Austin among top-10 U.S. metro areas ranked the most educated, study finds

Austin ranked in the top 10 of the 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) analyzed in a new WalletHub study that examines the places with the most educated residents based on criteria such as bachelor’s-degree prevalence and educational system quality. 

The Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metro area scored 73.84 out of 100 in the ranking, putting it at No. 10 on the most educated list. In comparison, the most educated MSA, Ann Arbor, Mich., scored 93.99 in the analysis that compared metro areas over two dimensions: educational attainment and quality of publication plus attainment gaps.

The Austin area ranked 11th in the educational attainment category and 13th in education quality. The latter category also measured the region’s gender education gap.

Cities seek to attract workers with advanced degrees in order to advance local economic growth and boost tax revenues, according to WalletHub. Such workers command higher salaries and end up paying more tax revenues over time, the Economic Policy Institute reports. 

---

Which Cities Have the Most Educated Residents?

Overall Rank (1=Most Educated)	Metro Area	Total Score	Educational Attainment	Quality of Education & Attainment Gap
1	Ann Arbor, MI	93.99	1	1
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	82.03	5	5
3	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	81.78	3	27
4	Madison, WI	80.83	2	49
5	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA	80.77	4	17
6	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	78.26	6	47
7	Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	78.06	9	4
8	Raleigh-Cary, NC	77.08	7	44
9	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	75.34	10	14
10	Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX	73.84	11	13
11	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT	71.96	8	146
12	Provo-Orem, UT	71.73	17	24
13	Colorado Springs, CO	71.64	14	30
14	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO	70.78	12	79
15	Trenton-Princeton, NJ	70.11	15	71
16	Portland-South Portland, ME	69.58	16	70
17	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	69.24	19	50
18	Tallahassee, FL	68.47	22	7
19	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	68.12	13	116
20	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	67.58	20	83
21	Huntsville, AL	67.41	24	12
22	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	67.13	25	3
23	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	67.07	18	118
24	Lexington-Fayette, KY	66.17	23	31
25	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	65.23	27	16
26	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA	64.97	28	20
27	Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT	64.07	21	127
28	Asheville, NC	62.61	38	26
29	Urban Honolulu, HI	62.49	45	10
30	Lansing-East Lansing, MI	62.3	34	41
31	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	62.09	31	58
32	Eugene-Springfield, OR	61.97	43	18
33	Pittsburgh, PA	61.59	40	38
34	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	61.38	36	63
35	Salt Lake City, UT	61.15	41	46
36	Richmond, VA	61.07	32	85
37	Manchester-Nashua, NH	61.03	26	132
38	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	60.96	30	95
39	Rochester, NY	60.37	33	106
40	Kansas City, MO-KS	60.13	29	117
41	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA	60.12	37	90
42	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	60.1	52	23
43	New Haven-Milford, CT	59.56	39	110
44	Tucson, AZ	59.48	49	43
45	St. Louis, MO-IL	59	35	137
46	Columbus, OH	59	42	112
47	Albuquerque, NM	58.8	54	40
48	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	58.79	53	56
49	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	58.64	56	35
50	Boise City, ID	58.5	63	21

Source: WalletHub.com