Atlanta Comes In Number 1 in Most Educated Cities in the U.S.

Roz Edward

4 months ago

Atlanta has taken the lead in yet another measure of a world-class city; the home to four major HBCUs has recently been rated as the most educated city in the United States. The title which formerly belonged to Washington, D.C. takes into consideration dropout rates, high school and post-high school graduation ratesand gender and racial gaps in obtaining one’s degrees.

According to the rankings, Atlanta’s bachelor completion rate boasts nearly 60% for those 25 and older. Over 26% of those in that age range also hold graduate degrees. In their description of Atlanta’s top ranking, the news outlet mentioned its esteemed universities as an additional push.

The report stated, “Home to major colleges like Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University, it’s no surprise that Atlanta is a highly educated city.”

However, despite the city’s successes, its drawbacks include a wide racial gap in bachelor’s degree attainment. In this stat, Atlanta has a -22.32 percentage. Its runner-up, Arlington, Virginia, has a much narrower gap at 10.27%. Moreover, it also hosts a higher bachelor’s and graduate degree attainment, at 78.22% and 42.56%, respectively. However, it does have a smaller amount of those 25 and older with some college without a degree, with only 7.50%.

Despite this difference, Atlanta’s 5.71% high school dropout rate and higher percentage of those with some college solidified its status. Furthermore, the city continues to host a diverse population, with over 47% of its residents identifying as Black, per Data USA. Other cities rounding out the top 5 include St. Petersburg (FL), San Antonio (TX), and San Diego (CA).

While all these cities boast high bachelor’s completion rates, Atlanta maintains its status at the #1 city for its educated and diverse population.