Many cities might think they have the most skilled workforce or smartest residents. That can’t be measured, but we can discover which are the most educated cities and other places in America.
College towns surprisingly don’t dominate our list even though new grads often decide to stay and launch their careers in the city where they went to school.
To find the most educated places, NerdWallet analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data on the educational levels of residents in over 2,000 places. See the methodology section at the end of this article for more details.
High school and college graduation factor more heavily in our rankings than other levels of education because these are the two most common levels achieved. About 86% of Americans 25 years or older have at least graduated from high school, and 29% hold at least a bachelor’s degree. In contrast, only 8% of Americans have a master’s degree, 2% hold professional degrees and 1% have doctorates.
Key findings
Spoiler alert: East Coast wins. There were more places in Maryland and Massachusetts than in any other state in the top 20.
Silicon Valley is brainy, too. Cities such as Palo Alto, Cupertino and Menlo Park all ranked in the top 20, thanks to concentrations of tech workers at companies such as Apple and Facebook.
Holding steady. Seven places from last year’s list remained in the top 10. As well, the percentages of residents with at least a high school diploma increased from 11% in some places and up to 20% in other cities.
Most educated places in America
1. Bethesda, Maryland
For the third year in a row, Bethesda has earned the top spot of all educated communities on our list. Nearly 99% of residents over 25 years old have at least a high school diploma or an associate degree, and 81% hold at least a bachelor’s degree. As the headquarters of the National Institutes of Health, Lockheed Martin, other companies and government agencies, this community is home to professionals in fields such as biomedicine and engineering.
2. Brookline, Massachusetts
In this town that’s a hub for colleges, 13.8% of people hold professional degrees, the third-highest percentage on our list. The city is located in the heart of the Boston metropolitan area close to Boston College and Boston University, with Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology nearby. Brookline features industries specializing in technical expertise, such as medical centers, and community enrichment programs at Boston College Neighborhood Center.
3. Potomac, Maryland
About 13 miles from the center of Washington, D.C., Potomac is home to government officials, scientists and other specialists who commute to the capital. The community places highly on our list because at 15.4% it has the second-highest percentage of people with professional degrees. Potomac also includes some of the most affluent neighborhoods in the U.S.
4. Palo Alto, California
Home to Stanford University and its research centers, Palo Alto is a breeding ground for intellectuals with 80% of residents having earned at least a bachelor’s degree. The city is also headquarters of Silicon Valley companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Tesla Motors and Skype. Students at Palo Alto’s public schools are top performers, with 92% of graduates attending college.
5. McLean, Virginia
Like Potomac, McLean is home to many Washington, D.C., commuters, including members of Congress and other government officials. Major corporations, such as Hilton WorldWide and Capital One, are based here. Nearly 81% of residents, the third highest on our list, have earned bachelor’s degrees. This Virginia community is close to a host of universities in the capital area.
6. Princeton, New Jersey
You don’t need to look any further than this city’s name to know its connection to education. Princeton University is a member of the Ivy League, and at least three dozen Nobel Prize winners are on the faculty. Princeton is home to the highest percentage of residents with doctorates, 16%, on our list. Its public school district ranked seventh on NerdWallet’s Best School Districts for Your Buck in New Jersey, which considered students’ high average SAT scores, 93% graduation rate and other factors.
7. Newton, Massachusetts
Located about seven miles west of downtown Boston, Newton is a suburb with a strong mix of academic experts and medical practitioners. Boston College, MIT and Harvard are all nearby, as are Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The proximity to these medical centers contributes to Newton’s relatively high percentage of residents with a professional degree. Newton also is the location of the Peabody Award-winning New England Cable News.
8. Lexington, Massachusetts
Although fewer than 32,000 people live in this community, 97% graduated from high school and 14% went on to get a doctorate. Two of its public schools, Bridge Elementary and Jonas Clarke Middle School, have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools, a program that honors high-performing schools. Cambridge, which MIT and Harvard call home, is nearby.
9. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
About 95% of residents in Chapel Hill have at least a high school diploma and 76% have earned a bachelor’s degree, which is due in large part to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Medical students and professionals come to the area for UNC Health Care, a state-owned system of hospitals with ties to the university’s school of medicine. The city is also part of the Research Triangle that also includes Durham, with its Duke University, and Raleigh, the location of North Carolina State University.
10. Cupertino, California
This Silicon Valley city is the headquarters of Apple, which means it’s home to engineers and other tech professionals. About 31% of the residents have a master’s degree, which is the highest percentage of any city on this list.
100 most educated places in America
Scroll through this table to see the data on the 100 most-educated places in the U.S.
| Rank | City | Residents with a high school diploma or associate degree | Residents with a bachelor’s degree | Residents with a master’s degree | Residents with a doctorate | Residents with a professional degree | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bethesda, Maryland | 98.5% | 81.1% | 27.4% | 10.7% | 15.6% | 95.45 |
| 2 | Brookline, Massachusetts | 97.2% | 80.0% | 25.4% | 13.4% | 13.8% | 94.03 |
| 3 | Potomac, Maryland | 97.8% | 80.8% | 26.7% | 9.7% | 15.5% | 93.92 |
| 4 | Palo Alto, California | 97.6% | 79.9% | 28.7% | 13.4% | 9.3% | 92.45 |
| 5 | McLean, Virginia | 98.1% | 80.8% | 29.0% | 7.4% | 13.4% | 92.12 |
| 6 | Princeton, New Jersey | 95.4% | 79.6% | 28.5% | 16.2% | 8.3% | 91.97 |
| 7 | Newton, Massachusetts | 97.4% | 76.6% | 26.1% | 10.9% | 12.0% | 90.37 |
| 8 | Lexington, Massachusetts | 97.1% | 76.1% | 29.5% | 14.1% | 7.7% | 90.36 |
| 9 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 95.8% | 76.5% | 24.3% | 14.2% | 8.2% | 88.43 |
| 10 | Cupertino, California | 96.8% | 76.7% | 31.0% | 8.0% | 4.0% | 84.72 |
| 11 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 93.4% | 74.0% | 25.8% | 12.0% | 6.5% | 83.99 |
| 12 | Upper Arlington, Ohio | 98.5% | 73.6% | 17.6% | 6.7% | 10.2% | 83.42 |
| 13 | Davis, California | 95.3% | 70.2% | 19.3% | 12.9% | 8.2% | 83.24 |
| 14 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 96.3% | 70.4% | 24.4% | 10.9% | 6.4% | 83.24 |
| 15 | Boulder, Colorado | 96.5% | 73.6% | 23.7% | 9.6% | 5.1% | 82.68 |
| 16 | North Bethesda, Maryland | 95.3% | 70.2% | 21.6% | 9.7% | 8.3% | 82.07 |
| 17 | Shaker Heights, Ohio | 95.9% | 65.4% | 21.5% | 7.3% | 11.1% | 80.91 |
| 18 | Menlo Park, California | 92.6% | 70.6% | 26.3% | 6.8% | 7.7% | 79.93 |
| 19 | Northbrook, Illinois | 97.4% | 69.3% | 18.1% | 3.1% | 10.9% | 79.55 |
| 20 | Berkeley, California | 95.2% | 69.2% | 22.2% | 8.7% | 5.7% | 79.53 |
| 21 | Arlington, Virginia | 93.4% | 72.1% | 24.9% | 3.9% | 9.0% | 79.53 |
| 22 | Highland Park, Illinois | 95.1% | 69.0% | 19.4% | 4.1% | 11.2% | 79.22 |
| 23 | Carmel, Indiana | 98.4% | 69.0% | 19.5% | 5.0% | 6.8% | 79.03 |
| 24 | Evanston, Illinois | 94.1% | 67.2% | 23.5% | 7.6% | 6.9% | 78.64 |
