Providence Metro Ranks Poorly for Most Educated Cities in America

The Providence metro area ranks poorly in a study released this week that compares the education levels of cities across the country.

To determine where the most educated Americans are choosing to settle down, a new study compared the 150 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across 11 key metrics. The dataset ranges from the share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher to the racial education gap and the quality of the public school system.

 

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Education and the Economy

Cities want to attract highly educated workers to fuel their economic growth and tax revenues. Higher levels of education tend to lead to higher salaries. Plus, the more that graduates earn, the more tax dollars they contribute over time, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In turn, educated people want to live somewhere where they will get a good return on their educational investment. People also tend to marry others of the same educational level, which means that cities that already have a large educated population may be more attractive to people with degrees. The WalletHub study breaks down the data.

"Not all highly educated people will flock to the same areas, though. Some may prefer to have many people with similar education levels around them for socializing and career connections. Others may want to be a big fish in a little pond. Not every city will provide the same quality of life to those with higher education, either," writes the report.

“Higher education doesn’t guarantee better financial opportunities in the future, but it certainly correlates with it. The most educated cities provide good learning opportunities from childhood all the way through the graduate level. In addition to overall education, it’s also important to look at how well cities promote educational equality when it comes to race and gender,” said Chip Lupo, analyst for WalletHub.

 

 

New England Rankings

Of the ten metro areas in New England included in the study, Providence-Warwick ranks 9th. The only city to rank lower is Springfield, MA.

 

#10 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

 

#13 Portland-South Portland, ME

 

#17 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT

 

#25 Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT

 

#27 New Haven-Milford, CT

 

#29 Manchester-Nashua, NH

 

#42 Worcester, MA-CT

 

#95 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA    

 

#120 Springfield, MA

 

All the Rankings

Ann Arbor, Michigan, was ranked #1 overall — it is home to the University of Michigan.

Lowest ranked among the cities in the study - Visalia, CA.

 

 

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