RANK: All Cities Big & Small Ranked by Black Educational Attainment

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: 

  1. 50,000 and larger (83 cities)
  2. 15,000 to 50,000 (106 cities)
  3. 5,000 to 15,000  (78 cities)

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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.

1Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV35.2%
2Austin, TX33.3%
3Huntsville, AL32.0%
4Raleigh, NC31.4%
5Atlanta, GA30.7%
6San Francisco-Oakland, CA30.6%
7Durham, NC30.3%
8Boston, MA29.1%
9Denver, CO28.5%
10Los Angeles, CA28.0%
11Seattle, WA27.9%
12Dallas-Fort Worth, TX27.7%
13Houston, TX27.5%
14San Antonio, TX27.0%
15Baltimore, MD27.0%
16Charlotte, NC26.6%
17Nashville, TN26.5%
18New York City, NY-NJ-PA26.3%
19Sacramento, CA25.9%
20San Diego, CA25.7%
21Phoenix, AZ25.5%
22Fayetteville, NC25.4%
23Greensboro-High Point, NC25.2%
24Orlando, FL25.0%
25Bridgeport-Stamford, CT25.0%
26Riverside-San Bernardino, CA24.2%
27Providence, RI-MA23.8%
28Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL 23.5%
29Hartford, CT23.1%
30Chicago, IL23.0%
31Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN22.9%
32Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA22.6%
33Jackson, MS22.5%
34Cincinnati, OH22.0%
35Richmond, VA22.0%
36San Juan-Carolina-Caguas, PR21.8%
37Killeen-Temple, TX21.7%
38Philadelphia, PA21.7%
39Oklahoma City, OK21.6%
40Columbus, OH21.4%
41Dayton, OH21.4%
42Columbia, SC21.2%
43Birmingham, AL20.7%
44Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL20.6%
45Buffalo, NY20.6%
46Montgomery, AL20.6%
47Kansas City, MO-KS20.6%
48Jacksonville, FL20.4%
49Pittsburgh, PA20.1%
50Tallahassee, FL19.8%
51Indianapolis, IN19.8%
52Memphis, TN19.5%
53Akron, OH19.1%
54Little Rock, AR19.1%
55New Haven, CT18.7%
56Savannah, GA18.4%
57New Orleans, LA18.3%
58Louisville, KY-IN18.3%
59Macon, GA18.2%
60Baton Rouge, LA18.1%
61St. Louis, MO-IL18.0%
62Detroit, MI17.9%
63Winston-Salem, NC17.3%
64Charleston, SC16.9%
65Tuscaloosa, AL16.9%
66Las Vegas, NV16.5%
67Augusta, GA-SC16.0%
68Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL15.6%
69Greenville, SC15.3%
70Pensacola, FL15.3%
71Cleveland, OH14.8%
72Mobile, AL14.8%
73Milwaukee, WI14.8%
74Columbus, GA14.8%
75Chattanooga, TN14.5%
76Rochester, NY14.2%
77Shreveport, LA13.7%
78Gulfport-Biloxi, MS13.5%
79Toledo, OH13.0%
80Lafayette, LA12.9%
81Florence, SC12.4%
82Flint, MI12.0%
83Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX11.3%

