Four Illinois metropolitan statistical areas, including Rockford and Peoria, appear on WalletHub’s latest list of Most & Least Educated Cities in America.
For its study, WalletHub looked at 150 MSAs across the United States.
The regions were ranked based on 11 metrics for things like the percentage of residents 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree and the quality of the local public school system in addition to gender and racial achievement gaps.
WalletHub analyst Cornell Thomas, a professor at Texas Christian University, said cities need a combination of workers of various skill levels and education to better withstand shocks to the economy.
“What we need are better profit sharing policies that allow workers to earn additional income based on the quality of their work.,” Thomas said. “Greed seems to be the energy behind the policies of CEOs, owners, and major stakeholders. This desire to make more money on the backs of lower income earners is destroying the country.”
WalletHub used a point system to assign each metropolitan area a score out of 100, along with rankings for “educational attainment” and “quality of education & attainment gap” categories.
Which Illinois cities are most and least educated?
Where did Rockford and Peoria fall?
Rockford was ranked behind Flint, Michigan and Biloxi, Mississippi, but ahead of El Paso, Texas and Youngstown, Ohio. Rockford’s MSA includes all of Winnebago and Boone counties.
Peoria was ranked behind Cleveland, Ohio and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but ahead of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Springfield, Missouri.
Any other notable cities?
Madison, Wisconsin, home of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, was ranked the third most educated city in the U.S.
Which city was ranked most educated?
Ann Arbor, Michigan was ranked as the most educated city. An Arbor boasts a metro area with the highest share of bachelor’s degree holders aged 25 and older. It also had the highest percentage of adults with an associate’s degree or some college experience. Ann Arbor also ranks ninth in the country when it comes to the quality of its universities, and it has the 18th-best public-school system.
Which city was ranked least educated?
Visalia, California was ranked 150th and the least educated by WalletHub. It had the lowest percentage of residents 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree or better. Ann Arbor has four times more bachelor’s degree holders than Visalia, according to the WalletHub ranking.
Which cities were ranked the top ten best educated?
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford among 4 Illinois cities to make 2025 list of most and least educated places
Reporting by Jeff Kolkey, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