| 25 | Oak Park, Illinois | 96.5% | 65.9% | 23.0% | 5.0% | 8.1% | 78.60 |
| 26 | Short Pump, Virginia | 97.5% | 70.5% | 21.4% | 3.1% | 6.9% | 78.49 |
| 27 | Vestavia Hills, Alabama | 97.7% | 66.5% | 17.9% | 4.6% | 9.3% | 78.43 |
| 28 | Catalina Foothills, Arizona | 98.0% | 62.8% | 18.3% | 7.2% | 8.0% | 78.16 |
| 29 | Rockville, Maryland | 94.1% | 63.8% | 19.7% | 9.8% | 7.3% | 77.68 |
| 30 | Arlington, Massachusetts | 95.2% | 66.3% | 23.5% | 8.3% | 3.8% | 77.45 |
| 31 | Oakton, Virginia | 93.7% | 68.6% | 26.4% | 4.9% | 5.1% | 77.04 |
| 32 | Sammamish, Washington | 98.1% | 71.5% | 19.6% | 3.0% | 3.7% | 76.67 |
| 33 | Westfield, New Jersey | 96.8% | 66.7% | 18.4% | 4.0% | 7.3% | 76.48 |
| 34 | Summit, New Jersey | 94.3% | 67.6% | 20.8% | 4.7% | 6.9% | 76.20 |
| 35 | Hoboken, New Jersey | 93.2% | 75.6% | 19.3% | 2.8% | 5.7% | 76.18 |
| 36 | Chesterfield, Missouri | 97.8% | 65.5% | 19.8% | 3.0% | 6.3% | 75.83 |
| 37 | Ellicott City, Maryland | 95.7% | 65.4% | 20.7% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 75.83 |
| 38 | Coral Gables, Florida | 95.2% | 60.5% | 14.0% | 4.7% | 12.9% | 75.74 |
| 39 | Brighton, New York | 94.4% | 62.2% | 21.2% | 6.1% | 7.6% | 75.70 |
| 40 | Columbia, Maryland | 95.5% | 64.9% | 21.9% | 5.1% | 5.2% | 75.51 |
| 41 | Santa Monica, California | 95.2% | 65.5% | 15.7% | 4.4% | 8.9% | 75.40 |
| 42 | Carrboro, North Carolina | 90.9% | 64.3% | 19.4% | 8.3% | 7.9% | 75.23 |
| 43 | Syosset, New York | 96.2% | 64.7% | 21.0% | 2.7% | 6.9% | 75.14 |
| 44 | Ithaca, New York | 93.6% | 61.9% | 25.5% | 8.8% | 2.9% | 75.04 |
| 45 | Farragut, Tennessee | 97.5% | 62.2% | 18.4% | 6.9% | 3.9% | 74.84 |
| 46 | Foster City, California | 96.1% | 63.6% | 20.8% | 5.9% | 4.0% | 74.71 |
| 47 | Newport Beach, California | 97.6% | 64.5% | 15.5% | 2.9% | 7.6% | 74.71 |
| 48 | Reston, Virginia | 96.1% | 66.6% | 22.1% | 3.3% | 4.1% | 74.69 |
| 49 | Towson, Maryland | 95.0% | 61.3% | 20.3% | 5.7% | 6.7% | 74.63 |
| 50 | Iowa City, Iowa | 95.0% | 58.7% | 16.1% | 9.1% | 7.0% | 74.52 |
| 51 | San Ramon, California | 97.4% | 66.2% | 17.9% | 3.4% | 4.6% | 74.42 |
| 52 | Wildwood, Missouri | 97.8% | 65.8% | 17.9% | 2.5% | 5.3% | 74.41 |
| 53 | Irvine, California | 96.6% | 64.3% | 17.6% | 4.0% | 5.9% | 74.32 |
| 54 | Prairie Village, Kansas | 98.1% | 64.9% | 18.0% | 2.5% | 5.2% | 74.16 |
| 55 | Ames, Iowa | 97.1% | 62.4% | 15.2% | 9.4% | 2.1% | 74.08 |
| 56 | Olney, Maryland | 96.5% | 62.0% | 18.0% | 4.2% | 6.4% | 73.95 |
| 57 | Naperville, Illinois | 96.3% | 65.0% | 21.3% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 73.81 |
| 58 | Mountain View, California | 91.8% | 64.2% | 22.6% | 7.1% | 4.2% | 73.76 |
| 59 | West Hartford, Connecticut | 93.9% | 59.2% | 19.8% | 4.1% | 9.3% | 73.64 |
| 60 | Beverly Hills, California | 94.5% | 58.6% | 13.0% | 5.2% | 11.3% | 73.54 |
| 61 | South Pasadena, California | 95.6% | 60.9% | 15.6% | 5.2% | 7.3% | 73.28 |
| 62 | Libertyville, Illinois | 96.4% | 65.0% | 20.5% | 2.8% | 3.7% | 73.22 |
| 63 | Auburn, Alabama | 94.9% | 61.3% | 16.5% | 9.2% | 3.1% | 73.20 |
