Visalia, California, a city known as a gateway to Sequoia National Park, has been identified as the least educated city in the United States, according to a recent study by WalletHub. The analysis, which compared 150 of the most populated U.S. cities, also found five other California cities among the ten least educated.
Bakersfield, Modesto, Salinas, Fresno, and Stockton were all ranked near the bottom of the list. The study evaluated cities based on metrics including the percentage of adults aged 25 and older holding at least a bachelor's degree, the quality of the public school system, and the gender education gap.
Bakersfield and Visalia specifically ranked among the bottom five cities for the lowest percentage of residents with high school diplomas and those with college experience, as well as the smallest proportion of adults holding a bachelor's degree.
In contrast to these lower-ranked cities, the San Jose metro area emerged as the third-most educated in the country. Over half of San Jose residents aged 25 and older possess a bachelor's degree, and the region also secured third place for the quality of its universities.
The study's top-ranked city for education was Ann Arbor, Michigan. This metro area boasts high rates of educational attainment, with nearly 59% of adults over 25 holding a bachelor's degree and almost 32% having an advanced degree.