Atlanta is one of the most educated cities in the U.S. — home to 2 of the top universities in the world

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Susan Swavely

 –  Staff Writer

 ·  July 1, 2026

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A new study by WalletHub ranks the most and least educated cities in the United States, and Atlanta ranks in the top 30, at #26! Keep scrolling to learn all about Atlanta and our city’s education.

Where does Atlanta rank on the list of most educated cities?

Atlanta ranks at #26, just after Asheville, NC. Atlanta’s overall score is a 64.03/100.

Here are the top 10 most educated cities in the U.S.

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

How did WalletHub come up with this ranking?

WalletHub states,

To identify the most and least educated cities in America, WalletHub compared the 150 most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across two key dimensions, including ‘Educational Attainment’ and ‘Quality of Education & Attainment Gap.’ We evaluated those dimensions using 11 relevant metrics…

Here’s how it breaks down further:

Educational Attainment – Total Points: 80

• Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with a High School Diploma or Higher: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with at Least Some College Experience or an Associate’s Degree or Higher: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with a Graduate or Professional Degree: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)

Quality of Education & Attainment Gap – Total Points: 20

• Quality of Public School System: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
• Average Quality of Universities: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
• Enrolled Students in Top 791 Universities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Number of Summer Learning Opportunities per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Racial Education Gap*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Gender Education Gap*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Education Equality Index Score: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)

We’re not surprised at all that Atlanta is one of the most educated cities in the U.S.!