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1. Ann Arbor, MI

Home to the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor metro area takes the No. 1 spot with 29.7% of adult residents holding graduate degrees. In total, 70,047 people have attained this level of higher education and they earn a median income of $76,349. Additionally, 27.6% of the population hold bachelor's degrees.

2. Boulder, CO

Just under 29% of adults in Boulder – or 64,474 people – have a graduate degree. Meanwhile, the median income of adults with graduate degrees is $81,275. Additionally, people with bachelor's degrees account for 33.6% of the adult population in Boulder, which is home to the University of Colorado's .

3. Washington D.C.Ìý

In this large region, which stretches into Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, 26.8% of adults have graduate degrees. In total, 1,171,625 people hold a graduate degree – more than any other area in the top 10. The median income of people with graduate degrees in Washington D.C. and the surrounding areas is $104,627. Concurrently, 26.6% of the population have bachelor's degrees.

4. San Jose, CA

In the San Jose metro area, which is home to Stanford University, 26.3% of adults have earned graduate degrees. Over 362,000 people in total have achieved this level of education and they report median earnings of $150,281 – more than any other metro area in the nation. Meanwhile, 27.7% of the population has earned bachelor's degrees.

5. Champaign-Urbana, IL

Home of the University of Illinois flagship campus, the Champaign-Urbana metro area has 33,664 residents with graduate degrees. That means 25.6% of adults who live in the area have graduate degrees. Their median earnings stand at $61,468. Additionally, 21% of adults have secured a bachelor's degree.

6. Santa Fe, NM

Just under 30,000 people in Santa Fe – or 24.6% of the adult population – have graduate degrees. These degree holders earn a median income of $69,473. Furthermore, 21.7% of Santa Fe residents have graduated with bachelor's degrees.

7. Charlottesville, VA

In the Charlottesville metro area, 24.5% of adults – or 37,176 people – have earned graduate degrees. Home to the University of Virginia, Charlottesville's median income for residents with graduate degrees is $80,276. Moreover, 26.3% of the population holds a bachelor's degree.

8. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

It's no surprise that the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area is among the 10 places with the highest percentage of graduate degrees, since both Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill are located there. Over 107,000 residents have at least one graduate degree, which equates to 23.8% of the adult population. The median earnings of residents with graduate degrees is $71,349. Concurrently, 26.9% of its adults have bachelor's degrees.

9. Boston, MA

In this metro area that extends north into New Hampshire, 23.7% of adults – 821,281 people – have secured a graduate degree. They report median earnings of $94,677. At the same time, 27.4% of the population hold bachelor's degrees.

10. Athens-Clarke County, GAÌý

More than 23% of adults have graduate degrees in the Athens-Clarke County metro area, which is home to the University of Georgia. In total, 30,989 residents have earned at least one graduate degree, while 22.2%Ìý hold a bachelor's degree. Residents with graduate degrees have median earnings of $63,636 per year.Ìý

Data and methodology

SmartAsset used data from the Census Bureau's 1-Year American Communities Survey from 2021. Specifically, we examined the percentage of adults 25 and older in each metro area with a graduate degree, their median earnings in 2021 and the percentage of adults with a bachelor's degree.Ìý

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