Top 16 Least Educated Cities in America [Report 2024]

least educated cities in America

The standard of living in a certain place may be indicative of the degree of education currently present there.

A stronger local economy and a better work force are the results of a higher proportion of the population with postsecondary education or training. It may also be indicative of the quality of the local public school system.

In this article, I am going to talk about some of the least educated cities in America that probably you would like to avoid!

1. Dalton, GA

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Dalton, GA is one of the least educated cities in America

Dalton is the least educated city in America. Only 30.82% of the residents of this city have a high school diploma, while 35.70% are unemployed, 20% have attended some college, and 13.48% have a bachelor’s degree.

2. Merced, CA

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Merced, CA

Merced is the second least educated city in America. In Merced, just 25.92% of people have completed high school, 29.30% have a GED, 31.49% have some college, and 13.29% have a bachelor’s degree or more.

3. McCallen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

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Around 30.07% of people in this area lack a high school graduation. In the meantime, 25.74% have some college experience, 24.56% have a high school diploma, and 19.63% have a bachelor’s degree.

Check out the richest neighborhoods in America.

4. Visalia-Porterville, CA

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In this area, 28.41% of people lack a high school diploma. Only 14.15% of people have a bachelor’s degree, 28.48% have a high school diploma, and 28.97% have completed some college.

5. Salinas, CA

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Salinas, CA

Here, just 21.93% of people have completed high school, 24.97% have attended some college, and 22.33% have a bachelor’s degree. 30.77% of people lack a high school diploma.

6. Ocala, FL

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This city is the sixth least educated city in the America. It becomes 135th in the educational attainment ranking and becomes 145 in the quality and equality of education ranking.

7. Corpus Christi, TX

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The seaside city of Corpus Christi is located in Texas’ South Texas area. At 46% of the total, Corpus Christi has a lower percentage of residents with an associate’s degree than most other areas of the metro area.

8. Laredo, TX

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In terms of lower education rate, Laredo, TX also comes in the list of the least educated cities in America. Though, this city is a good place to live, but it has a lower education rate compared to other US cities.

9. Fresno, CA

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Fresno is the ninth least educated city in America. According to different studies, Fresno has a poverty rate of over 30 percent (the national poverty rate is closer to 12.7 percent). That’s why it has a lower education rate.

10. Lafayette, LA

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Due to its closeness to important thoroughfares traveling north, south, east, and west that direct people and tourists to explore smaller villages, Lafayette, Louisiana is known as “The Hub City.”With a score of 25.72, Louisiana is ranked 44th for educational quality and 48th for educational attainment.

11. Hickory, NC

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With legal boundaries extending into Burke and Caldwell counties, the city of Hickory is mostly found in Catawba County. The city is located in North Carolina, a US state. According to different researches and reports, it is the sixth least educated city in a metro region, is Hickory, which is approximately an hour north of Charlotte.

12. Beaumont, TX

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Southeast Texas is home to the city of Beaumont. It is well-known for the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, a recreation of a town depicting life at the beginning of the Texas oil boom in the early 1900s. The school dropout rate in Beaumont is 15%, which is about average compared to other cities in the region. According to research that locals conducted, Beaumont has the lowest level of education among the 150 largest metro regions in the country.

13. Modesto, CA

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Modesto is only 90 minutes by car from San Francisco. The local institutions of Modesto are not very good. The ranking of educational attainment is 146 and the ranking for educational excellence and equity is 138.

14. North Charleston, SC

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North Charleston has the lowest rate of bachelor’s degree completion in South Carolina among cities and towns with a size of 25,000 or more.

In comparison to the state average of 28.1%, just 22.8% of people in North Charleston hold a bachelor’s degree or above. As is typical of places where residents have a low level of education, North Charleston has a lower-than-average median income. The average local family brings in $45,510 a year, which is less than the state median.

15. Stockton-Lodi, CA

According to reports the largest university in Lodi, California is San Joaquin Delta College, however it is lacking educational institutions relative to most cities in California. It ranks very low both in terms of educational attainment rates and quality and equality of education.

16. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

WalletHub found that the metro area of Brownsville-Harlingen had the second lowest percentage of citizens who have graduated from high school. Additionally, it has one of the lowest education attainment ratings in the US.

One thing leads to another. Least educated cities suffer with typical unemployment problems and therefore, fail to ensure the quality of life. 

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