Most Educated Cities in California

Cities ranked by highest percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher · 50 cities · Updated 2026-04-05

This ranking shows the most educated cities in California based on data from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. All 50 cities are sorted by highest percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher from highest to lowest. Alta Sierra CDP (Kern County), California leads the ranking with a value of 100.0% and a population of 13.

The top three cities are Alta Sierra CDP (Kern County), California (100.0%), California Hot Springs (100.0%), and Gold Mountain (100.0%). Data is updated nightly from official Census APIs. Click any city name to view its full demographic profile, or see the national most educated cities ranking to compare across all 50 states. You can also explore all cities in California.

Rank	City	Value	Population
#1	Alta Sierra CDP (Kern County), California	100.0%	13
#2	California Hot Springs	100.0%	20
#3	Gold Mountain	100.0%	91
#4	Lake City	100.0%	30
#5	Long Barn	100.0%	20
#6	Post Mountain	100.0%	93
#7	Salmon Creek	100.0%	28
#8	Sequoia Crest	100.0%	62
#9	Shoshone	100.0%	18
#10	Twin Lakes CDP (Mono County), California	100.0%	8
#11	Wilsonia	100.0%	32
#12	Strawberry CDP (Tuolumne County), California	96.9%	65
#13	Dillon Beach	95.1%	224
#14	Pepperdine University	91.9%	2,772
#15	Stanford	91.1%	17,958
#16	Loyola	88.4%	3,883
#17	San Geronimo	87.8%	562
#18	Ladera	87.4%	1,160
#19	Los Altos	87.2%	30,736
#20	Monte Sereno	87.1%	3,459
#21	Piedmont	86.8%	11,012
#22	La Honda	86.0%	1,094
#23	Atherton	85.9%	7,021
#24	Belvedere	85.6%	2,415
#25	Los Altos Hills	85.6%	8,367
#26	North Gate	85.6%	719
#27	Orinda	85.4%	19,472
#28	Del Mar	84.7%	3,921
#29	Soda Springs	84.7%	174
#30	West Menlo Park	84.6%	3,382
#31	Diablo	84.1%	1,072
#32	Bear Valley CDP (Alpine County), California	83.6%	80
#33	Fort Washington	83.6%	266
#34	Sereno del Mar	83.6%	110
#35	Kirkwood	83.3%	406
#36	Cupertino	83.1%	58,886
#37	Ross	83.0%	2,626
#38	Portola Valley	82.8%	4,329
#39	Hillsborough	82.7%	11,122
#40	Palo Alto	82.4%	67,231
#41	Fairbanks Ranch	82.2%	2,794
#42	Nicasio	81.9%	113
#43	Shell Ridge	81.9%	998
#44	Kensington	81.4%	5,292
#45	Saratoga	81.2%	30,335
#46	Moraga	81.0%	16,790
#47	Sleepy Hollow	80.8%	2,644
#48	Williams Canyon	80.6%	54
#49	San Marino	80.2%	12,279
#50	Avila Beach	79.7%	1,365

Frequently Asked Questions

What city has the most educated in California?

Alta Sierra CDP (Kern County), California ranks #1 for most educated cities in California with a value of 100.0% and a population of 13.

How many cities are ranked for most educated cities in California?

There are 50 cities ranked for most educated cities in California. Rankings are based on data from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

How does California compare to other states for most educated cities?

You can compare California's city rankings to other states or view the national ranking at our national most educated cities page, which lists the top 100 cities across all 50 states.

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