a city — best transportation, best jobs, best restaurants, or best place to meet singles or raise a family — the decision is up to you.
After all, you are the one who will set up roots, work and play in the city that makes the best sense for you and possibly your loved ones.
Just be sure you do your homework before making a possible move so you know what lies ahead and what is in store for you.
To view the full report and your city’s rank, click here.