| 64 | South Riding, Virginia | 96.7% | 67.5% | 20.8% | 1.6% | 2.5% | 72.96 |
| 65 | Burke, Virginia | 95.7% | 63.4% | 24.0% | 2.3% | 3.6% | 72.91 |
| 66 | Walnut Creek, California | 97.3% | 61.6% | 15.9% | 3.6% | 5.9% | 72.90 |
| 67 | Haslett, Michigan | 96.3% | 58.4% | 18.1% | 6.1% | 5.1% | 72.79 |
| 68 | Coralville, Iowa | 95.7% | 58.5% | 14.3% | 5.9% | 7.7% | 72.78 |
| 69 | Rockville Centre, New York | 95.3% | 60.1% | 21.3% | 2.3% | 6.6% | 72.44 |
| 70 | North Tustin, California | 97.6% | 58.9% | 15.0% | 2.7% | 7.7% | 72.43 |
| 71 | Northampton, Massachusetts | 94.0% | 55.6% | 19.2% | 7.5% | 6.5% | 72.39 |
| 72 | El Cerrito, California | 94.3% | 59.5% | 17.2% | 7.9% | 4.4% | 72.34 |
| 73 | Buffalo Grove, Illinois | 97.2% | 62.7% | 19.9% | 2.6% | 3.3% | 72.25 |
| 74 | Corvallis, Oregon | 96.3% | 58.9% | 14.7% | 7.6% | 3.9% | 72.03 |
| 75 | Claremont, California | 93.6% | 57.4% | 16.5% | 8.5% | 5.4% | 71.93 |
| 76 | Glenview, Illinois | 95.6% | 60.4% | 17.3% | 2.1% | 7.0% | 71.69 |
| 77 | Bellevue, Washington | 95.4% | 62.1% | 18.6% | 3.5% | 4.2% | 71.67 |
| 78 | Kirkwood, Missouri | 96.4% | 61.2% | 16.6% | 2.5% | 5.4% | 71.41 |
| 79 | Palmetto Bay, Florida | 95.8% | 56.7% | 14.4% | 4.7% | 7.5% | 71.35 |
| 80 | Pikesville, Maryland | 95.8% | 55.7% | 15.9% | 3.8% | 8.0% | 71.22 |
| 81 | Coppell, Texas | 96.5% | 61.7% | 17.7% | 2.1% | 4.4% | 71.15 |
| 82 | Dix Hills, New York | 94.5% | 58.9% | 16.4% | 2.1% | 8.7% | 71.15 |
| 83 | Bloomington, Indiana | 92.9% | 57.1% | 20.4% | 9.4% | 1.9% | 70.97 |
| 84 | Watertown, Massachusetts | 95.0% | 59.6% | 19.1% | 4.5% | 3.8% | 70.96 |
| 85 | Cary, North Carolina | 94.9% | 61.7% | 19.0% | 4.3% | 2.8% | 70.89 |
| 86 | Alexandria, Virginia | 90.7% | 61.7% | 20.5% | 3.4% | 6.6% | 70.70 |
| 87 | Redmond, Washington | 95.2% | 61.6% | 22.9% | 2.7% | 1.8% | 70.67 |
| 88 | Weston, Florida | 97.1% | 58.3% | 16.0% | 2.1% | 6.0% | 70.65 |
| 89 | Newark, Delaware | 94.7% | 57.1% | 17.5% | 6.8% | 3.3% | 70.37 |
| 90 | Ilchester, Maryland | 93.9% | 59.2% | 22.6% | 2.8% | 4.1% | 70.35 |
| 91 | Dunwoody, Georgia | 91.5% | 64.0% | 19.8% | 2.1% | 5.5% | 70.28 |
| 92 | Wheaton, Illinois | 95.6% | 60.5% | 18.1% | 2.4% | 3.9% | 70.20 |
| 93 | Plainview, New York | 95.6% | 55.9% | 19.9% | 1.2% | 7.0% | 70.20 |
| 94 | Issaquah, Washington | 97.9% | 58.2% | 17.2% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 70.09 |
| 95 | Winter Park, Florida | 94.7% | 55.9% | 15.0% | 2.9% | 8.3% | 69.97 |
| 96 | Laramie, Wyoming | 96.7% | 54.8% | 14.1% | 7.0% | 3.5% | 69.95 |
| 97 | The Woodlands, Texas | 97.2% | 59.8% | 14.0% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 69.82 |
| 98 | Homewood, Alabama | 92.8% | 59.7% | 13.4% | 3.2% | 8.2% | 69.78 |
| 99 | Johns Creek, Georgia | 95.0% | 62.9% | 18.4% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 69.71 |
| 100 | Highlands Ranch, Colorado | 98.0% | 60.6% | 16.4% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 69.58 |
Most educated large cities
We also looked at the largest cities, places with 201,000 people or more, to see how they compared. In all of the top 10 big cities, at least 86% of residents have bachelor’s or associate degrees. Scroll through this table to see the data on the nation’s largest cities.
