Portland, Maine Makes the Grade as One of America’s Smartest Cities

There are many factors that contribute to Portland's fine reputation.

There's its beauty: I mean, it sits right on the coast, so obviously it's going to shine.

There's its history: stunning architecture, cobblestone roads, and unique museums all help keep its past alive.

And there's the food. It's one of the best foodie towns in America, and it only seems to get better every year.

However, another factor deserves mention: the fact that Portland was recently named one of the most educated cities in the country.

Portland, Maine, is One of the Most Well-Educated Cities in America

Wallethub.com, a popular personal finance website, has published its annual report on the most educated American cities. Not only can Portland be found near the top, but it's also one of the most educated cities in New England.

Portland ranks as the 13th most educated city in America. That’s out of a list of 150 cities included in WalletHub.com's survey. I'd say that's a ranking the small city can be proud of—it outperformed the vast majority of the country.

Maine scored a 73.81 out of a possible 100 points. The scoring system is based on a two major categories, Educational Attainment and Quality of Education & Attainment Gap. These categories are broken down in 11 sub-categories to make it as detailed as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

Portland scored a Top-70 ranking in quality of education and attainment gap, finishing at 67th overall. This category evaluated the quality of public education, along with gaps related to gender and race. I’d say this is slightly lower than one might hope, so there’s definitely room for improvement. However, it's still within the top 50th percentile—so it could have been a lot worse.

Where Portland truly shined was in educational attainment, finishing 13th overall. This category assessed the population’s overall level of education. It's safe to say the region is doing quite well for itself.

These are great statistics for Portland and its surrounding areas. They're the kind of numbers you want to see in a region focused on innovation and growth—two things we’ve seen on the rise here in recent years.

What are the Most Well-Educated Cities in New England?

As mentioned above, Portland also finished as the second most educated region in New England, just behind Boston. The Commonwealth’s largest city earned a ranking of 10th.

READ MORE: 20 Must-Try Under-the-Radar Spots in Portland, Maine

According to WalletHub, the most educated city in America is Ann Arbor, Michigan, finishing just ahead of Durham–Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

At the other end of the spectrum was Visalia, California, which came in last. Hey, congrats to Mississippi and West Virginia—states that typically land at the bottom of these rankings. Not this time, though!

You can see the entire map here.