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Greater Washington Ranks as Nation’s Most Attractive Region
for College Graduates
Region Surpasses Atlanta and Dallas for Top Spot

October 16, 2006; Washington, DC – Greater Washington now ranks first among large U.S. metropolitan regions for attracting and retaining college grads, according to recently released U.S. Census data. 

An analysis by the Greater Washington Initiative (GWI) of the 2005 American Community Survey data shows that the region, which ranked third in 2000 behind Atlanta and Dallas, moved up to first in rank over the last five years. 

In August, GWI released an analysis showing that the percentage of the adult population in the region with Bachelor’s degrees increased from 42.5% to 45.9% and the number with advanced degrees increased from 19% to 21.3% between 2000 and 2005.

“In addition to spotlighting our region’s vibrant economy, this latest data provides an incredibly strong indicator of the region’s ‘brain gain’ and attractiveness to the knowledge workforce. Greater Washington continues to attract and retain the best and brightest,” said Tim Priest, Executive Director, Greater Washington Initiative.

The Greater Washington Initiative analyzed educational retention and attraction data for more than 400 metropolitan regions around the country. Contact Research Manager Steven Pedigo at stevenpedigo@bot.org or 202-857-5983 for additional analysis.   

Rank
 Metro
Score*
Total: BA and Above (%)
Total: Advanced Degree (%)
1
 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV  Metro Area
1.63
45.92%
22.03%
2
 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA  Metro Area
1.58
34.32%
16.96%
3
 Denver-Aurora, CO  Metro Area
1.54
36.78%
18.63%
4
 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA  Metro Area
1.47
35.83%
19.03%
5
 San Francisco-San Jose, CA Metro Area
1.39
43.30%
17.08%
6
 Austin-Round Rock, TX  Metro Area
1.36
39.07%
22.44%
7
 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX  Metro Area
1.35
29.97%
17.32%
8
 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH  Metro Area
1.32
40.59%
23.94%
9
 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI  Metro Area
1.32
36.97%
21.84%
10
 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX  Metro Area
1.21
17.90%
27.83

*Note: A score of 1.00 represents the national index.
Source: U.S. Census 2005, GWI Analysis, 2006

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The Greater Washington Initiative ( GWI) is the regional economic development marketing organization that assists firms in expanding their businesses in the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland. GWI provides complimentary and confidential client services and research and is an affiliate of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. For more info, visit www.greaterwashington.org

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Contact GWI

Greater Washington Initiative
(202) 857-5999