4 North Carolina Cities Ranks As One Of The Least Educated
When choosing a place to live there are a lot of factors that play into that decision. You want a good education for your children, but additionally living in a…
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(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)When choosing a place to live there are a lot of factors that play into that decision. You want a good education for your children, but additionally living in a highly educated area has other benefits. More education means higher salaries, which in turn means economic growth and higher tax revenues. The good news is two North Carolina cities made the top 10 for the most educated. The bad news? 4 North Carolina cities were ranked in the bottom 50 of the least educated. This is according to WalletHub's latest list. The list is 2022’s Most & Least Educated Cities in America.
How do you determine the most educated cities? WalletHub compared the 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas across 11 key metrics. They measured the share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Then looked at this number against the quality of the public-school system to the gender education gap.
Another major city, missing from this list was sitting at 53. Which out of 150 is still the top half at least. What does this mean? There is a wide variety in the education levels throughout the state of North Carolina. So when choosing where to live in the state, it is important to do your research.
Four North Carolina Cities Rank In The Bottom 50 Educated Cities In The Country
100. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
Pennsylvania Welcomes You road sign at the state border
Total Score: 48.57
Educational Attainment: 97
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 94
101. Greensboro-High Point, NC
Greensboro, North Carolina skyline from the west. (Photo: Raynor Garey/Getty Images)
Total Score: 48.41
Educational Attainment: 105
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 37
102. Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
Florida directional sign
Total Score: 48.16
Educational Attainment: 98
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 103
103. Toledo, OH
WELCOME TO OHIO - traffic sign message
Total Score: 47.29
Educational Attainment: 104
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 92
104. Memphis, TN
Beale St, Memphis
Total Score: 46.59
Educational Attainment: 103
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 114
105. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
Total Score:
Educational Attainment:
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap:
106. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
Florida directional sign
Total Score: 46.40
Educational Attainment: 107
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 93
107. Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
Total Score: 46.36
Educational Attainment: 111
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 36
108. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
Iowa state of United States flag on flagpole textile cloth fabric waving on the top sunrise mist fog
Total Score:46.32
Educational Attainment: 102
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 141
109. Fort Wayne, IN
Aerial view over the downtown city skyline of Fort Wayne Indiana USA
Total Score: 46.08
Educational Attainment: 108
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 86
110. Tulsa, OK
Total Score: 45.36
Educational Attainment: 110
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 102
111. Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem North Carolina NC Downtown Skyline Aerial at Sunset.
Total Score: 45.20
Educational Attainment: 120
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 19
112. Chattanooga, TN-GA
Tennessee welcomes you sign at he state border
Total Score: 44.92
Educational Attainment: 112
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 77
113. Baton Rouge, LA
Louisiana stateline sign
Total Score: 44.91
Educational Attainment: 114
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 65
114. Fayetteville, NC
The turnabout on Hay Street passes by a historic location in Fayetteville NC
Total Score: 44.88
Educational Attainment: 116
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 51
115. Salisbury, MD-DE
Total Score: 44.16
Educational Attainment: 106
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 143
116. Salem, OR
Travelers will be welcomed to Oregon by this sign on I-5
Total Score: 43.45
Educational Attainment: 121
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 45
117. Port St. Lucie, FL
Florida directional sign
Total Score: 42.87
Educational Attainment: 119
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 99
118. Killeen-Temple, TX
State flag of Texas waving in the wind. Dramatic sky background. 3d illustration.
Total Score: 42.83
Educational Attainment: 113
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 125
119. Augusta-Richmond Country, CA-SC
Total Score: 42.12
Educational Attainment: 117
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 129
120. Vallejo, CA
California state - road sign map
Total Score: 41.93
Educational Attainment: 109
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 148
121. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Discount Tire Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Total Score: 41.33
Educational Attainment: 118
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 138
122. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
Aerial view of Las Vegas strip in Nevada as seen at night USA
Total Score: 41.25
Educational Attainment: 126
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 32
123. Gulfport-Biloxi, MS
Mississippi State welcome sign along the US Highway 61 in the USA; Concept for travel in America and Road Trip in America
Total Score: 41.13
Educational Attainment: 122
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 108
124. Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
Pennsylvania Welcomes You road sign at the state border
Total Score: 40.42
Educational Attainment: 123
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 119
125. Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
Total Score: 40.09
Educational Attainment: 125
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 101
126. Lancaster, PA
Pennsylvania Welcomes You road sign at the state border
Total Score: 39.67
Educational Attainment: 128
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 73
127. Flint, MI
Michigan Welcome Sign - summer time.
