Most & Least Educated States & Cities in America via Wallet Hub

Most & Least Educated States & Cities in America

Wallet Hub: 1.21.2019 by Adam McCann

For a growing number of Americans, a good education is the ticket to a better future. College opens doors to more career opportunities, higher earnings and new social connections, among other benefits. But how much schooling one receives also matters to some extent. Generally, the higher the level of education one completes, the higher their income potential and the lower their chances of unemployment become.

In this study, WalletHub examined the key factors of a well-educated population: educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races. We compared all 50 states across 20 total metrics grouped into two categories. The data set ranges from share of adults aged 25 and older with at least a high school diploma to average university quality to gender gap in educational attainment.

Most Educated States

1      Massachusetts   80.06

2      Maryland            73.21

3      Vermont             70.07

4      Connecticut       68.22

5      Colorado            67.97

6      Virginia              66.98

7      New Hampshire 66.32

8      Minnesota          65.57

9      Utah                   64.53

10    Washington       63.77

Most & Least Educated Cities in America

Wallet Hub: 7.24.2018 by Adam McCann

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. And 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. Already having a large educated population may be a good way to draw in even more 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.

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 share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher to quality of the public school system to gender education gap. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

Most Educated Cities

1      Ann Arbor, MI                                                                92.57

2      Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV      77.39

3      San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA                            75.14

4      Durham-Chapel Hill, NC                                                 72.77

5      San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA                           71.07

6      Madison, WI                                                                   69.47

7      Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH                             67.71

8      Austin-Round Rock, TX                                                 66.14

9      Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA                                      66.13

10    Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT                               65.94

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Literacy Reports & Statistics

General

America’s Most Educated Cities & States: Wallet Hub (2019)

America’s Most Literate Cities, CCSU

2017: U.S. Trends in Arts Attendance and Literary Reading: 2002–2017, NEA

2016: Book Reading 2016, Pew

2013: Remodeling Literacy Learning, Natl Center for Literacy Education (NCLE)

2012: Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options Practice Research, NAS

2007: To Read Not To Read, NEA

2004: Reading At Risk, NEA