Daily Beast: Atlanta 23rd-smartest city

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Daily Beast: Atlanta 23rd-smartest city

Atlanta is the 23rd-smartest American city, according to a study published by news and opinion Web site The Daily Beast.

“Atlanta scored in the bottom quarter in universities per capita, yet it seems to attract a relatively high number of educated people,” the study noted. “The area scored in the top quarter for bachelor’s degrees per capita and was slightly ahead of the pack for graduate degrees per capita.”

The study only ranked 55 metropolitan areas of 1 million people or more as defined by U.S. Census data. It then tracked how many residents had bachelor’s degrees and graduate degrees. It further looked at nonfiction book sales as tracked by Nielsen BookScan, measured the ratio of institutions of higher education as defined by the federal government and measured the percentage of eligible voters who cast ballots in the last presidential election.

Based on that formula, Atlanta earned a Daily Beast IQ Score of 109.

Raleigh-Durham, N.C., was named the smartest city with a score of 170, while Fresno, Calif., was the dumbest city with a score of 3.