The story at a glance
- Ann Arbor, Michigan, topped WalletHub’s survey for the second year in a row.
- More than 95 percent of Ann Arbor residents over the age of 25 have a high school diploma, 57 percent have a bachelor’s degree, and about 30 percent have a graduate-level degree.
- Meanwhile, the study found that the nation’s least-educated cities are primarily located in California and Texas.
(KTLA) – A Midwestern city affectionately known as “The Glory Land” has been named the most educated city in America. Recent WalletHub research.
The financial services company compared the 150 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States and ranked them based on a formula that factors in the percentage of high school and college graduates and the quality of public education.
We also took into account disparities based on race and gender.
Ann Arbor, Michigan, ranked first for the second year in a row. More than 95% of residents age 25 and older have a high school diploma, 57% have a bachelor’s degree, and about 30% have a graduate degree, the highest rates in the nation, according to the study.
“What’s more, the metro area has great educational equality, with just a 1.9% difference between the percentage of women and men who have at least a bachelor’s degree,” WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann noted.
The San Jose, California, metropolitan area is the second most educated in the country, according to the study, while the Washington, DC, area ranks third. See the top 10 below.
Top 10 most educated cities in America, according to WalletHub
| Overall ranking | Capital Area | Educational rank | Education Quality and Achievement Gap Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 1 | Four |
| 2 | San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara (California) | Four | 17 |
| 3 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 3 | 31 |
| Four | Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 8 | 1 |
| Five | Madison, Wisconsin | 2 | 51 |
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California | 6 | 19 |
| 7 | Raleigh Cary, North Carolina | Five | 30 |
| 8 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 11 | 6 |
| 9 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire | 7 | 60 |
| Ten | Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue (Washington State) | Ten | Ten |
Meanwhile, the least educated cities on WalletHub’s list are primarily located in California and Texas. At the bottom of the rankings is Visalia, California, followed by McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas.
Top 10 least educated cities in America, according to WalletHub
| Overall ranking | Capital Area | Educational rank | Education Quality and Achievement Gap Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 141 | Corpus Christi, Texas | 139 | 131 |
| 142 | Salinas, California | 142 | 107 |
| 143 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas | 144 | 83 |
| 144 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, North Carolina | 141 | 140 |
| 145 | Stockton, California | 145 | 92 |
| 146 | Modesto, California | 146 | 141 |
| 147 | Bakersfield, California | 147 | 120 |
| 148 | Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas | 149 | 91 |
| 149 | McAllen Edinburg Mission (Texas) | 150 | 80 |
| 150 | Visalia, California | 148 | 147 |
Stephanie Helms Pickett, director of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging at Antioch University and a WalletHub expert, said communities should reexamine how public education supports their local economies.
“Our nation’s education model doesn’t take into account the diverse ways people learn, process information and how best align with their skills, not just their interests,” Pickett said. “The most important step we can take as a nation to develop a more educated, skilled workforce is to partner with higher education and industry, engaging local businesses to predict the skills they’ll need and then train the talent to fill those needs.”
