When the US Census Bureau released its latest data on educational attainment, the data revealed that in March 2011, for the first time ever, more than 30% of adults 25 years of age and older had at least a bachelor’s degree. Fewer than 25% of adults had reached this level of education in 1998.
In some metropolitan areas, the proportion of adults holding a bachelor’s degree or higher is well over 30% and in three metro areas, the percentage is more than half. Below are the ten most educated metropolitan areas, based on statistics compiled from the US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2010.
Number one on the list is the Boulder, Colorado metropolitan area. With a total population of 294,567, the percentage of adults age 25 years and older holding at least a bachelor’s degree is 57.5%. Another place where more than half of its adults hold at least a four-year degree and second on the list, is the metro area of Ithaca, New York. Located in the west central part of New York State and home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, 53.4% of this metropolitan area’s adult population holds at least a bachelor’s degree. Third on the list and the last of the metropolitan areas where more than half of its adults hold at least a bachelor’s degree is the Ann Arbor, Michigan metro area. In the Ann Arbor metro area, 50.4% of adults have earned at least a four-year degree. This area is home to a several universities and colleges, including University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.
Fourth on the list is the Lawrence, Kansas metro area, where 49.9% of its adult population have at least a bachelor’s degree, followed by the Columbia, Missouri metro area in fifth place. Here, 49.0% of its adults age 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
The Ames, Iowa metro area is sixth on the list at 48.4%. The Corvallis, Oregon metro area, home of Oregon State University and several major employers, such as Samaritan Health Services and Hewlett-Packard, is next on the list. In this metro area, 48.0% of adults hold a four-year degree or higher. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area comes in at 8th place. In the Washington DC metropolitan area with 5.5 million inhabitants, 46.8% of the adult population has earned at least a bachelor’s degree.
Coming in at ninth and tenth place are the metro areas of Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado and Iowa City, Iowa, respectively. In the Fort Collins-Loveland metro area, 45.8% of the adult population holds at least a bachelor’s degree, while in the Iowa City, Iowa metro area, the number is 45.6%.