Portfolio.com assessed the collective brainpower of the 200 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. My hometown, Erie, PA, came in 143rd out of 200, with a negative brainpower index. Washington, D.C was third on the list, so obviously my mobility was significant to these results.
Seriously…the brainpower index was measured by the educational attainment of residents. Less than a quarter of Erie’s residents have at least a Bachelor’s degree, compared to over half of the residents in the number one city on the list (Boulder, CO).
For context, I looked up the rankings of the three largest cities surrounding Erie–Buffalo (Dave’s hometown), Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Buffalo is 77th, with a positive brainpower rating, Pittsburgh is 86th and also positive. Cleveland is 99th and pretty much at the break even point with a slightly negative ranking.
But check it out – Boulder boasts those stats because educated people move here, not because of the great school system:
Between 1992 and 2001, Colorado declined precipitously from 35th to 49th in the nation in K-12 spending as a percentage of personal income. As of 2006, the state maintained its low ranking among the states at 48th.
Colorado’s average per-pupil funding fell by more than $600 relative to the national average between 1992 and 2006.
Colorado’s average teacher salary compared to average pay in other occupations declined from 30th in the nation in 1992 to a low of 50 th in 2001, and edging up only slightly to 49th in the nation as of 2007.
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=753