RALEIGH – A new study ranking Durham-Chapel Hill and Raleigh-Cary as two of the “most educated cities” in the U.S. provides further evidence why North Carolina’s educated workforce was a key reason CNBC recently selected the state as it’s top state for business.
Based on a wide variety of data, financial information site WalletHub ranks Durham-Chapel Hill as America’s sixth most educated city. Its high rank was lifted in part by tying for first with four other cities in percentage of graduate or professional degree holders. Durham-Chapel Hill also ranked No. 3 for university quality. The metro area scored 78.94 on the 100 point scale. Ann Arbor led the list at 94.71.
Durham-Chapel Hill also ranked third in gender gap favoring women.
Raleigh-Cary came in eighth overall with a score of 78.40.
WalletHub graphic
Raleigh-Cary ranked third for the highest percentage of associate’s degree holders or college-experienced adults. Ann Arbor is No. 1, Provo-Orem Utah second.
Other N.C. cities and rank:
- Asheville, 28
- Charlotte, 52
- Greensboro, 96
- Winston-Salem, 111
- Fayetteville, 113
- Hickory, 144
“To determine where the most educated Americans are putting their degrees to work, WalletHub compared the 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across 11 key metrics,” WalletHub says. “Our data set ranges from the share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher to the quality of the public-school system to the gender education gap.”
The full list is included in this chart:
