Arlington Named 'Most Educated Large City' in the Nation: Survey

We know, we know. Arlington is a county. But pat yourselves on the back, Arlington, because a recent study of the most educated places in America found Arlington to be the top educated “large city” in the country.

The study was conducted by financial website Nerd Wallet using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the following formula:

• The percentage of residents with at least a high school diploma or associate degree is 40% of the score.
• The percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree is 30% of the score.
• The percentage of residents with at least a master’s degree is 10% of the score.
• The percentage of residents with a doctorate degree is 10% of the score.
• The percentage of residents with a professional degree is 10% of the score.

Based on these criteria, Arlington earned a score of 79.53 with more than 93.4 percent of its population holding a high school degree or equivalent, and 72.1 percent of the county holding at least a bachelor’s degree. D.C. ranked #5 among large cities.

In another category — “most educated places” — Arlington ranked #21st in the country. McLean placed the highest among Northern Virginia “places,” at #5 overall. Oakton finished #31 and Alexandria was #86.