Cracking the books in Lincoln, NE
The following ranking, in descending order of high school graduation rate, was drawn from the 2002 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau. The study included 157 metro areas with populations of 250,000 or more. Nationwide, 82.6 percent of people 25 and older were high school graduates.
| Metro area | % HS grad
or higher | % bachelor's
degree or higher |
| Lincoln, NE MSA | 94.3% | 33.5% |
| Madison, WI MSA | 93.7% | 41.8% |
| Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA | 93.6% | 55.2% |
| Provo-Orem, UT MSA | 92.1% | 31.3% |
| Eugene-Springfield, OR MSA | 91.4% | 24.6% |
| Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA PMSA | 91.2% | 37.7% |
| Tallahassee, FL MSA | 91.1% | 37.6% |
| Anchorage, AK MSA | 91.0% | 31.5% |
| Tacoma, WA PMSA | 91.0% | 23.0% |
| Ann Arbor, MI PMSA | 90.8% | 36.0% |
| Des Moines, IA MSA | 90.8% | 30.7% |
| Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT MSA | 90.6% | 29.4% |
| Nassau-Suffolk, NY PMSA | 90.2% | 33.2% |
| Lowell, MA-NH PMSA | 90.2% | 34.1% |
| San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA MSA | 90.0% | 29.8% |
| Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI MSA | 89.9% | 25.9% |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA | 89.9% | 30.3% |
| Colorado Springs, CO MSA | 89.6% | 35.6% |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL MSA | 89.1% | 21.9% |
| Boston, MA-NH PMSA | 89.1% | 41.7% |
| Monmouth-Ocean, NJ PMSA | 89.1% | 29.2% |
| Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA | 88.8% | 38.7% |
| Rochester, NY MSA | 88.7% | 29.3% |
| Columbia, SC MSA | 88.6% | 31.7% |
| Brockton, MA PMSA | 88.6% | 22.1% |
| Pittsburgh, PA MSA | 88.6% | 26.4% |
| Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA | 88.5% | 41.5% |
| Santa Rosa, CA PMSA | 88.4% | 32.7% |
| Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL MSA | 88.3% | 25.1% |
| Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI MSA | 88.1% | 26.1% |
| Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, PA MSA | 88.0% | 24.1% |
| Atlanta, GA MSA | 88.0% | 32.9% |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA | 88.0% | 30.7% |
| Erie, PA MSA | 87.9% | 23.2% |
| Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI MSA | 87.7% | 24.1% |
| Dutchess County, NY PMSA | 87.6% | 33.1% |
| Killeen-Temple, TX MSA | 87.5% | 20.6% |
| Canton-Massillon, OH MSA | 87.5% | 17.8% |
| Galveston-Texas City, TX PMSA | 87.4% | 28.9% |
| Worcester, MA-CT PMSA | 87.3% | 29.4% |
| Kansas City, MO-KS MSA | 87.2% | 31.1% |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA PMSA | 87.2% | 40.0% |
| Denver, CO PMSA | 87.2% | 35.0% |
| Spokane, WA MSA | 87.0% | 24.6% |
| Honolulu, HI MSA | 86.8% | 29.3% |
| Lawrence, MA-NH PMSA | 86.6% | 30.1% |
| San Francisco, CA PMSA | 86.6% | 46.4% |
| Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA | 86.4% | 50.5% |
| Saint Louis, MO-IL MSA | 86.4% | 27.8% |
| Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, CA PMSA | 86.4% | 25.4% |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI PMSA | 86.4% | 28.2% |
| Binghamton, NY MSA | 86.3% | 22.2% |
| Boise City, ID MSA | 86.3% | 25.9% |
| Fayetteville, NC MSA | 86.3% | 18.4% |
| Akron, OH PMSA | 86.2% | 23.9% |
| Austin-San Marcos, TX MSA | 86.2% | 38.4% |
| Rockford, IL MSA | 86.2% | 20.2% |
| Hartford, CT MSA | 86.1% | 30.8% |
| Springfield, MO MSA | 86.1% | 22.6% |
| Newark, NJ PMSA | 86.1% | 33.1% |
| Huntsville, AL MSA | 86.0% | 33.3% |
| Reno, NV MSA | 86.0% | 25.1% |
| Toledo, OH MSA | 86.0% | 23.5% |
| Syracuse, NY MSA | 85.9% | 27.1% |
| Orlando, FL MSA | 85.9% | 25.5% |
| Sacramento, CA PMSA | 85.9% | 29.0% |
| Sarasota-Bradenton, FL MSA | 85.8% | 26.8% |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR MSA | 85.8% | 26.7% |
| Peoria-Pekin, IL MSA | 85.8% | 25.7% |
| Fort Myers-Cape Coral, FL MSA | 85.7% | 22.9% |
| Indianapolis, IN MSA | 85.7% | 28.3% |
| Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA | 85.6% | 23.8% |
| Wichita, KS MSA | 85.5% | 24.7% |
| Jacksonville, FL MSA | 85.4% | 24.2% |
| Philadelphia, PA-NJ PMSA | 85.4% | 29.0% |
| Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY MSA | 85.2% | 24.2% |
| Flint, MI PMSA | 85.2% | 18.7% |
| Fort Wayne, IN MSA | 85.2% | 22.7% |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA MSA | 85.1% | 20.5% |
