The brightest Americans' choices in where they call home play a large role in bolstering local economies and quality of life for all residents, according to WalletHub's "2015's Most and Least Educated Cities" analysis.
The personal finance website compared 150 U.S. metropolitan areas using nine metrics, including percentage of high school diploma holders and highest average quality of top universities, to see where well-educated citizens flock to and avoid.
According to the report, cities that top the most-educated list offer all workers better opportunities.
"In states with the least schooled workforces, the median wage is $15 an hour compared with $19 to $20 an hour in states where 40 percent or more of the working population holds at least a bachelors degree," WalletHub's analysis indicated.
With these benefits in mind, local governments are focusing their attention on attracting college grads, Richie Bernardo of WalletHub wrote.
"Local governments appear to be catching on and maximizing the appeal of their cities to college graduates," Bernardo wrote.
Here are the analysis' 10 most educated cities:
1. Ann Arbor, Michigan
A 2014 U.S. News & World Report ranked Ann Arbor's University of Michigan 28th among national universities, with the second best undergraduate business program and seventh best engineering program, according to study.com.
2. Washington, D.C.
The city's Georgetown University boasts notable alumni such as Bill Clinton and actor Bradley Cooper.
3. Madison, Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's fight song and the state song are the same, with slightly different lyrics.
4. Provo, Utah
Provo's Provo High School and Timpview High School have 76.3 percent and 83 percent graduation rates respectively, a utaheducationfacts.com report indicated.
5. Colorado Springs, Colorado
The U.S. Census reported 36.3 percent of Colorado Springs residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and 93 percent graduated high school.
6. Seattle
The average GPA of freshmen entering Seattle's University of Washington is 3.75, according to a 2015 U of W fact sheet.
7. Boston
Boston Public Schools reported "one in every two students speaks a language other than English at home" and that the city's students come from 135 different countries.
8. Lansing, Michigan
Lansing's Michigan State University has 532,000 alumni worldwide and offers more than 200 programs of undergraduate, graduate and professional study, according to msu.edu.
9. Minneapolis, Minnesota
A Career Overview profile of Minneapolis stated both the percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree 37.4 percent and with a graduate degree 13.1 percent exceed the state average.
10. Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh's North Carolina State University offers 400 clubs and organizations to its students, and 80 percent of freshmen opt to live on campus, a U.S. News & World Report article stated.
The personal finance website compared 150 U.S. metropolitan areas using nine metrics, including percentage of high school diploma holders and highest average quality of top universities, to see where well-educated citizens flock to and avoid.
According to the report, cities that top the most-educated list offer all workers better opportunities.
"In states with the least schooled workforces, the median wage is $15 an hour compared with $19 to $20 an hour in states where 40 percent or more of the working population holds at least a bachelors degree," WalletHub's analysis indicated.
With these benefits in mind, local governments are focusing their attention on attracting college grads, Richie Bernardo of WalletHub wrote.
"Local governments appear to be catching on and maximizing the appeal of their cities to college graduates," Bernardo wrote.
Here are the analysis' 10 most educated cities:
1. Ann Arbor, Michigan
A 2014 U.S. News & World Report ranked Ann Arbor's University of Michigan 28th among national universities, with the second best undergraduate business program and seventh best engineering program, according to study.com.
2. Washington, D.C.
The city's Georgetown University boasts notable alumni such as Bill Clinton and actor Bradley Cooper.
3. Madison, Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's fight song and the state song are the same, with slightly different lyrics.
4. Provo, Utah
Provo's Provo High School and Timpview High School have 76.3 percent and 83 percent graduation rates respectively, a utaheducationfacts.com report indicated.
5. Colorado Springs, Colorado
The U.S. Census reported 36.3 percent of Colorado Springs residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and 93 percent graduated high school.
6. Seattle
The average GPA of freshmen entering Seattle's University of Washington is 3.75, according to a 2015 U of W fact sheet.
7. Boston
Boston Public Schools reported "one in every two students speaks a language other than English at home" and that the city's students come from 135 different countries.
8. Lansing, Michigan
Lansing's Michigan State University has 532,000 alumni worldwide and offers more than 200 programs of undergraduate, graduate and professional study, according to msu.edu.
9. Minneapolis, Minnesota
A Career Overview profile of Minneapolis stated both the percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree 37.4 percent and with a graduate degree 13.1 percent exceed the state average.
10. Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh's North Carolina State University offers 400 clubs and organizations to its students, and 80 percent of freshmen opt to live on campus, a U.S. News & World Report article stated.
