Percent of African Americans with a bachelors degree or higher by city
Below is a total list of 267 metro and micro-politian areas split into three categories based on adult Black population of 25 and over Starting at:
- 50,000 and larger (83 cities)
- 15,000 to 50,000 (106 cities)
- 5,000 to 15,000 (78 cities)
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To view the full infographic of large metros (featured on top)scroll to the bottom of the page.
The percentage of African Americans with higher education often corresponds with the health of the economy of that metropolitan area. Places with growing economies and employment opportunities tend to attract people with degrees. This can also have a negative effect on metro areas with lower educational attainment because they tend to lose their college educated residents to metros with better opportunities, a phenomenon known as “brain-drain”. So cities like Shreveport LA, Flint MI, and Cleveland OH often lose their college educated residents to places like Washington DC, Austin TX, and Atlanta GA.
1. Percent of African Americans with a bachelors degree or higher by metropolitan areas with Black adult populations of over 50,000.
| 1 | Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV | 35.2% |
| 2 | Austin, TX | 33.3% |
| 3 | Huntsville, AL | 32.0% |
| 4 | Raleigh, NC | 31.4% |
| 5 | Atlanta, GA | 30.7% |
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland, CA | 30.6% |
| 7 | Durham, NC | 30.3% |
| 8 | Boston, MA | 29.1% |
| 9 | Denver, CO | 28.5% |
| 10 | Los Angeles, CA | 28.0% |
| 11 | Seattle, WA | 27.9% |
| 12 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 27.7% |
| 13 | Houston, TX | 27.5% |
| 14 | San Antonio, TX | 27.0% |
| 15 | Baltimore, MD | 27.0% |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | 26.6% |
| 17 | Nashville, TN | 26.5% |
| 18 | New York City, NY-NJ-PA | 26.3% |
| 19 | Sacramento, CA | 25.9% |
| 20 | San Diego, CA | 25.7% |
| 21 | Phoenix, AZ | 25.5% |
| 22 | Fayetteville, NC | 25.4% |
| 23 | Greensboro-High Point, NC | 25.2% |
| 24 | Orlando, FL | 25.0% |
| 25 | Bridgeport-Stamford, CT | 25.0% |
| 26 | Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | 24.2% |
| 27 | Providence, RI-MA | 23.8% |
| 28 | Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL | 23.5% |
| 29 | Hartford, CT | 23.1% |
| 30 | Chicago, IL | 23.0% |
| 31 | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | 22.9% |
| 32 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA | 22.6% |
| 33 | Jackson, MS | 22.5% |
| 34 | Cincinnati, OH | 22.0% |
| 35 | Richmond, VA | 22.0% |
| 36 | San Juan-Carolina-Caguas, PR | 21.8% |
| 37 | Killeen-Temple, TX | 21.7% |
| 38 | Philadelphia, PA | 21.7% |
| 39 | Oklahoma City, OK | 21.6% |
| 40 | Columbus, OH | 21.4% |
| 41 | Dayton, OH | 21.4% |
| 42 | Columbia, SC | 21.2% |
| 43 | Birmingham, AL | 20.7% |
| 44 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL | 20.6% |
| 45 | Buffalo, NY | 20.6% |
| 46 | Montgomery, AL | 20.6% |
| 47 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 20.6% |
| 48 | Jacksonville, FL | 20.4% |
| 49 | Pittsburgh, PA | 20.1% |
| 50 | Tallahassee, FL | 19.8% |
| 51 | Indianapolis, IN | 19.8% |
| 52 | Memphis, TN | 19.5% |
| 53 | Akron, OH | 19.1% |
| 54 | Little Rock, AR | 19.1% |
| 55 | New Haven, CT | 18.7% |
| 56 | Savannah, GA | 18.4% |
| 57 | New Orleans, LA | 18.3% |
| 58 | Louisville, KY-IN | 18.3% |
| 59 | Macon, GA | 18.2% |
| 60 | Baton Rouge, LA | 18.1% |
| 61 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 18.0% |
| 62 | Detroit, MI | 17.9% |
| 63 | Winston-Salem, NC | 17.3% |
| 64 | Charleston, SC | 16.9% |
| 65 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 16.9% |
| 66 | Las Vegas, NV | 16.5% |
| 67 | Augusta, GA-SC | 16.0% |
| 68 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 15.6% |
