College graduates chase jobs, culture to big cities, AP analysis shows
— reported by SeattlePI.com
College graduates are flocking to America’s big cities, chasing jobs and culture and driving up home prices.
Though many of the largest cities have lost population in the past three decades, nearly all have added college graduates, an analysis by The Associated Press found.
Seattle was the best-educated city in 2004 with just over half the adults having bachelor’s degrees. Following closely were San Francisco; Raleigh, N.C.; Washington and Austin, Texas.
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College graduates made about two-thirds more money than high school graduates in 2004, according to the Census Bureau. The median income – the point at which half make more and half make less – for adults with bachelor’s degrees was $42,404. It was $25,360 for high school graduates.
Adults who did not graduate high school had a median income of $18,144.
Many cities with a lot of college graduates also have expensive homes, even with the softening real estate market.
San Francisco was the costliest in 2004, with a median home value of $662,000, according to census data. That was more than four times the national median of $151,000.
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