Baltimore ranks among America's top 20 most educated metro areas

The Baltimore metropolitan area is one of the most educated regions in the country, according to a new WalletHub study.

The personal finance website ranked the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metropolitan area No. 19 on its list of the Most Educated Cities in America (2026), placing it among the top 20 out of the nation’s 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas.

WalletHub evaluated metro areas using 11 different metrics, including the percentage of adults ages 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree, graduate and professional degree attainment, public school quality, and educational achievement gaps by race and gender.

Baltimore earned an overall score of 66.56, ranking 16th nationwide for educational attainment and 93rd for quality of education and educational attainment gaps.

The study highlights the region’s strong concentration of college-educated residents, thanks in part to its abundance of universities, research institutions, hospitals, government agencies and technology employers.

1. Ann Arbor, Michigan

2. Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina

3. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California

4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia–Virginia–Maryland–West Virginia

5. Madison, Wisconsin

6. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California

7. Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina

8. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts–New Hampshire

9. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas

10. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington

11. Portland-South Portland, Maine

12. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado

13. Colorado Springs, Colorado

14. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut

15. Provo-Orem, Utah

16. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon–Washington

17. Huntsville, Alabama

18. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota–Wisconsin

19. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Maryland

21. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York

22. Trenton-Princeton, New Jersey

23. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California

24. Tallahassee, Florida

Click here for full list.