| 69 | Greenville, SC | 15.3% |
| 70 | Pensacola, FL | 15.3% |
| 71 | Cleveland, OH | 14.8% |
| 72 | Mobile, AL | 14.8% |
| 73 | Milwaukee, WI | 14.8% |
| 74 | Columbus, GA | 14.8% |
| 75 | Chattanooga, TN | 14.5% |
| 76 | Rochester, NY | 14.2% |
| 77 | Shreveport, LA | 13.7% |
| 78 | Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | 13.5% |
| 79 | Toledo, OH | 13.0% |
| 80 | Lafayette, LA | 12.9% |
| 81 | Florence, SC | 12.4% |
| 82 | Flint, MI | 12.0% |
| 83 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 11.3% |
2. For metro areas with Black adult populations between 15,000 and 50,000
| 1 | San Jose, CA | 39.4% |
| 2 | Worcester, MA-CT | 38.9% |
| 3 | El Paso, TX | 33.7% |
| 4 | Colorado Springs, CO | 32.8% |
| 5 | Urban Honolulu, HI | 32.2% |
| 6 | Lansing, MI | 31.2% |
| 7 | Portland, OR-WA | 29.0% |
| 8 | Ann Arbor, MI | 27.5% |
| 9 | Springfield, MA | 25.2% |
| 10 | College Station-Bryan, TX | 24.5% |
| 11 | Albuquerque, NM | 24.4% |
| 12 | Tucson, AZ | 24.0% |
| 13 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 23.6% |
| 14 | Ocala, FL | 23.1% |
| 15 | Fresno, CA | 22.9% |
| 16 | Clarksville, TN-KY | 22.7% |
| 17 | Warner Robins, GA | 22.3% |
| 18 | Omaha, NE-IA | 20.5% |
| 19 | Lexington, KY | 20.4% |
| 20 | Rockford, IL | 20.3% |
| 21 | Hinesville, GA | 20.2% |
| 22 | East Stroudsburg, PA | 20.2% |
| 23 | Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 20.2% |
| 24 | Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL | 20.0% |
| 25 | Burlington, NC | 19.9% |
| 26 | Des Moines, IA | 19.7% |
| 27 | Grand Rapids, MI | 19.6% |
| 28 | Lake Charles, LA | 19.6% |
| 29 | Madison, WI | 19.3% |
| 30 | Allentown-Bethlehem, PA-NJ | 19.3% |
| 31 | Hilton Head Island-Beaufort, SC | 19.1% |
| 32 | New Bern, NC | 18.9% |
| 33 | Peoria, IL | 18.9% |
| 34 | Hattiesburg, MS | 18.8% |
| 35 | Bakersfield, CA | 18.6% |
| 36 | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 18.5% |
| 37 | Albany, NY | 18.1% |
| 38 | Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 18.0% |
| 39 | Evansville, IN-KY | 17.9% |
| 40 | Trenton, NJ | 17.6% |
| 41 | Wichita, KS | 17.5% |
| 42 | Dover, DE | 17.4% |
| 43 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 17.4% |
| 44 | Knoxville, TN | 17.3% |
| 45 | Fort Wayne, IN | 17.3% |
| 46 | Tulsa, OK | 17.3% |
| 47 | Pine Bluff, AR | 17.2% |
| 48 | Albany, GA | 17.0% |
| 49 | Wilmington, NC | 17.0% |
| 50 | North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 17.0% |
| 51 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 16.7% |
| 52 | Dunn, NC | 16.6% |
| 53 | Orangeburg, SC | 16.4% |
| 54 | Myrtle Beach, SC-NC | 16.3% |
| 55 | Jackson, TN | 16.0% |
| 56 | Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL | 15.9% |
| 57 | South Bend, IN-MI | 15.5% |
| 58 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 15.3% |
| 59 | Tupelo, MS | 15.3% |
| 60 | Laurel, MS | 15.2% |
| 61 | Jacksonville, NC | 15.0% |
| 62 | Greenville, NC | 14.5% |
| 63 | Gainesville, FL | 14.5% |
| 64 | Spartanburg, SC | 14.3% |
| 65 | Kalamazoo, MI | 14.2% |
| 66 | Waco, TX | 14.1% |
| 67 | Guayama, PR | 14.0% |
| 68 | Sumter, SC | 14.0% |
| 69 | Charlottesville, VA | 14.0% |
| 70 | Alexandria, LA | 13.9% |
| 71 | Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ | 13.7% |
| 72 | Lynchburg, VA | 13.7% |
| 73 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 13.4% |
| 74 | Atlantic City, NJ | 13.2% |
| 75 | Salisbury, MD-DE | 13.2% |
| 76 | Athens, GA | 12.9% |
| 77 | Brunswick, GA | 12.8% |
| 78 | Longview, TX | 12.8% |
| 79 | Youngstown, OH-PA | 12.7% |
| 80 | Tyler, TX | 12.6% |
| 81 | Goldsboro, NC | 12.6% |
| 82 | Wilson, NC | 12.4% |
| 83 | Valdosta, GA | 11.8% |
| 84 | Meridian, MS | 11.8% |
| 85 | Syracuse, NY | 11.7% |
| 86 | Auburn-Opelika, AL | 11.6% |
| 87 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | 11.5% |
