Least and Most Top 5 Literate cities in America -
America's Top five least literate cities :
5. Anaheim, Calif.
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: N/A
> Pct. adults with college degree: 24.5% (22nd highest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 5.19 (5th highest)
> Median income: $56,858 (10th highest)
Anaheim scored badly in several key categories for literacy. It ranked among the lowest of all large cities in terms of newspaper circulation. In addition, it was of one of several cities to receive the lowest ranking in Internet readership, indicating that people were not reading news or books digitally. The only area where Anaheim scored relatively well was in the number of booksellers per capita, ranking above nearly two-thirds of all major cities. Only 74% of the population over the age of 25 had a high school diploma as of 2011, the fifth-lowest of all cities with populations over 250,000.
4. El Paso, Texas
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 9.92 (68th highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 22.5% (15th lowest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 0.36 (the least)
> Median income: $40,702 (22nd lowest)
El Paso ranked in the bottom 10 of all cities in four of the six categories measuring literacy. Notably, El Paso ranked dead last for the total number of bookstores — independent, used, rare and retail — relative to the population of the city. In addition, the city ranked third from the bottom in terms of publication circulation and among the bottom in terms of newspaper circulation. Educational attainment in El Paso was also among the bottom 10 major cities. Just 76.4% of El Paso adults had at least a high-school education in 2011, compared to 85.9% of the United States as a whole. Meanwhile, only 22.5% of adults had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 28.5% of the population.
3. Stockton, Calif.
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 10.35 (66th highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 17.3% (6th lowest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 0.57 (6th least)
> Median income: $44,310 (36th lowest)
The city of Stockton ranked among the bottom in nearly all categories of literacy. For instance, it ranked among the worst in the circulation of publications and journals. Further, in 2011, only about three in four residents at least 25 years old had a high school education, and just over 17% had a college degree — both measures among the lowest of all large U.S. cities. This is apparent in the income of Stockton’s residents: more than one in four lived below the poverty line in 2011, compared to just under 16% in the country as a whole. The percentage of people working in the generally low-paying retail field, at 14.2%, was the third-highest percentage of all cities measured in 2011.
2. Corpus Christi, Texas
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 13.45 (63rd highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 22.1% (12th lowest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 0.45 (tied-2nd least)
> Median income: $44,893 (37th highest)
Corpus Christi produces fewer non-newspaper publications than almost all other large cities in the United States. No magazines with a circulation of more than 2,500 are published there, while just one journal with a circulation exceeding 500 is published in the city. Further, there were just 21 bookstores in the city of 300,000, according to Miller’s study. Additionally, the city’s library resources were rated among the worst in the nation, largely due to a limited number of volumes and staff.
1. Bakersfield, Calif.
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 11.19 (64th highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 20.1% (9th lowest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 0.54 (4th least)
> Median income: $51,667 (14th highest)
Bakersfield, Calif. was ranked the least literate among American cities with a population of more than 250,000. The city ranked among the bottom 10 cities in all six categories measured. It was third from the bottom for booksellers and third from the bottom for periodicals like newspapers and journals. The literacy ranking may be a reflection of the professional positions of the city’s residents. Only 8.2% of the population worked in professional, scientific and management positions in 2011, the fifth-lowest percentage of all cities. Nearly 10% of the city worked in agriculture, forestry, hunting and mining, the highest of all cities measured.
America's Top five most literate cities :
5. Denver, Colo.
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 66.56 (7th highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 43.0% (9th highest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 1.82 (28th most)
> Median income: $47,371 (29th highest)
Denver residents are among the nation’s most active online readers. According to CCSU, the city’s readers received top scores for using online resources for reading, whether ordering books, viewing newspapers online or using e-book readers. Denver residents are avid print newspaper readers as well, as measured by total newspaper circulation, for which the city ranked sixth in the nation. Denver also has one of the nation’s best library systems, as measured by the number of books, facilities and staff per capita. According to the Denver Public Library, a $68 million increase in Denver’s city budget will allow the library system to increase its hours by 40% in 2013.
4. Pittsburgh, Pa.
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 56.71 (9th highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 33.1% (26th highest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 2.67 (15th most)
> Median income: $35,947 (13th lowest)
Pittsburgh performed extremely well in every category measured, with the exception of Internet usage, for which it ranked 42nd among the cities. Pittsburgh is not a particularly wealthy city, with a 2011 median income of $35,947, compared to the national median of $50,502. However, the city also has very little poverty, with just 10.4% of residents living below the poverty line, versus 15.1% nationwide. The city’s libraries and booksellers are among its biggest strengths. Pittsburgh has more independent bookstores, relative to population, than any city in the country.
3. Minneapolis, Minn.
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 77.44 (3rd highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 46.5% (6th highest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 4.13 (9th most)
> Median income: $46,682 (33rd highest)
Only Oakland, Calif. , and neighboring St. Paul . had more bookstores per capita than Minneapolis. In addition, city residents are among the most likely in the nation to read a newspaper — the city had the nation’s second highest per-capita Sunday circulation, and the third-highest weekday circulation. Minneapolis remains one of the nation’s most educated as well. In 2011, 88.2% of adults over 25 had a high school diploma and 46.5% had a college degree — both among the nation’s better rates for large cities. Many workers are also employed in fields requiring higher education, such as professional, scientific and management occupation, which together employ 16.3% of residents — the eighth-highest among all major cities.
2. Seattle, Wash.
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 35.71 (24th highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 56.2% (the highest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 2.05 (22nd most)
> Median income: $61,037 (7th highest)
Seattle ranks among the top 10 of all 76 cities measured in every literacy category except newspaper circulation. Seattle is second in the country in the educational attainment category, which considers both the percentage of residents with a high school degree and the percentage with at least a bachelor’s degree. More than 56% of the population over the age of 25 in 2011 had at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest percentage among all the major cities. Seattle was also among the top 10 for adults with a high school education, at more than 92%. More than 13% of households earned more than $200,000 in 2011, the fourth-highest percentage among all cities. Meanwhile, the median household income that year was $61,037, seventh-highest of all cities.
1. Washington, D.C.
> Weekday newspaper circulation per 100: 74.79 (4th highest)
> Pct. adults with college degree: 52.5% (3rd highest)
> Retail bookstores per 10,000: 1.94 (24th most)
> Median income: $63,124 (6th highest)
For the third consecutive year, Washington ranked as the most literate city in the nation. Among all cities, Washington ranked number one in the use of online literature resources. Especially impressive: the city has the highest relative number of households with an e-book reader of any major city in the nation. Washington also has more magazines with a circulation of 2,500 or more, and more journals with a circulation of 500 or more, per capita than any other major city in the nation. As of 2011, 52.5% of residents had a college degree — third-highest among large U.S. cities. The city also has more high-earning households than any major city in the country, with close to one in four earning more than $200,000.
