The most and least educated cities in the United States

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Monday, August 24, 2015
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. area was ranked to be one of the most educated metropolitan areas in the country.
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Residents of the Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas area could learn a thing or two from citizens of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Wallethub released its 2015 rankings of the most and least educated cities in the U.S. with the Michigan town earning top honors as the country's most educated city. The Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas area came in at the bottom of the rankings, making it the least educated metropolitan area in the country.

PHOTOS: The most educated cities in the United States

PHOTOS: The least educated cities in the United States

The list looked at the largest 150 metropolitan areas in the country, focusing on how much education a resident of that area has received, and quality and diversity of educational institutions. Ann Arbor, Mich. had the highest average of residents who had some college education, a bachelor's degree, and even graduate or professional degrees. Fresno, Calif. had the lowest average of high school graduates, and the Visalia-Porterville, Calif. region ranked poorly across the board for number of residents with any college education.

There was also a strong correlation between a city's education level and median income, with higher-educated cities earning a higher median income, and lower-educated cities earning less. "In states with the least schooled workforces, the median wage is $15 an hour compared with $19 to $20 an hour in states where 40 percent or more of the working population holds at least a bachelor's degree," according to Wallethub.