| 88 | Dothan, AL | 11.4% |
| 89 | Anniston, AL | 11.3% |
| 90 | Texarkana, TX-AR | 11.3% |
| 91 | Rocky Mount, NC | 11.1% |
| 92 | Lumberton, NC | 10.9% |
| 93 | Monroe, LA | 10.7% |
| 94 | Roanoke, VA | 10.6% |
| 95 | Houma-Thibodaux, LA | 10.6% |
| 96 | Greenwood, SC | 10.1% |
| 97 | Roanoke Rapids, NC | 10.1% |
| 98 | Muskegon, MI | 10.0% |
| 99 | Danville, VA | 9.8% |
| 100 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 9.4% |
| 101 | Canton-Massillon, OH | 9.1% |
| 102 | Saginaw, MI | 9.0% |
| 103 | Hammond, LA | 8.2% |
| 104 | Opelousas, LA | 7.1% |
| 105 | Talladega-Sylacauga, AL | 6.2% |
| 106 | LaGrange, GA | 2.3% |
3. For metro and micro-politian areas with Black adult populations between 5,000 and 15,000
| 1 | Lincoln, NE | 38.2% |
| 2 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO | 37.2% |
| 3 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 34.4% |
| 4 | Bloomington, IL | 30.8% |
| 5 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 28.9% |
| 6 | Carbondale-Marion, IL | 28.0% |
| 7 | Ponce, PR | 25.9% |
| 8 | Corpus Christi, TX | 25.8% |
| 9 | Modesto, CA | 25.6% |
| 10 | Columbia, MO | 24.9% |
| 11 | Lawton, OK | 24.6% |
| 12 | Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY | 24.0% |
| 13 | Terre Haute, IN | 23.3% |
| 14 | Norwich-New London, CT | 22.4% |
| 15 | Marshall, TX | 22.0% |
| 16 | Aguadilla-Isabela, PR | 22.0% |
| 17 | Anchorage, AK | 21.5% |
| 18 | Elizabeth City, NC | 21.1% |
| 19 | Reno, NV | 21.1% |
| 20 | Jonesboro, AR | 20.6% |
| 21 | Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 20.5% |
| 22 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | 20.0% |
| 23 | Portland-South Portland, ME | 19.9% |
| 24 | Jackson, MI | 19.6% |
| 25 | Salt Lake City, UT | 19.6% |
| 26 | Springfield, MO | 19.5% |
| 27 | Jefferson City, MO | 19.2% |
| 28 | York-Hanover, PA | 18.7% |
| 29 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | 18.6% |
| 30 | Amarillo, TX | 18.6% |
| 31 | Bowling Green, KY | 18.1% |
| 32 | Lancaster, PA | 17.8% |
| 33 | Niles-Benton Harbor, MI | 17.4% |
| 34 | Lufkin, TX | 17.3% |
| 35 | Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 17.3% |
| 36 | Springfield, OH | 17.2% |
| 37 | Statesboro, GA | 17.0% |
| 38 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 16.2% |
| 39 | Lubbock, TX | 16.2% |
| 40 | Kankakee, IL | 15.8% |
| 41 | Punta Gorda, FL | 15.5% |
| 42 | Kingston, NY | 15.3% |
| 43 | Reading, PA | 15.1% |
| 44 | Wichita Falls, TX | 15.0% |
| 45 | Salinas, CA | 14.6% |
| 46 | Charleston, WV | 14.0% |
| 47 | Binghamton, NY | 13.4% |
| 48 | Gainesville, GA | 13.0% |
| 49 | Springfield, IL | 12.3% |
| 50 | Decatur, AL | 12.2% |
| 51 | Rochester, MN | 12.1% |
| 52 | Erie, PA | 12.0% |
| 53 | Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 11.9% |
| 54 | Nacogdoches, TX | 11.8% |
| 55 | Gadsden, AL | 11.6% |
| 56 | Shelby, NC | 11.4% |
| 57 | Abilene, TX | 11.4% |
| 58 | Topeka, KS | 11.1% |
| 59 | Merced, CA | 10.3% |
| 60 | Panama City, FL | 10.3% |
| 61 | Battle Creek, MI | 10.3% |
| 62 | Michigan City-La Porte, IN | 9.7% |
| 63 | Staunton-Waynesboro, VA | 9.5% |
| 64 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 9.2% |
| 65 | Asheville, NC | 9.0% |
| 66 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 8.5% |
| 67 | Racine, WI | 8.4% |
| 68 | Decatur, IL | 7.5% |
| 69 | Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA | 7.3% |
| 70 | Palatka, FL | 7.2% |
| 71 | Danville, IL | 6.6% |
| 72 | Martinsville, VA | 6.4% |
| 73 | Utica-Rome, NY | 5.8% |
| 74 | Rome, GA | 5.4% |
| 75 | Beckley, WV | 5.3% |
| 76 | Huntsville, TX | 4.8% |
| 77 | Fort Smith, AR-OK | 2.8% |
| 78 | Lake City, FL | 2.5% |
Below is a list of top and bottom large metropolitan areas with Black populations of more than 100,000. Feel free to share this image anywhere you please.
