Looking for the brainiest cities in America? Two California spots are in the top 10, according to WalletHub.
The personal finance website recently ranked the most educated cities in the United States, comparing the 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas based on factors including the share of adults with bachelor’s degrees or higher and the quality of public schools and universities.
Each location then received a score, with 100 indicating the best possible levels of education.
“Cities want to attract highly educated workers to fuel their economic growth and tax revenues,” WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann wrote in a July 2 article titled “Most & Least Educated Cities in America (2024).” “Higher levels of education tend to lead to higher salaries, and the more that people earn, the more tax dollars they contribute over time.”
In turn, McCann wrote, “people want to live somewhere where they will get a good return on their educational investment.”
Ann Arbor, Michigan, was No. 1 on WalletHub’s list of most educated metropolitan areas with an overall score of 93.7 out 100.
The San Jose metro area came in second, and the Washington, D.C., metro area took third place.
Here’s where other California cities ranked.
What are the best cities in California for education?
San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara was the highest ranking California metropolitan area on WalletHub’s list of top spots for education, earning an overall score of 82.1 out of 100.
In the Silicon Valley, more than 54% of adults ages 25 and older have at least a bachelor’s degree, WalletHub said, and more than 26% have a graduate or professional degree.
San Jose ranked first in the country in terms of university quality, the site said.
Elsewhere in California, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley came in sixth place on WalletHub’s list of the most educated metro areas with an overall score of 80.76.
The metro area of Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom was No. 49 on the list, and the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro area was No. 52.
On the Central Coast, the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area landed at No. 64.
Central Valley cities appeared near the bottom of the list, with Fresno at No. 140 and Modesto at No. 146.
What are the top 10 most educated cities in the US?
These were the top 10 most educated metropolitan areas in the United States, according to WalletHub:
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
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San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara
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Washington, D.C. and Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia
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Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Madison, Wisconsin
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San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley
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Raleigh and Cary, North Carolina
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Austin, Round Rock and Georgetown, Texas
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Boston, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Newton, New Hampshire
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Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue, Washington
What are the 10 least educated cities in the nation?
These cities ranked the lowest in the nation in terms of education levels and quality schools, WalletHub said:
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No. 141: Corpus Christi, Texas
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No. 142: Salinas
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No. 143: Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas
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No. 144: Hickory, Lenoir and Morganton, North Carolina
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No. 145: Stockton
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No. 146: Modesto
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No. 147: Bakersfield
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No. 148: Brownsville and Harlingen, Texas
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No. 149: McAllen, Edinburg and Mission, Texas
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No. 150: Visalia
How did WalletHub come up with its rankings?
To identify the most and least educated cities in America, WalletHub compared the 150 most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas using 11 metrics.
Those metrics included the:
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Share of adults ages 25 and older with a high school diploma or higher
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Share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher
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Share of adults with a graduate or professional degree
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Quality of public school system
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Average quality of universities
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Enrolled students in top 857 universities per capita
Data came from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, GreatSchools.org and Yelp, and was current as of June 4.
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