Each year, students pay more to attend college as financial aid and incomes fail to keep up with the rising cost of tuition. Despite this, studies continue to show that a college education is well worth the massive upfront investment. Additionally, educational achievement at all levels is correlated with benefits that extend far beyond the financials.
For instance, increased educational attainment is closely tied to healthy habits such as lower smoking rates, higher activity rates, and lower obesity rates that all help contribute to an overall higher life expectancy. And the benefits don’t stop at one’s personal health; educational achievement also benefits society as a whole. Civic engagement typically increases with education and studies have shown that crime rates decline as educational achievement goes up.
With those statistics in mind, researchers at ConsumersAdvocate.org decided to analyze educational achievement data for the largest 200 cities in the country. Here are the top 25 most educated cities.
Methodology
Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2016 release of 5-year estimates. The “Education Rating” was calculated using educational attainment data for the adult populations (over the age of 25) in each of the 200 largest U.S. cities. This rating was calculated by dividing the “Actual Educational Achievement” of each city by the “Possible Educational Achievement,” and then converting the results to a 100-point scale. For each city, “Actual Educational Achievement” was calculated by multiplying the average number of years required to earn a particular degree (high school diploma or equivalent, bachelor’s, master’s, professional degree, or doctorate) by the total number of people that had earned that degree and then summing the results for each degree type. “Possible Educational Achievement” for each city was calculated by the multiplying the total population over 25 by the number of years required to earn a doctorate degree.
25. Atlanta, Georgia
- Education Rating: 78.8
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 27%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 19%
- Doctorate Degree: 2%
24. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Education Rating: 79.3
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 32%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 15%
- Doctorate Degree: 2%
23. Thousand Oaks, California
- Education Rating: 79.5
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 29%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 18%
- Doctorate Degree: 3%
22. Stamford, Connecticut
- Education Rating: 79.9
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 26%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 19%
- Doctorate Degree: 2%
21. Pasadena, California
- Education Rating: 80
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 27%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 19%
- Doctorate Degree: 5%
20. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Education Rating: 80.5
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 21%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 16%
- Doctorate Degree: 4%
19. Tallahassee, Florida
- Education Rating: 80.7
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 26%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 18%
- Doctorate Degree: 4%
18. San Francisco, California
- Education Rating: 81.3
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 33%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 19%
- Doctorate Degree: 3%
17. Charleston, South Carolina
- Education Rating: 82.2
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 31%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 16%
- Doctorate Degree: 2%
16. Plano, Texas
- Education Rating: 82.9
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 34%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 20%
- Doctorate Degree: 2%
15. Scottsdale, Arizona
- Education Rating: 83.9
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 34%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 19%
- Doctorate Degree: 2%
14. Fort Collins, Colorado
- Education Rating: 84.9
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 32%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 17%
- Doctorate Degree: 4%
13. Frisco, Texas
- Education Rating: 85.9
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 39%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 19%
- Doctorate Degree: 1%
12. Fremont, California
- Education Rating: 86.2
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 29%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 22%
- Doctorate Degree: 3%
11. Washington, District of Columbia
- Education Rating: 86.4
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 23%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 28%
- Doctorate Degree: 4%
10. Overland Park, Kansas
- Education Rating: 87.4
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 36%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 21%
- Doctorate Degree: 2%
9. Seattle, Washington
- Education Rating: 88
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 36%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 21%
- Doctorate Degree: 4%
8. Madison, Wisconsin
- Education Rating: 88.5
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 32%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 19%
- Doctorate Degree: 5%
7. Alexandria, Virginia
- Education Rating: 89.6
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 29%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 29%
- Doctorate Degree: 4%
6. Sunnyvale, California
- Education Rating: 89.9
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 30%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 26%
- Doctorate Degree: 5%
5. Bellevue, Washington
- Education Rating: 92.7
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 37%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 24%
- Doctorate Degree: 4%
4. Cary, North Carolina
- Education Rating: 94
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 37%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 22%
- Doctorate Degree: 5%
3. Naperville, Illinois
- Education Rating: 94.3
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 36%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 26%
- Doctorate Degree: 3%
2. Irvine, California
- Education Rating: 95
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 39%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 25%
- Doctorate Degree: 5%
1. Arlington, Virginia
- Education Rating: 100
- Adult Population With:
- Bachelor’s Degree: 35%
- Master’s or Professional Degree: 35%
- Doctorate Degree: 4%
