Berkeley Ranks Among California's Most Educated Cities

The number of college-educated residents in Berkeley makes it one of the most educated cities in California, according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

In Berkeley, 93.6 percent of residents age 25 or older hold at least a high school diploma, and 68.4 percent hold a Bachelor's degree or higher. Berkeley's most educated age group is people age 25 to 34 years old, of whom 74.6 percent hold a Bachelor's degree or higher. The statistics place Berkeley 9th on a list of California's most educated cities, according to an analysis by the California Department of Finance's Demographic Research Unit. 

Palo Alto topped a list of the most educated cities in California, and nearby Lafayette ranked at number 7.

California Watch reports that about 8 of 10 Palo Alto residents age 25 and older hold at least a bachelor's degree. The city, which is home to tech giants Facebook and Hewlett-Packard, also has the state's highest rate of graduate or professional degrees among residents age 25 and older: 49.8 percent, according to the 2008-10 American Community Survey.

Statewide, 80.6 percent of Californians are at least high school graduates and 3 of 10 have a bachelor's degree or higher. Around 10.9 percent have a graduate or professional degree. For 1 in 5 California residents, the highest level of education attained is a high school diploma or equivalent. More than 2.5 million Californians reached less than ninth grade in school, including nearly 553,000 —2.3 percent of the state's population — who completed no schooling, data show.

California has slightly higher rates of bachelor's and graduate or professional degrees when ompared with the rest of the nation, but it also has more residents with less than a ninth-grade education: 10.5 percent versus 6.2 percent.

In Berkeley, the median income was $60,904 annually for people with a graduate or professional degree — a jump of $24,699 from the median income of people with a Bachelor's degree, and $39,276 per year more than those without a high school diploma. 

Below are the 10 most and least educated cities in California. The list is based on educational attainment data for residents age 25 and older and includes only places with a population of 20,000 or more.

Percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher:

1. Palo Alto, 79.7 percent
2. Los Altos, 76.2 percent
3. Saratoga, 75.9 percent
4. Cupertino, 73.4 percent
5. Manhattan Beach, 72.9 percent
6. Lafayette, 71.4 percent
7. La Cañada Flintridge, 70.7 percent
8. Davis, 69.1 percent
9. Berkeley, 68.4 percent
10. Menlo Park, 68.1 percent

Percentage of residents who completed less than ninth grade:

1. Bell Gardens, 44.9 percent
2. Maywood, 44.5 percent
3. Florence-Graham, 43 percent
4. Cudahy, 37.9 percent
5. Lennox, 37.6 percent
6. Bell, 36.5 percent
7. East Los Angeles, 36 percent
8. Watsonville, 35.4 percent
9. Huntington Park, 34.9 percent
10. Coachella, 34.7 percent

California Watch contributed to this report.