| Rank | City | Residents with a high school diploma or associate degree | Residents with a bachelor’s degree | Residents with a master’s degree | Residents with a doctorate | Residents with a professional degree | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arlington, Virginia | 93.4% | 72.1% | 24.9% | 3.9% | 9.0% | 79.53 |
| 2 | Irvine, California | 96.6% | 64.3% | 17.6% | 4.0% | 5.9% | 74.32 |
| 3 | Madison, Wisconsin | 94.9% | 53.7% | 15.5% | 5.0% | 3.9% | 67.91 |
| 4 | Seattle, Washington | 93.2% | 57.8% | 15.0% | 3.4% | 4.9% | 67.88 |
| 5 | Scottsdale, Arizona | 96.5% | 53.2% | 13.9% | 2.2% | 5.4% | 67.35 |
| 6 | Washington, D.C. | 88.6% | 53.5% | 18.1% | 3.9% | 8.5% | 66.97 |
| 7 | Plano, Texas | 93.4% | 53.7% | 15.9% | 1.7% | 2.8% | 64.30 |
| 8 | Fremont, California | 91.6% | 51.5% | 18.4% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 63.64 |
| 9 | San Francisco, California | 86.5% | 52.9% | 13.5% | 2.4% | 4.9% | 60.71 |
| 10 | Atlanta, Georgia | 88.9% | 48.2% | 12.9% | 2.2% | 4.8% | 60.08 |
| 11 | Durham, North Carolina | 86.8% | 46.1% | 12.8% | 4.9% | 3.7% | 58.86 |
| 12 | Portland, Oregon | 90.9% | 44.4% | 12.3% | 2.1% | 3.6% | 58.85 |
| 13 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 88.6% | 47.0% | 11.7% | 2.3% | 3.8% | 58.36 |
| 14 | Raleigh, North Carolina | 89.5% | 47.0% | 11.1% | 2.0% | 2.7% | 57.93 |
| 15 | Gilbert, Arizona | 95.2% | 40.1% | 9.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 57.20 |
| 16 | Boise City, Idaho | 94.1% | 38.9% | 10.2% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 56.93 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 91.2% | 37.3% | 11.3% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 56.88 |
| 18 | Austin, Texas | 87.1% | 45.8% | 11.5% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 56.31 |
| 19 | Lexington, Kentucky | 89.1% | 40.7% | 10.8% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 56.29 |
| 20 | Boston, Massachusetts | 84.8% | 43.8% | 12.6% | 2.9% | 4.3% | 55.80 |
| 21 | Chandler, Arizona | 91.3% | 40.0% | 11.5% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 55.74 |
| 22 | Denver, Colorado | 86.1% | 44.1% | 11.5% | 1.9% | 3.9% | 55.49 |
| 23 | San Diego, California | 87.3% | 41.9% | 10.6% | 3.0% | 3.4% | 55.44 |
| 24 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | 93.3% | 36.6% | 11.1% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 55.33 |
| 25 | Lincoln, Nebraska | 93.1% | 36.7% | 8.3% | 2.7% | 1.9% | 55.25 |
| 26 | Jersey City, New Jersey | 85.6% | 42.3% | 12.5% | 1.5% | 2.7% | 53.82 |
| 27 | Virginia Beach, Virginia | 94.0% | 33.7% | 8.8% | 1.0% | 2.0% | 53.76 |
| 28 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 88.6% | 40.6% | 9.5% | 1.0% | 2.2% | 53.45 |
| 29 | St. Paul, Minnesota | 86.5% | 38.9% | 9.9% | 2.4% | 3.5% | 53.31 |
| 30 | Anchorage, Alaska | 92.5% | 32.4% | 8.4% | 1.3% | 2.4% | 52.73 |
| 31 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 89.2% | 33.6% | 10.2% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 52.28 |
