According to a report released by the personal finance website WalletHub on Monday (29th), six cities in California were among the top 10 metropolitan areas in the United States with the lowest levels of education.
Among the 150 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States, Visalia in Central California ranked as the second lowest in terms of educational attainment, Bakersfield as the fourth lowest, Modesto as the fifth lowest, Fresno as the sixth lowest, Stockton as the seventh lowest, and Salinas as the eighth lowest.
The other four metropolitan areas with the lowest educational attainment are all located in Texas, namely McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Brownsville-Harlingen, Beaumont-Port Arthur, and El Paso, ranking as the first, third, ninth, and tenth lowest in educational attainment in the United States.
Analyst Chip Lupo from WalletHub stated in the report, “Higher education does not necessarily guarantee better economic opportunities in the future, but there is indeed a strong correlation between the two. Cities with higher levels of education can provide a conducive learning environment from childhood education all the way to the graduate level.”
WalletHub used four indicators for evaluation, including the proportion of adults aged 25 and over with at least a high school diploma, the proportion who have received college education, the proportion with a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the proportion with a graduate or professional degree.
In the 150 metropolitan areas, Visalia ranked the lowest in terms of the proportion of bachelor’s degree holders and graduate or professional degree holders; its median household income ranked 107th. Overall, there is a certain correlation between the level of education and income across the United States.
However, according to U.S. Census data, Visalia’s poverty rate (11.3%) is still lower than the California average (11.8%).
Moreover, although Stockton and Salinas have low rankings in terms of educational attainment, their median household incomes in the metropolitan areas respectively ranked 31st and 26th out of the 150 metropolitan areas.
The report points out that the correlation between education and income may not fully reflect the higher cost of living in California, as well as the different economic structures in various regions. For example, the Central Valley, which is primarily agricultural, does not require as many highly educated individuals as tech hubs like Silicon Valley.
On the other hand, the San Jose metropolitan area, home to Silicon Valley, ranks as the fourth highest in educational attainment in the United States.
WalletHub noted that over 55% of the population in the San Jose metropolitan area aged 25 and above have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and nearly 28% have a graduate degree or higher. Additionally, the quality of university education in the metropolitan area ranks third in the United States.
San Jose is adjacent to Stanford University, and the metropolitan area is also home to Santa Clara University and San Jose State University.
The nearby San Francisco metropolitan area, with the presence of UC Berkeley, ranks as the eighth highest in educational attainment in the United States.