New Forbes Advisor research gathered several education metrics for the 100 largest U.S. cities by population. The analysis found that Atlanta, Georgia is the most educated city in the U.S., followed by Arlington, Virginia and St. Petersburg, Florida.
In the U.S., people with higher levels of education tend to earn higher salaries. In fact, according to median usual weekly earnings data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), workers with bachelor’s degrees make $594 more than those with only a high school diploma.
As a result, the survey found that the most educated cities in the U.S. are primed to produce more innovation and tax revenue.
This attracts companies looking for educated workers, which in turn leads to an even higher concentration of highly educated individuals.
The average percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds with any postsecondary degree increased from 43% as of 2012 to 50% as of 2022.
The National Center for Education Statistics reported that at four-year institutions, average tuition and fees in 2022–23 were $9,800 for public institutions, which was 5% lower than $10,400 in 2012–2013.
Additionally, in 2022–23,the average tuition and fees were $18,200 for private for-profit institutions, which was 14% lower than $21,100 in 2012–13; and $40,700 for private nonprofit institutions, which was 8% higher than $37,600 in 2012–2013.
The survey also found the average total cost of attendance — which factors in living expenses and grant and scholarship aid — for first-time, full-time undergraduate students living on campus at four-year degree-granting institutions was higher at private nonprofit institutions ($58,600) than at private for-profit institutions ($33,600) and public institutions ($27,100).
Additionally, the NCES data showed that in 1972, more men graduated with a bachelor’s degree than women by a 12% gap.
By 1982, women caught up, earning roughly the same number of degrees as men. And as of the 2021–2022 academic year, women earned about 59% of all bachelor’s degrees conferred.
In 2022, 6.3% of men aged 16 to 24 dropped out, compared with 4.3% of women. While 44% of women aged 18 to 24 were enrolled in college in 2022, that number was just 34% for men.
The NCES also reported that in 2022, the high school dropout rate among white 16- to 24-year-olds was 4.3%, compared to 5.7% among Black students in the same age group and 7.9% of their Hispanic peers.
Native Americans saw the highest dropout rate at 9.9%, and Asian students saw the lowest at just 1.9%.
In 2022, 36% of Black young adults aged 18 to 24 enrolled in college, while white students enrolled at 44%, Hispanic students saw a 33% enrollment rate and Native American students enrolled at a rate of 26%. Asian Americans enrolled in college at the highest rate: 61%.
The 2022 Census data reported the following rates of attaining a bachelor’s degree or higher by racial and ethnic identity: Asian: 32.6%; Black: 17.1%; Hispanic of any race: 14.5%; Native American in combination with one or more other races: 21.8%; Native American: 15.5%; Non-Hispanic white: 26.1%; White: 23.9%.
So what are the most educated cities in the U.S.?
The cities topping their list do not just simply have the highest concentrations of college graduates; their ranking also considers high school dropout rates, graduate degree attainment rates, and gender and racial gaps in degree completion rates.
The Most Educated Cities in the U.S.
Atlanta, GeorgiaArlington, Virginia St. Petersburg, FloridaSan Antonio, TexasSan Diego, CaliforniaPhoenix, ArizonaAustin, TexasCleveland, OhioReno, NevadaRaleigh, North Carolina
Methodology:
To determine the most educated cities, Forbes Education gathered several education metrics for the 100 largest U.S. cities by population from the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Communities Survey.
These metrics included the high school dropout rate, which shows the percentage of adults age 18 and older without a high school diploma; the percentage of adults age 25 and older with some college, but no degree; the undergraduate college completion rate, which shows the percentage of adults age 25 and older without a bachelor’s degree or higher; and the percentage of adults age 25 and older with an advanced degree.
Forbes Education also accounted for educational equity with two other lower-weighted metrics, the racial college completion gap, and the gender college completion gap. The racial gap was determined by subtracting the college completion rate for all students from the college completion rate for only white students, to show which states non-white students faced the biggest obstacles.
The gender gap was determined by taking the absolute value of the difference between male and female graduation rates in each city; this method allowed us to measure the gender gap in each city regardless of which gender it favored.
