Pennsylvania is among the smartest of American states, ranking at #16 according to the World Population Review . However, have you ever been curious about the places within Pennsylvania with the highest educational achievement? Throughout the country, several factors seem to affect the average level of education in a given area. The most influential are a person’s proximity to major urban centers, the average age of the population in a given area, employment rates, and average household income. These same themes hold true for locations within Pennsylvania with a large number of educated individuals living there. Level of education is measured by the number of individuals living in a certain area and their highest degree obtained. All data cited was collected from statistics provided by the United States Census Bureau .
1. Bethlehem
The average American town is home to about 30% of residents with college-level education. However, Bethlehem is home to 34% of residents with bachelor’s degrees or higher. This is unsurprising, as Bethlehem is home to Lehigh University, one of the most prestigious colleges throughout the state. Students travel from far and wide to study here, and it’s easy to see why. Aside from education, residents here don’t have enough good things to say about this town. In fact, some even call it the best place to live in the entire state of Pennsylvania . The cost of living is affordable, the job market has many opportunities, and people from many different cultural backgrounds call Bethlehem home.