| 32 | Greensboro, North Carolina | 88.3% | 36.7% | 9.5% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 51.90 |
| 33 | Henderson, Nevada | 92.3% | 30.4% | 7.8% | 1.1% | 2.7% | 51.65 |
| 34 | Honolulu, Hawaii | 88.0% | 35.0% | 8.2% | 1.9% | 2.6% | 51.33 |
| 35 | Nashville, Tennessee | 86.7% | 35.7% | 8.4% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 50.86 |
| 36 | Orlando, Florida | 88.9% | 33.7% | 7.9% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 50.51 |
| 37 | Oakland, California | 80.9% | 39.1% | 11.2% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 50.42 |
| 38 | Tampa, Florida | 86.5% | 33.9% | 8.4% | 1.7% | 3.2% | 50.27 |
| 39 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 84.5% | 34.2% | 8.4% | 2.2% | 4.2% | 50.09 |
| 40 | Omaha, Nebraska | 87.6% | 33.3% | 7.7% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 49.96 |
| 41 | Columbus, Ohio | 88.2% | 33.0% | 8.1% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 49.85 |
| 42 | Spokane, Washington | 90.8% | 28.5% | 7.4% | 1.3% | 2.3% | 49.75 |
| 43 | Kansas City, Missouri | 88.0% | 31.9% | 8.4% | 1.1% | 2.3% | 49.59 |
| 44 | San Jose, California | 82.5% | 37.6% | 10.7% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 49.09 |
| 45 | Chesapeake, Virginia | 90.4% | 28.6% | 8.3% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 48.97 |
| 46 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 85.6% | 32.3% | 7.9% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 48.92 |
| 47 | St. Petersburg, Florida | 88.6% | 29.1% | 7.0% | 1.2% | 2.2% | 48.39 |
| 48 | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 84.4% | 32.9% | 8.1% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 48.28 |
| 49 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 86.9% | 30.4% | 6.6% | 1.1% | 2.5% | 47.81 |
| 50 | Richmond, Virginia | 81.8% | 34.7% | 9.3% | 1.4% | 2.8% | 47.54 |
| 51 | Montgomery, Alabama | 85.5% | 31.0% | 8.5% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 47.52 |
| 52 | Cincinnati, Ohio | 84.0% | 31.4% | 8.6% | 1.7% | 2.6% | 47.47 |
| 53 | Chicago, Illinois | 81.4% | 34.4% | 9.4% | 1.4% | 2.9% | 47.23 |
| 54 | Reno, Nevada | 85.5% | 29.7% | 6.8% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 47.22 |
| 55 | Fayetteville, North Carolina | 90.7% | 24.2% | 6.0% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 46.81 |
| 56 | Louisville, Kentucky | 86.9% | 27.0% | 8.0% | 1.3% | 2.0% | 46.80 |
| 57 | Wichita, Kansas | 87.6% | 28.3% | 7.1% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 46.75 |
| 58 | New York, New York | 79.9% | 34.9% | 9.9% | 1.4% | 3.0% | 46.73 |
| 59 | Lubbock, Texas | 85.4% | 28.8% | 6.7% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 46.40 |
| 60 | St. Louis, Missouri | 83.1% | 30.3% | 8.4% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 46.31 |
| 61 | Irving, Texas | 80.2% | 35.2% | 10.4% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 46.00 |
| 62 | Tacoma, Washington | 87.9% | 25.2% | 6.8% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 45.93 |
