Congratulations, Colorado. In a new study by WalletHub, two of our cities rank in the top 20 of the U.S.'s most educated metro areas!
Across the country, the growing excitement for the start of school is almost palpable. We're pressing the wrinkles out of those first-day-of-school outfits and catching whiffs of freshly sharpened pencils. But where is education the most valued? Which cities have the most highly-educated populations? WalletHub set out to determine just that. Using nine key metrics over two key dimensions, their analysts have ranked 150 of the U.S.'s most populated cities, and two Colorado cities rank pretty highly: No. 16 (Denver metro area) and No. 17 (Colorado Springs). [caption id="attachment_20104" align="aligncenter" width="698"] Image courtesy of WalletHub[/caption] Coming in as the top most-educated city was Ann Arbor, MI, closely followed by Washington, D.C. (No. 2); San Jose, CA (No. 3); Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (No. 4); and Madison, WI (No. 5). The two key dimensions used were "Educational Attainment" (the city's share of adults over the age of 25 with certain levels of education) and the "Quality of Education & Attainment Gap" (measuring the city's quality of schools, number of enrolled students in top colleges, and the lack of racial and gender education gaps).
Denver ranked 14th in Educational Attainment and 65th in Quality of Education & Attainment Gap, while Colorado Springs came in 11th in Educational Attainment and 91st in Quality of Education & Attainment Gap. This means Colorado Springs, specifically, came in pretty high on two of the individual metrics' lists:
[caption id="attachment_20105" align="aligncenter" width="698"] Image courtesy of WalletHub[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_20106" align="aligncenter" width="691"] Image courtesy of WalletHub[/caption]
Our overall rankings at No. 16 and No. 17 place Denver and Colorado Springs in the top 11 percent of educated cities in the country. That's pretty incredible!
Wondering who came in as the least-educated? McAllen, TX, came in at No. 150; Brownsville, TX, at No. 149; Visalia-Porterville, CA, at No. 148; Bakersfield, CA, at No. 147; and Modesto, CA, at No. 146.
Having a highly-educated population can really pay off for cities in the long-run.
College opens many doors," the report states. "Besides providing invaluable cultural experiences and the opportunity to build lifelong connections, a college education can lead to better job opportunities and increase future earning potential. And the more degree holders earn, the more tax dollars they contribute over time, according to the Economic Policy Institute."In fact, the median hourly wage in some of the least-educated states is $15. In comparison, states where 40 percent or more of residents hold a bachelor’s degree (or higher) boast a median hourly wage is $19 to $20. For the full report and to read the details of the study's methodology, click here. Are you surprised by the results of this report? Are you proud of where Colorado cities rank? Tell us in the comment section!