Massachusetts is known for many things, including Plymouth Rock, championships sports teams, beautiful landscapes from beaches to mountains, and of course some of the best schools in the country. Not only some of the best colleges in the U.S., but some of the best public and private grade and high schools, so it might not be a big surprise that three Massachusetts cities were deemed some of the most educated in America.

In a recent report from WalletHub, Boston, Worcester, and Springfield, Massachusetts all made a list of the 100 Most Educated Cities in the United States. Boston came in at number six, Worcester came in at 58 and Springfield finished right behind it at 62.

The consumer analytics company compared 150 of the largest metropolitan areas and reviewed data from adults 25 years and older who held a bachelor’s degree or higher, in addition to the quality of the public schools in each area.

Research also showed the apparent correlation between higher education levels and higher paying salaries, accounting for folks moving to areas that are already considered "wicked smart" at least here in Massachusetts.

 

The more that graduates earn, the more tax dollars they contribute over time, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In turn, educated people want to live somewhere where they will get a good return on their educational investment.

WalletHub

Another obvious trend that studied highlighted was that highly educated folks tend to marry people who have a similar level of education, meaning that cities like Boston which already have a large intellectual population tend to be more attractive to people with degrees to live.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

Gallery Credit: Keri Wiginton

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