| 63 | Norfolk, Virginia | 86.4% | 25.7% | 7.0% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 45.59 |
| 64 | Jacksonville, Florida | 87.9% | 25.7% | 5.5% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 45.52 |
| 65 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | 87.8% | 25.3% | 6.2% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 45.42 |
| 66 | Sacramento, California | 83.1% | 29.2% | 6.6% | 1.3% | 2.7% | 45.30 |
| 67 | Des Moines, Iowa | 87.7% | 25.3% | 5.2% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 45.08 |
| 68 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 84.4% | 28.3% | 6.4% | 1.0% | 2.0% | 45.00 |
| 69 | Shreveport, Louisiana | 85.4% | 25.7% | 6.3% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 44.93 |
| 70 | Aurora, Colorado | 85.9% | 26.9% | 6.4% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 44.93 |
| 71 | Arlington, Texas | 84.6% | 29.2% | 6.6% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 44.92 |
| 72 | Mesa, Arizona | 87.3% | 24.7% | 6.5% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 44.84 |
| 73 | Indianapolis, Indiana | 84.8% | 27.3% | 6.7% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 44.82 |
| 74 | Baltimore, Maryland | 80.9% | 27.5% | 8.3% | 1.9% | 2.7% | 44.16 |
| 75 | Birmingham, Alabama | 84.2% | 24.0% | 5.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 43.49 |
| 76 | Tucson, Arizona | 83.9% | 24.5% | 6.9% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 43.34 |
| 77 | Buffalo, New York | 82.1% | 24.8% | 8.2% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 42.89 |
| 78 | Memphis, Tennessee | 82.8% | 24.5% | 5.8% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 42.45 |
| 79 | Long Beach, California | 79.2% | 28.8% | 7.1% | 1.2% | 2.1% | 42.39 |
| 80 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 81.4% | 24.4% | 6.6% | 1.3% | 2.2% | 42.06 |
| 81 | Phoenix, Arizona | 80.6% | 26.5% | 6.5% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 41.83 |
| 82 | Chula Vista, California | 81.0% | 26.6% | 6.2% | 0.6% | 1.6% | 41.72 |
| 83 | San Antonio, Texas | 81.2% | 25.1% | 6.3% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 41.53 |
| 84 | Houston, Texas | 76.2% | 30.0% | 7.4% | 1.5% | 2.4% | 41.43 |
| 85 | Rochester, New York | 80.6% | 24.5% | 7.5% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 41.19 |
| 86 | Fort Worth, Texas | 79.8% | 26.6% | 6.7% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 41.02 |
| 87 | Los Angeles, California | 74.8% | 31.3% | 6.6% | 1.2% | 2.6% | 40.84 |
| 88 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 83.0% | 21.7% | 5.2% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 40.81 |
| 89 | Glendale, Arizona | 83.2% | 21.4% | 5.7% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 40.51 |
| 90 | Paradise, Nevada | 84.2% | 20.4% | 4.1% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 40.35 |
| 91 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 81.7% | 22.5% | 5.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 40.24 |
