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.
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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. Continue reading below for our findings, additional expert commentary and a full description of our methodology.
| Most Educated Cities | Least Educated Cities | ||||
| 1 | Ann Arbor, MI | 141 | Salinas, CA | ||
| 2 | Washington, DC | 142 | Beaumont, TX | ||
| 3 | San Jose, CA | 143 | Lafayette, LA | ||
| 4 | Durham, NC | 144 | Hickory, NC | ||
| 5 | Madison, WI | 145 | Fresno, CA | ||
| 6 | Boston, MA | 146 | Modesto, CA | ||
| 7 | San Francisco, CA | 147 | Bakersfield, CA | ||
| 8 | Provo, UT | 148 | Visalia, CA | ||
| 9 | Austin, TX | 149 | Brownsville, TX | ||
| 10 | Seattle, WA | 150 | McAllen, TX | ||
Best vs. Worst
- The Ann Arbor, MI, metro area has the highest percentage of bachelor’s degree holders aged 25 and older, 51.7 percent, which is four times higher than in Visalia-Porterville, CA, the metro area with the lowest, 13.2 percent.
- The Ann Arbor, MI, metro area has the highest percentage of graduate or professional degree holders aged 25 and older, 26.7 percent, which is more than six times higher than in Visalia-Porterville, CA, the metro area with the lowest, 4.3 percent.
- The San Diego-Carlsbad, CA, metro area has the highest public-school quality score, 8.0 out of 10.0, which is four times higher than in Springfield, MA, the metro area with the lowest, 2.0 out of 10.0.
- The Albuquerque, NM, metro area has the highest racial gap in educational attainment, with the percentage of blacks aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree at 19.89 percent and 18.51 percent for their white counterparts, a difference of 1.38 percent favoring blacks.
The national average for blacks with the same attributes is 12.38 percent and 19.52 percent for their white counterparts.
- The Anchorage, AK, metro area has the highest gender gap in educational attainment, with the percentage of women aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree at 21.23 percent and 17.59 percent for their male counterparts, a difference of 3.64 percent favoring women.
The national average for women with the same attributes is 18.82 percent and 18.47 percent for their male counterparts.
For the full report click here