2. For metro areas with Black adult populations between 15,000 and 50,000

1San Jose, CA39.4%
2Worcester, MA-CT38.9%
3El Paso, TX33.7%
4Colorado Springs, CO32.8%
5Urban Honolulu, HI32.2%
6Lansing, MI31.2%
7Portland, OR-WA29.0%
8Ann Arbor, MI27.5%
9Springfield, MA25.2%
10College Station-Bryan, TX24.5%
11Albuquerque, NM24.4%
12Tucson, AZ24.0%
13Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL23.6%
14Ocala, FL23.1%
15Fresno, CA22.9%
16Clarksville, TN-KY22.7%
17Warner Robins, GA22.3%
18Omaha, NE-IA20.5%
19Lexington, KY20.4%
20Rockford, IL20.3%
21Hinesville, GA20.2%
22East Stroudsburg, PA20.2%
23Vallejo-Fairfield, CA20.2%
24Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL20.0%
25Burlington, NC19.9%
26Des Moines, IA19.7%
27Grand Rapids, MI19.6%
28Lake Charles, LA19.6%
29Madison, WI19.3%
30Allentown-Bethlehem, PA-NJ19.3%
31Hilton Head Island-Beaufort, SC19.1%
32New Bern, NC18.9%
33Peoria, IL18.9%
34Hattiesburg, MS18.8%
35Bakersfield, CA18.6%
36Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL18.5%
37Albany, NY18.1%
38Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV18.0%
39Evansville, IN-KY17.9%
40Trenton, NJ17.6%
41Wichita, KS17.5%
42Dover, DE17.4%
43Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA17.4%
44Knoxville, TN17.3%
45Fort Wayne, IN17.3%
46Tulsa, OK17.3%
47Pine Bluff, AR17.2%
48Albany, GA17.0%
49Wilmington, NC17.0%
50North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL17.0%
51Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL16.7%
52Dunn, NC16.6%
53Orangeburg, SC16.4%
54Myrtle Beach, SC-NC16.3%
55Jackson, TN16.0%
56Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL15.9%
57South Bend, IN-MI15.5%
58Port St. Lucie, FL15.3%
59Tupelo, MS15.3%
60Laurel, MS15.2%
61Jacksonville, NC15.0%
62Greenville, NC14.5%
63Gainesville, FL14.5%
64Spartanburg, SC14.3%
65Kalamazoo, MI14.2%
66Waco, TX14.1%
67Guayama, PR14.0%
68Sumter, SC14.0%
69Charlottesville, VA14.0%
70Alexandria, LA13.9%
71Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ13.7%
72Lynchburg, VA13.7%
73Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL13.4%
74Atlantic City, NJ13.2%
75Salisbury, MD-DE13.2%
76Athens, GA12.9%
77Brunswick, GA12.8%
78Longview, TX12.8%
79Youngstown, OH-PA12.7%
80Tyler, TX12.6%
81Goldsboro, NC12.6%
82Wilson, NC12.4%
83Valdosta, GA11.8%
84Meridian, MS11.8%
85Syracuse, NY11.7%
86Auburn-Opelika, AL11.6%
87Stockton-Lodi, CA11.5%
88Dothan, AL11.4%
89Anniston, AL11.3%
90Texarkana, TX-AR11.3%
91Rocky Mount, NC11.1%
92Lumberton, NC10.9%
93Monroe, LA10.7%
94Roanoke, VA10.6%
95Houma-Thibodaux, LA10.6%
96Greenwood, SC10.1%
97Roanoke Rapids, NC10.1%
98Muskegon, MI10.0%
99Danville, VA9.8%
100Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC9.4%
101Canton-Massillon, OH9.1%
102Saginaw, MI9.0%
103Hammond, LA 8.2%
104Opelousas, LA7.1%
105Talladega-Sylacauga, AL6.2%
106LaGrange, GA2.3%

3. For metro and micro-politian areas with Black adult populations between 5,000 and 15,000

1Lincoln, NE38.2%
2Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO37.2%
3Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA34.4%
4Bloomington, IL30.8%
5Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA28.9%
6Carbondale-Marion, IL28.0%
7Ponce, PR25.9%
8Corpus Christi, TX25.8%
9Modesto, CA25.6%
10Columbia, MO24.9%
11Lawton, OK24.6%
12Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY24.0%
13Terre Haute, IN23.3%
14Norwich-New London, CT22.4%
15Marshall, TX22.0%
16Aguadilla-Isabela, PR22.0%
17Anchorage, AK21.5%
18Elizabeth City, NC21.1%
19Reno, NV21.1%
20Jonesboro, AR20.6%
21Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN20.5%
22Manchester-Nashua, NH20.0%
23Portland-South Portland, ME19.9%
24Jackson, MI19.6%
25Salt Lake City, UT19.6%
26Springfield, MO19.5%
27Jefferson City, MO19.2%
28York-Hanover, PA18.7%
29Champaign-Urbana, IL18.6%
30Amarillo, TX18.6%
31Bowling Green, KY18.1%
32Lancaster, PA17.8%
33Niles-Benton Harbor, MI17.4%
34Lufkin, TX17.3%
35Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL17.3%
36Springfield, OH17.2%
37Statesboro, GA17.0%
38Cedar Rapids, IA16.2%
39Lubbock, TX16.2%
40Kankakee, IL15.8%
41Punta Gorda, FL15.5%
42Kingston, NY15.3%
43Reading, PA15.1%
44Wichita Falls, TX15.0%
45Salinas, CA14.6%
46Charleston, WV14.0%
47Binghamton, NY13.4%
48Gainesville, GA13.0%
49Springfield, IL12.3%
50Decatur, AL12.2%
51Rochester, MN12.1%
52Erie, PA12.0%
53Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL11.9%
54Nacogdoches, TX11.8%
55Gadsden, AL11.6%
56Shelby, NC11.4%
57Abilene, TX11.4%
58Topeka, KS11.1%
59Merced, CA10.3%
60Panama City, FL10.3%
61Battle Creek, MI10.3%
62Michigan City-La Porte, IN9.7%
63Staunton-Waynesboro, VA9.5%
64Hanford-Corcoran, CA9.2%
65Asheville, NC9.0%
66Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA8.5%
67Racine, WI8.4%
68Decatur, IL 7.5%
69Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA7.3%
70Palatka, FL7.2%
71Danville, IL6.6%
72Martinsville, VA6.4%
73Utica-Rome, NY5.8%
74Rome, GA5.4%
75Beckley, WV5.3%
76Huntsville, TX4.8%
77Fort Smith, AR-OK2.8%
78Lake City, FL2.5%

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.

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