Fresno is smarter than Visalia in study of most-educated cities

Visalia is considered less-educated than Fresno, according to a new study from WalletHub . The financial services company compared the 150 most populated cities in the U.S., grading them based on a formula that included the share of adults with high school diplomas and college degrees and the quality of public education.

It also weighted racial and gender gaps.

According to the study , Visalia ranked 150 on the list of 150 most-educated cities and Fresno came in at 140. For the most-educated cities, the Bay Area can consider a win with not only San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara in second place – but also San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley in sixth place.

“The San Jose metro area is the second-most educated in America, with residents pursuing higher education at high rates,” WalletHub notes. “Over 54% of adults ages 25 and older have at least a bachelor’s degree, and over 26% have a graduate or professional degree. San Jose also ranks first in the country for university quality, and it also has the fourth-most summer learning opportunities per capita.”

10 Most Educated Cities in the U.S. (Source: WalletHub)

1. Ann Arbor, Michigan
2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
3. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
4. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
5. Madison, WI
6. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
7. Raleigh-Cary, NC
8. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
9. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
10. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

The Central Valley received representation at the opposite end faring poorly on WalletHub’s list. Following Visalia’s position at dead last, Bakersfield ranked 147 ^th , Modesto 146 ^th , Stockton 145 ^th , Salinas 142 ^nd and Fresno 140 ^th .

Other California Rankings

• 23. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
• 49. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
• 52. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
• 64. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
• 92. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
• 121. Vallejo, CA
• 137. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
• 140. Fresno, CA
• 142. Salinas, CA
• 145. Stockton, CA
• 146. Modesto, CA
• 147. Bakersfield, CA
• 150. Visalia, CA

Stephanie Helms Pickett, the head of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Antioch University and a WalletHub expert, says communities should reexamine how public education supports their local economies.

“Our country’s educational model fails to account the diverse ways that people learn, process information and what best aligns not only with their interests but their skills,” Pickett says. ”The most important step we can take as a country to develop a more educated and skilled workforce is a partnership between higher education and industry – encompassing local businesses in forecasting the needed skills and training individuals to meet those needs.”

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