What are the most and least educated cities in USA? Financial website WalletHub thinks it knows.
The company based its rankings of 150 metropolitan areas on eleven factors including percentage of people with or without a high school diploma or bachelor's degree, the quality of local universities and colleges and the gaps in education between men and women or races.
"Higher levels of education tend to lead to higher salaries," WalletHub wrote in a news release. "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."
However, they note people are motivated by different things.
Education US Cities, Wikimedia Commons
"Not all highly educated people will flock to the same areas, though," they wrote. "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."
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Ann Arbor, Michigan (third year in a row)
Washington, DC Metropolitan Area
Silicon Valley, California
Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina
San Francisco-Oakland, California
Madison, Wisconsin
Boston Metropolitan Area
Austin, Texas
Seattle, Washington
Bridgeport Metropolitan Area, Connecticut
Ocala, Florida
Fresno, California
Stockton-Lodi, California
Salinas, California
Hickory, North Carolina
Modesto, California
Bakersfield, California
McAllen, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Visalia-Porterville, California (VOA)