California's Central Valley fares poorly on education study, while Bay Area shines

James Ward, Palm Springs Desert Sun
Updated ·2 min read
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Two California Bay Area cities were named the most-educated metros in the nation, while five Central Valley cities were ranked in the bottom 10 in a WalletHub study released on July 2.

Visalia, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, had the dubious distinction of finishing both last in the state and nation in the survey, which ranked the top 150 metro areas in the United States on 11 key metrics, including adults with a high school diploma, levels of attendance or graduation from college and quality of primary and secondary educational institutions.

While the study is motivation to increase educational opportunities in the region, Visalia Mayor Brian Poochigian said studies like WalletHub's research paint a false picture of Visalia and the region. College of the Sequoias, a community college in Visalia, has recently teamed up with Fresno State to offer four-year degree programs on the campus, and the area has close ties to Fresno State and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

"We've worked hard to increase college and vocational opportunities in our city," Poochigian said.

Other San Joaquin Valley cities at the bottom of the list include Stockton, Modesto, Fresno and Bakersfield. Salinas, on California's Central Coast, also did poorly in the study.

San Jose and San Francisco are among the nation's top 10 most educated cities, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, finished first.

Here's how California cities ranked — from most to least educated — and their total score overall:

Source: WalletHub

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (#2): 82.12

  • San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA (#6): 80.76

  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (#23): 67.98

  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA (#49): 59.44

  • Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA (#52): 58.36

  • Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (#64): 56.20

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (#87): 52.05

  • Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA (#92): 51.23

  • Vallejo, CA (#121): 41.79

  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (#137): 32.36

  • Fresno, CA (#140): 29.24

  • Salinas, CA (#142): 28.57

  • Stockton, CA (#145): 24.51

  • Modesto, CA (#146): 18.55

  • Bakersfield, CA (#147): 17.73

  • Visalia, CA (#150): 9.44

Why do educational levels matter to California cities?

According to the study, an educated workforce significantly boosts the economy and can better withstand economic shocks.

"Highly educated people move to places where there are good jobs and good amenities," said Gaurav Khanna, Assistant Professor in the University of California, San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy. "So local authorities can encourage high-tech firms to open establishments and invest in amenities (schools, housing, etc.). "

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California's Central Valley fares poorly on education study