| York, PA MSA | 84.9% | 19.5% |
| San Jose, CA PMSA | 84.9% | 42.9% |
| New Haven-Meriden, CT PMSA | 84.8% | 32.8% |
| Oakland, CA PMSA | 84.7% | 38.1% |
| Lexington, KY MSA | 84.6% | 32.1% |
| Daytona Beach, FL MSA | 84.6% | 18.0% |
| Tucson, AZ MSA | 84.3% | 28.3% |
| Youngstown-Warren, OH MSA | 84.2% | 15.6% |
| Macon, GA MSA | 84.1% | 20.4% |
| Trenton, NJ PMSA | 84.1% | 37.5% |
| Hamilton-Middletown, OH PMSA | 84.1% | 25.4% |
| Dayton-Springfield, OH MSA | 84.0% | 22.3% |
| Pensacola, FL MSA | 84.0% | 18.4% |
| Tulsa, OK MSA | 84.0% | 23.9% |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL PMSA | 84.0% | 26.6% |
| West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL MSA | 84.0% | 27.2% |
| Baton Rouge, LA MSA | 83.9% | 27.8% |
| Nashville, TN MSA | 83.9% | 28.2% |
| Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton, PA MSA | 83.8% | 18.0% |
| Salem, OR PMSA | 83.8% | 21.4% |
| Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria, OH PMSA | 83.7% | 25.3% |
| Oklahoma City, OK MSA | 83.7% | 25.8% |
| Jackson, MS MSA | 83.5% | 27.7% |
| Richmond-Petersburg, VA MSA | 83.5% | 30.7% |
| Saginaw-Bay City-Midland, MI MSA | 83.5% | 19.5% |
| Chicago, IL PMSA | 83.3% | 31.9% |
| Bridgeport, CT PMSA | 83.2% | 31.1% |
| Bergen-Passaic, NJ PMSA | 83.2% | 36.3% |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA MSA | 83.0% | 24.1% |
| Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula, MS MSA | 83.0% | 16.1% |
| Ventura, CA PMSA | 82.9% | 28.2% |
| Knoxville, TN MSA | 82.9% | 25.7% |
| Detroit, MI PMSA | 82.8% | 24.6% |
| Springfield, MA MSA | 82.8% | 26.2% |
| Savannah, GA MSA | 82.8% | 24.0% |
| Fort Pierce-Port Saint Lucie, FL MSA | 82.8% | 20.5% |
| Fort Worth-Arlington, TX PMSA | 82.8% | 25.0% |
| South Bend, IN MSA | 82.7% | 25.0% |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR MSA | 82.3% | 25.6% |
| Utica-Rome, NY MSA | 82.3% | 22.3% |
| Birmingham, AL MSA | 82.2% | 26.9% |
| Atlantic-Cape May, NJ PMSA | 82.2% | 21.0% |
| Mobile, AL MSA | 81.8% | 21.3% |
| Montgomery, AL MSA | 81.8% | 28.6% |
| Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC MSA | 81.7% | 22.1% |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA | 81.1% | 13.0% |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA | 80.8% | 27.0% |
| San Diego, CA MSA | 80.5% | 29.9% |
| Dallas, TX PMSA | 80.4% | 31.4% |
| San Antonio, TX MSA | 79.9% | 22.0% |
| Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA MSA | 79.9% | 25.8% |
| New Orleans, LA MSA | 79.4% | 23.7% |
| Orange County, CA PMSA | 79.4% | 33.0% |
| Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC MSA | 79.2% | 24.7% |
| Reading, PA MSA | 79.0% | 20.1% |
| Lancaster, PA MSA | 78.8% | 20.3% |
| Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, CA MSA | 78.7% | 29.2% |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA MSA | 78.4% | 15.7% |
| Houston, TX PMSA | 78.0% | 29.0% |
| Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC MSA | 77.4% | 22.1% |
| Jersey City, NJ PMSA | 77.2% | 27.2% |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA PMSA | 77.1% | 17.3% |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL MSA | 77.1% | 15.7% |
| New York, NY PMSA | 76.9% | 31.0% |
| Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC MSA | 75.1% | 13.5% |
| Corpus Christi, TX MSA | 75.0% | 19.5% |
| Miami, FL PMSA | 74.4% | 23.6% |
| Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA MSA | 74.0% | 16.8% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA PMSA | 73.8% | 27.0% |
| Modesto, CA MSA | 73.7% | 13.0% |
| Lafayette, LA MSA | 71.3% | 17.6% |
| Bakersfield, CA MSA | 70.6% | 15.2% |
| Salinas, CA MSA | 70.6% | 26.5% |
| Fresno, CA MSA | 69.8% | 18.1% |
| El Paso, TX MSA | 65.8% | 16.0% |
| Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA MSA | 62.2% | 10.5% |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX MSA | 61.5% | 15.0% |
| Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito, TX MSA | 56.8% | 12.8% |
| MSA: Metropolitan Statistical Area |
| PMSA: Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area |
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Source: 2002 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
Date: January 2004
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