Bethesda Tops America's Most Educated Towns List ... Again

BETHESDA, MD — It’s almost routine at this point, but for the fourth year in a row, a financial website has named Bethesda the most educated place in America.

Montgomery County suburbs rule. Of the top four places on the Nerd Wallet list, two are in the county: Bethesda at No. 1 and Potomac at No. 4.

The study was conducted by financial website NerdWallet using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The website combed the country to find the cities and towns with the highest percentages of residents with college degrees.

NerdWallet analyzed Census Bureau data on education levels achieved by residents older than 25 in more than 17,000 places with populations of at least 25,000. The places at the top of the list have the most residents with degrees including associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional.

Here’s what the study had to say about Bethesda:

“In Bethesda, a bedroom community outside of Washington, D.C., 16% of residents have a professional degree, one of the highest percentages among all places measured. In this city, 85% of all residents have an associate or bachelor’s degree, more than half have a master’s degree, and 11% have a doctorate. Biomedical engineering is a common profession here. Bethesda is well-known for being the headquarters of the National Institutes of Health and Lockheed Martin, as well as the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Bethesda is also home to the American College of Medical Informatics and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.”

To get a sense of how much more formal education the top 10 places have compared to the full list, consider the average for all the cities and towns measured. On average, 37 percent of people in these places hold at least an associate or bachelor’s degree. Some 10 percent of residents have a master’s degree, 1 percent have a doctorate, and 2 percent have a professional degree.

A professional degree is defined as an advanced degree focused on skills necessary to work in a specific profession, usually one that requires a license such as Juris Doctor or doctor of optometry.

And of No. 4 Potomac the writers said:

“Potomac’s location outside of Washington, D.C., makes it popular among commuters. Here, 16% of all residents have a professional degree, one of the highest percentages among all places measured. Half of the residents have a master’s degree, and 9% hold a doctorate. There are no colleges in Potomac, but these suburban residents are close to all of the colleges the D.C. area has to offer. It’s also known for having some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country.”

Other Maryland towns on the list are: North Bethesda at No. 16, Rockville ranked No. 44, Ellicott City placed No. 61, Towson was No. 70, Columbia placed No. 71, Olney ranked No. 80 and Pikesville placed No. 91.

SEE ALSO:

• 2016 Best Places in Maryland to Live
• MoCo Elementary School Teachers Lead Nation in Planning Time: Report
• Walt Whitman High Tops Rankings of Maryland High Schools
• Four of Most Diverse Cities in America Are in Montgomery County
• Rockville Tops List of 10 Best Cities for Families
• Rockville Lands on 10 Best Foodie Cities List
• Bethesda and Rockville Among 10 “Snobbiest Small Cities in America”
• Rockville Named to America’s Most Educated Town List
• Montgomery Ranked Healthiest County in Maryland: Report
• Chevy Chase Ranks on America's Best 'Burbs List
• Best Cities for Retirement: Survey Says Bethesda, Rockville

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