Total Score: 39.49
Educational Attainment: 124
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 126
128. Canton-Massillon, OH
WELCOME TO OHIO - traffic sign message
Total Score: 39.48
Educational Attainment: 129
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 75
129. York-Hanover, PA
Pennsylvania Welcomes You road sign at the state border
Total Score: 39.10
Educational Attainment: 127
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 98
130. Reading, PA
Pennsylvania Welcomes You road sign at the state border
Total Score: 37.17
Educational Attainment: 131
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 113
131. Rockford, IL
Total Score: 36.92
Educational Attainment: 130
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 131
132. Mobile, AL
Total Score: 36.88
Educational Attainment: 132
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 80
133. Lafayette, LA
Louisiana stateline sign
Total Score: 36.17
Educational Attainment: 137
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 6
134. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
WELCOME TO OHIO - traffic sign message
Total Score: 35.22
Educational Attainment: 133
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 88
135. Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
West Virginia flag on a flagpole waving in the wind, blue sky background. 3d rendering.
Total Score: 34.97
Educational Attainment: 134
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 64
136. Riverside-San Bernardino- Ontario, CA
Daytime skyline aerial view of downtown Riverside, California, USA.
Total Score: 33.48
Educational Attainment: 136
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 67
137. Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
Florida directional sign
Total Score: 32.21
Educational Attainment: 140
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 61
138. El Paso, TX
State flag of Texas waving in the wind. Dramatic sky background. 3d illustration.
Total Score: 31.90
Educational Attainment: 139
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 81
139. Fresno, CA
California state - road sign map
Total Score:
Educational Attainment:
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap:
140. Salinas, CA
California state - road sign map
Total Score: 29.61
Educational Attainment: 141
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 115
141. Corpus Christi,TX
State flag of Texas waving in the wind. Dramatic sky background. 3d illustration.
Total Score: 29.26
Educational Attainment: 138
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 139
142. Ocala, FL
Florida directional sign
Total Score: 28.74
Educational Attainment: 135
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 149
143. Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
State flag of Texas waving in the wind. Dramatic sky background. 3d illustration.
Total Score: 28.08
Educational Attainment: 143
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 96
144. Stockton, CA
California state - road sign map
Total Score: 25.84
Educational Attainment: 145
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 97
145. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
Downtown Hickory NC
Total Score: 24.75
Educational Attainment: 144
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 145
146. Modesto, CA
California state - road sign map
Total Score: 20.58
Educational Attainment: 146
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 142
147. Bakersfield, CA
Total Score: 16.74
Educational Attainment: 147
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 136
148. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
State flag of Texas waving in the wind. Dramatic sky background. 3d illustration.
Total Score: 14.88
Educational Attainment: 150
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 9
149. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
State flag of Texas waving in the wind. Dramatic sky background. 3d illustration.
Total Score: 10.34
Educational Attainment: 149
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 121
150. Visalia, CA
California state - road sign map
Total Score: 9.09
Educational Attainment: 148
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 147
Most Educated Cities
When choosing a place to live there are a lot of factors that play into that decision. You want a good education for your children, but additionally living in a highly educated area has other benefits. More education means higher salaries, which in turn means economic growth and higher tax revenues. But what North Carolina cities are home to the most educated people? Well two of them made the top 20 of WalletHub's latest list. The list is 2022’s Most & Least Educated Cities in America. Another NC city just cracked the top 30 as well.
How do you determine the most educated cities? WalletHub compared the 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas across 11 key metrics. They measured the share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Then looked at this number against the quality of the public-school system to the gender education gap.
It wasn't all good news for North Carolina though. Unfortunately, some cities also ranked towards the bottom of this list. Including Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC coming in at 145 out of 150. Another major city, missing from this list was sitting at 53.
Two North Carolina Cities Rank In The Top 30 Most Educated Cities In The Country
30. Lansing-East Lansing, MI
Lansing, Michigan, USA at the Michigan State Capitol during the evening.
Total Score: 62.3
Educational Attainment: 38
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 26
29. Urban Honolulu, HI
Beautiful rainbow over the Hawaii skyline
Total Score: 62.49
Educational Attainment:
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap:
28. Asheville, NC
Asheville, North Carolina, USA at twilight.
