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The Most And Least Educated Cities In America

This article is more than 9 years old.

Which cities are the nation's best and brightest calling home these days?

To determine the Most And Least Educated Cities In America, financial site WalletHub took a look at the 150 largest metros in the U.S. and ranked them according to nine weighted metrics, including percentage of adult residents with a high school diploma, associate's degree, graduate or professional degree, or above; number of doctors per capita; percentage of workers with jobs in "computer, engineering, and sciences fields;" quality of public schools and universities; and the number of students enrolled in the top 200 universities in the U.S., per capita.

"Research has shown that skilled workers who are also degree holders tend to pump the most money into their local economies over time," states the report.

Ann Arbor tops the list, not only as the city with the best educated population, overall, but as the city with the highest percentage of "college-experienced adults or associate's degree holders," the highest percentage of bachelor's degree holders, and the highest percentage of graduate or professional degree holders.

Raleigh, North Carolina, comes in second, with neighbor Durham, North Carolina right behind it in third place. Provo, Utah, and Manchester, New Hampshire, round out the top five.

At the other end of the spectrum, Beaumont, Texas, ranks as the least educated city in America, with one of the lowest percentages of bachelor's degree holders as well as graduate or professional degree holders, and one of the lowest numbers of doctors per capita.

Salinas, California, comes in second with one of the lowest numbers of doctors per capita, followed by Rockford Illinois. Brownsville, Texas, comes in third with one of the lowest percentages of degree holders at nearly every level, and one of the lowest percentages of residents with computer, engineering, and science jobs. Modesto, California, rounds out the bottom five.

The 10 Most Educated Cities In America

1. Ann Arbor, Michigan

2. Raleigh, North Carolina

3. Durham, North Carolina

4. Provo, Utah

5. Manchester, New Hampshire

6. Seattle, Washington

7. San Jose, California

8. Colorado Springs, Colorado

9. Baltimore, Maryland

10. Boston, Massachusetts

The 10 Least Educated Cities In America

1. Beaumont, Texas

2. Salinas, California

3. Rockford, Illinois

4. Brownsville, Texas

5. Modesto, California

6. Visalia, California

7. Bakersfield, California

8. Lakeland, Florida

9. McAllen, Texas

10. Fresno, California

In pictures: The 10 Most And Least Educated Cities In America

Update: This post originally attributed the data used to personal finance site NerdWallet. It has been updated to reflect that the report was authored by financial site WalletHub.

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