Michigan’s largest college communities rank among the top 50 most educated cities in the U.S., according to WalletHub’s latest analysis.
Ann Arbor, where the University of Michigan is located, leads the list as the most educated city, while the Lansing-East Lansing metro area places 30th. WalletHub, a personal finance website, evaluated the 150 largest metropolitan areas across the country using 11 different measures focused on two main categories: “educational attainment” and “quality of education and attainment gap.” These measures included the percentage of adults aged 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher, disparities in education by race, and the standard of the public school system.
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Ann Arbor earned the top spot due to nearly 96% of its adult population holding a high school diploma, 58% having a bachelor’s degree, and 31% an advanced degree, per WalletHub’s data. Its public school system ranked 18th nationally, and the city placed ninth for university quality.
The Lansing-East Lansing area ranked 26th in educational attainment but dropped to 76th for education quality and attainment gap. WalletHub noted the area as having a highly educated yet relatively low-income population. This region includes the Michigan State Capitol and institutions such as Michigan State University, Lansing Community College, and Great Lakes Christian College.
Other Michigan locales like Grand Rapids-Kentwood and Detroit-Warren-Dearborn ranked 69th and 72nd, respectively, placing them mid-range among the evaluated metros. These cities are home to institutions like Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, University of Detroit Mercy, and the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Flint was also included but at a lower standing, ranked 129th. WalletHub identified Flint as one of the least educated cities nationally.
The full rankings can be found here.