Total Score: 62.61
Educational Attainment: 38
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 26
27. Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT
Total Score: 64.07
Educational Attainment: 21
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 127
26. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA
Total Score: 64.97
Educational Attainment: 28
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 20
25. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 27: A view of the skyline from the Allspring Global Investments: New Brand Launch at PEAK at Hudson Yards on April 27, 2022 in New York City.
Total Score: 65.23
Educational Attainment: 27
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 16
24. Lexington-Fayette, KY
Aerial view of Jacobson Park Lake and Richmond Road in Lexington, Kentucky
Total Score: 66.17
Educational Attainment: 23
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 31
23. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Total Score: 67.07
Educational Attainment: 18
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 118
22. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Total Score: 67.13
Educational Attainment: 25
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 3
21. Huntsville, AL
Huntsville, Alabama, USA park and downtown cityscape at twilight.
Total Score: 67.41
Educational Attainment: 24
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 12
20. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
The New York State Capitol Building in Albany, home of the New York State Assembly. Monument of General Sherman on horseback.
Total Score: 67.58
Educational Attainment: 20
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 83
19. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Image of Minneapolis downtown skyline at sunset.
Total Score: 68.12
Educational Attainment: 13
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 116
18. Tallahassee, FL
Aerial photo Downtown Tallahassee Florida State Capitol
Total Score: 68.47
Educational Attainment: 22
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 7
17. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Portland, Oregon, USA downtown skyline with Mt. Hood at dawn.
Total Score: 69.24
Educational Attainment: 19
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 50
16. Portland-South Portland, ME
Portland, Maine, USA coastal townscape on Portland Harbor.
Total Score: 69.58
Educational Attainment: 16
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 70
15. Trenton-Princeton, NJ
The capital statehouse of New Jersey lights up as the sun sets the Delaware River in the background city of Trenton
Total Score: 70.11
Educational Attainment: 15
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 71
14. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
Total Score: 70.78
Educational Attainment: 12
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 79
13. Colorado Springs, CO
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
Total Score: 71.64
Educational Attainment: 14
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 30
12. Provo-Orem, UT
Aerial view of Provo City, Utah, Y Mountain, Brigham Young University, and surrounded neighborhoods
Total Score: 71.73
Educational Attainment: 17
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 24
11. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
Fayerweather Island, Black Rock Harbor, Bridgeport, Connecticut, lighthouse
Total Score: 71.96
Educational Attainment: 8
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 146
10. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
Total Score: 73.84
Educational Attainment: 11
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 13
9. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Panoramic view of Seattle cityscape and Space Needle at sunset, Washington, USA
Total Score: 75.34
Educational Attainment: 10
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 14
8. Raleigh-Cary, NC
Total Score: 77.08
Educational Attainment: 7
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 44
7. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Durham, North Carolina, USA downtown cityscape.
Total Score: 78.06
Educational Attainment: 9
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 4
6. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Boston, Massachusetts, USA skyline over Boston Common.
Total Score: 78.26
Educational Attainment: 6
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 47
5. San Fransisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
The crookedest street in the world Lombard street at dawn. San Francisco is lightened by morning sun.
Total Score: 80.77
Educational Attainment: 4
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 17
4. Madison, WI
Madison, Wisconsin, USA downtown skyline on Lake Monona in the daytime.
Total Score: 80.83
Educational Attainment: 2
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 49
3. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Total Score: 81.78
Educational Attainment: 3
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 27
2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Total Score: 82.03
Educational Attainment: 5
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap: 5
1. Ann Arbor, MI
University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. This campus is known as the Law Quad. The buildings show the Lawyers Club, a dormitory.
Total Score:
Educational Attainment:
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap:
Methodology (From WalletHub)
To identify the most and least educated cities in America, WalletHub compared the 150 most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across two key dimensions, including “Educational Attainment” and “Quality of Education & Attainment Gap.”
We evaluated those dimensions using 11 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest educational attainment and quality of education. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.
Finally, we determined each metro area’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Educational Attainment - Total Points: 80
Quality of Education & Attainment Gap - Total Points: 20
*Additional context: In metro areas where women have an advantage over men and black people have an advantage over white people, we gave extra credit compared to the metro areas with no gender-based/racial inequality.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, GreatSchools.org, Education Cities.org, Yelp and WalletHub research.
