ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — Technically, it may be a county, but a study by Forbes named Arlington the most educated city in the United States.
Washington, D.C. came in at Number 3 on the list.
In putting together its rankings, Forbes said it looked at concentrations of college graduates and considered high school dropout rates, graduate degree attainment rates, and gender and racial gaps in degree completion rates.
Forbes described Arlington as “one of the smartest cities” in the U.S., noting that the home to the Pentagon has a bachelor’s degree completion rate of more than 76% among adults who are 25 and older. Nearly 42% of people who live in Arlington have a graduate degree.
There is the note that there is a substantial racial gap when it comes to getting a bachelor’s degree. Only 10.5% of people who have one aren’t White.
D.C.’s ranking at Number 3 comes, in part, because federal government employees who call the District home largely hold college degrees. There are 63% of people 25 and older who hold a bachelor’s degree. Close to 38% have a graduate degree.
Here are the Top 10 Most Educated Cities in the United States:
- Arlington, Va.
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Washington, D.C.
- Austin, Texas
- Madison, Wisc.
- Raleigh, N.C.
- San Francisco, Calif.
- Scottsdale, Ariz.
- Irvine, Calif.
- Seattle, Wash.
