California is disproportionately represented on a list of the nation�s
least educated cities, based on rankings released this week by WalletHub.

The personal finance website graded 150 metropolitan areas on factors
including the percentage of adults with a high school diploma, college
experience or higher education degrees. It also examined the quality of
public schools and universities and looked at gender and racial gaps.
(View methodology)

Ann Arbor, Michigan, was ranked as the most educated city in the U.S.,
followed by San Jose, California, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and
Madison, Wisconsin.

It�s a good showing for the Golden State.

That is, until you look at the bottom of the list, where five California
cities were ranked among the 10 least educated cities, according to
WalletHub.

The agricultural communities of Visalia (150), Bakersfield (147), Modesto
(146), Stockton (145) and Salinas (141) all received poor marks.

WalletHub�s experts also noted that school test scores dropped during the
COVID-19 pandemic, which only expanded the gap between low-poverty and
high-poverty districts. Student absenteeism was also a factor.

�Nearly a third of California public school students were found to be
chronically absent [in the 2021-2022 school year] compared to only 14%
before the pandemic,� said Joydeep Roy, a visiting professor of economics
and education at Columbia University.

Most Educated Cities

Rank Metro Area Total Score Educational Attainment Quality of
Education & Attainment Gap
1 Ann Arbor, MI 94.71 1 1
2 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 83.12 4 3
3 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 82.25 2 22
4 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA 80.77 5 14
5 Madison, WI 80.59 3 54
6 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 78.94 8 4
7 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 78.81 7 41
8 Raleigh-Cary, NC 78.40 6 37
9 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 76.09 10 12
10 Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX 75.98 12 6
WalletHub�s 2023�s Most & Least Educated Cities in America
Least Educated Cities

Rank Metro Area Total Score Educational Attainment Quality of
Education & Attainment Gap
141 Salinas, CA 28.66 141 115
142 Corpus Christi, TX 28.35 140 141
143 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 28.03 144 85
144 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 27.66 142 126
145 Stockton, CA 24.71 145 98
146 Modesto, CA 19.57 146 144
147 Bakersfield, CA 17.69 147 123
148 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 14.16 150 8
149 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 11.21 149 107
150 Visalia, CA 8.28 148 149
WalletHub�s 2023�s Most & Least Educated Cities in America
Other California Cities

Rank Metro Area Total Score Educational Attainment Quality of
Education & Attainment Gap
23 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 67.18 26 7
37 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 62.03 40 49
47 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 59.41 57 26
68 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 54.83 87 9
94 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 49.80 100 42
136 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 32.59 137 72
140 Fresno, CA 29.83 143 48
WalletHub�s 2023�s Most & Least Educated Cities in America
Another WalletHub expert, sociology professor Molly Martin with
Pennsylvania State University, explains some of the reasons why cities
should invest in education and try to attract educated people.

�Highly educated people increase labor force productivity, and they invest
heavily in the next generation,� Martin says. �Because they see the fruits
of their knowledge and skills, highly educated people typically view
education as the golden ticket for children�s success.�

https://ktla.com/news/california/5-california-cities-ranked-among-the-10-
least-educated-in-the-u-s/