Study Ranks San Diego No. 17 Most Educated City

America’s Finest City measured up at No. 17 compared to the 200 most populous cities in the U.S., and earned the No. 4 rank in quality of schools

A newly-released study ranks San Diego/Carlsbad among the most educated cities in America based on several factors, including quality of schools.

ValuePenguin, an online source for information and tools to help consumers make spending decisions, released a study of the Most Educated Cities in America for 2016. Of the 200 most populous cities in the U.S., San Diego ranks the 17th most educated.

According to the study, the cities were ranked based on four categories: attainment, education and poverty, school quality and education and employment.

San Diego/Carlsbad scored an attainment rank of 31 out of 200 cities and 160 out of 200 cities in the education and poverty category. In school quality, San Diego/Carlsbad earned the very respectable No. 4 spot out of 200 cities. In education and employment, San Diego/Carlsbad was ranked 174 out of 200 cities.

For attainment, researchers looked at the percentage of the population 25 and older to reach specific levels of education, such as high school, college and beyond. The percentage of a city’s population to have earned a degree of some kind was also factored into the methodology of the study.

In the category of education and poverty, researchers looked into the percentage of the 25+ population whose poverty status is determined by a specific level of education.

School quality was researched based on ratings of primary and secondary schools in cities, as well as universities. Researchers tapped into the education and employment category by looking at the percentage of the 25 and older population who are employed, according to their specific level of education.

Researchers sought out recent data from three sources to help them evaluate America’s 200 most populous cities for this study. This included the U.S. Census Bureau’s database of education-related data.

Other places that made the cut of the Most Educated Cities in America include, in order of top five: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California; Boulder, Colorado; San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

For an in-depth breakdown of the full study, click here.

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