Where are most educated cities in the US? 2 Washington metro areas made the list

Once you’ve earned a college education, it’s only natural to want to use it.

Where you live can affect your ability to put your degree to work, according to WalletHub.

The financial planning website recently identified the most and least educated cities in the United States in 2026, based on public school quality, students enrolled in top universities and other factors.

“Cities aim to attract highly educated workers because they help drive economic growth and boost tax revenues,” WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann said in a June 29 article. “In general, higher education levels translate into higher salaries and as earnings rise, so do long-term tax contributions.”

In turn, the “most educated Americans” tend to “seek out places where they can get a strong return on their educational investment,” McCann said.

Two metropolitan areas in Washington state rank among the 10 most educated in the nation, according to WalletHub.

Here’s which ones:

What is Washington state’s most educated city?

The metropolitan area that spans Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue landed at No. 10 on WalletHub’s list of the nation’s most educated metro areas, with an overall score of 75.21 out of 100.

“The most educated cities provide good learning opportunities from childhood all the way through the graduate level,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.

Spiritridge Elementary School in Bellevue ranks among the top 10 public elementary schools in Washington state, according to Niche.

According to U.S. News and World Report, King County is home to five of the best public high schools in Washington state:

• International School in Bellevue
• Newport Senior High School in Bellevue
• Lincoln High School in Seattle
• Interlake Senior High School in Bellevue

The Seattle metro area is also home to a number of top-rated colleges and universities, including University of Washington Seattle, Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University. UW campuses in Bothell and Tacoma have also earned acclaim.

Did any other Washington metro areas make the list?

According to WalletHub, the metro area that includes Vancouver, Washington, and Portland and Hillsboro, Oregon, was the 16th most educated in the nation.

What are top 10 metro areas for education in the US?

WalletHub said these were the 10 most educated metro areas in the nation in 2026:

1. Ann Arbor, Michigan
2. Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina
3. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia
5. Madison, Wisconsin
6. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley
7. Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina
8. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire
9. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
10. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington

“However, not all highly educated individuals gravitate toward the same types of places,” WalletHub said. “Some prefer areas with a high concentration of similarly educated peers for networking and social opportunities, while others would rather stand out in a smaller, less competitive environment.”

Which US cities had lowest education scores?

According to WalletHub, these were the 10 least educated metropolitan areas in the country in 2026:

1. Visalia, California
2. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
3. Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas
4. Bakersfield, California
5. Modesto, California
6. Salinas, California
7. Fresno, California
8. Stockton, California
9. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
10. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, North Carolina

How did Wallethub make this list?

To identify the most and least educated cities in the United States, WalletHub said it compared the 150 most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas across two key dimensions: educational attainment and quality of education and attainment gap.

WalletHub evaluated those dimensions using 11 relevant metrics, including:

• Share of adults 25 or older with a high school diploma
• Share of adults 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree
• Quality of public school system
• Quality of public universities
• Racial education gap
• Gender education gap

Data came from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, GreatSchools.org and Yelp.

Julia Hawkins

The Bellingham Herald

Julia Hawkins joined The Herald as a service journalism and general assignment reporter in December 2025. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at Western Washington University in Bellingham.