| 92 | Dallas, Texas | 74.2% | 29.6% | 7.3% | 1.1% | 2.7% | 40.00 |
| 93 | Toledo, Ohio | 84.5% | 16.9% | 4.5% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 39.19 |
| 94 | Corpus Christi, Texas | 81.1% | 20.6% | 5.2% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 39.05 |
| 95 | Riverside, California | 78.1% | 22.3% | 6.4% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 38.76 |
| 96 | Modesto, California | 81.5% | 18.1% | 4.2% | 0.5% | 1.6% | 38.07 |
| 97 | El Paso, Texas | 77.3% | 23.0% | 5.5% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 37.64 |
| 98 | Bakersfield, California | 78.7% | 20.2% | 4.4% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 37.22 |
| 99 | Anaheim, California | 74.8% | 24.3% | 4.8% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 36.64 |
| 100 | Garland, Texas | 76.6% | 20.9% | 4.4% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 35.62 |
| 101 | Miami, Florida | 72.0% | 23.3% | 5.1% | 0.8% | 3.0% | 35.46 |
| 102 | Fresno, California | 75.0% | 19.6% | 3.7% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 34.56 |
| 103 | Cleveland, Ohio | 77.4% | 15.5% | 3.8% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 34.26 |
| 104 | North Las Vegas, Nevada | 78.1% | 14.7% | 3.6% | 0.3% | 0.9% | 33.85 |
| 105 | Detroit, Michigan | 77.7% | 13.0% | 4.0% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 33.12 |
| 106 | Stockton, California | 74.6% | 17.1% | 3.3% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 33.07 |
| 107 | Fontana, California | 71.3% | 15.6% | 3.3% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 29.64 |
| 108 | Newark, New Jersey | 71.0% | 13.0% | 3.0% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 28.52 |
| 109 | Hialeah, Florida | 70.7% | 13.6% | 2.2% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 28.34 |
| 110 | Laredo, Texas | 65.4% | 16.8% | 3.9% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 26.99 |
| 111 | Oxnard, California | 65.3% | 15.9% | 3.1% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 26.16 |
| 112 | San Bernardino, California | 68.0% | 11.0% | 2.7% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 25.70 |
| 113 | Santa Ana, California | 54.2% | 10.9% | 1.9% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 16.89 |
Methodology
To find the most educated places, NerdWallet analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data from the American Community Survey on the educational levels of residents in over 2,000 places — cities, towns, villages and census-designated places. We calculated the overall score for each place by using the following factors:
- The percentage of residents with at least a high school diploma or associate degree is 40% of the score.
- The percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree is 30% of the score.
- The percentage of residents with at least a master’s degree is 10% of the score.
- The percentage of residents with a doctorate degree is 10% of the score.
- The percentage of residents with a professional degree is 10% of the score.
Palmer Square, Princeton, New Jersey, image via iStock.
