Area Codes by % of Residents in the Labor Force With a Bachelor Degree or Higher

dimondpark · #1 Posted **May 8, 2026, 9:22 PM**

This is probably my last area code post, it's just so interesting to me.

Anyhow, I remember when 40% was quite an accomplishment, now a good number of major metro area codes are 50%+!

Area Codes by
% of Residents in the Labor Force
With a Bachelor Degree or Higher:
69.1%--202 Washington, DC
68.1%--206 Seattle
67.9%--415 San Francisco
66.5%--646 Manhattan, NYC
65.1%--703 Northern Virginia
65.0%--650 San Francisco Peninsula
62.2%--617 Boston
60.8%--339 Suburban Boston
59.8%--212 Manhattan, NYC
59.3%--612 Minneapolis
57.7%--404 Atlanta
57.3%--510 Oakland
57.0%--425 Suburban Seattle
56.3%--952 Suburban Minneapolis
54.7%--949 South Orange County
54.5%--312 Chicago
54.4%--408 San Jose
53.7%--925 Suburban Oakland
53.4%--919 Raleigh-Durham
52.7%--303 Denver
52.9%--913 Suburban Kansas City
52.3%--248 Suburban Detroit
52.2%--630 Suburban Chicago
51.7%--512 Austin
51.0%--610 Suburban Philadelphia
50.9%--201 Jersey City
50.9%--914 Westchester County
50.7%--847 Suburban Chicago
50.5%--862 Newark
50.3%--412 Pittsburgh
50.3%--314 St Louis
50.2%--651 St Paul
49.7%--301 Suburban Maryland(DC)
49.6%--203 Southwest Connecticut
49.5%--763 Suburban Minneapolis
49.1%--516 Long Island
48.9%--614 Columbus
48.3%--636 Suburban St Louis
47.7%--773 Chicago
46.5%--503 Portland
46.1%--818 San Fernando Valley
45.9%--215 Philadelphia
45.8%--615 Nashville
45.7%--718 Outer Boroughs, NYC
45.6%--214 Dallas
44.7%--480 Suburban Phoenix
44.6%--310 Los Angeles(West)
44.6%--513 Cincinnati
44.5%--317 Indianapolis
44.3%--619 San Diego
43.8%--804 Richmond
43.6%--262 Suburban Milwaukee
43.3%--770 Suburban Atlanta
43.1%--734 Ann Arbor
42.9%--845 Hudson Valley
42.7%--714 Orange County
42.0%--813 Tampa Bay
41.7%--724 Suburban Pittsburgh
41.5%--754 Ft Lauderdale
41.5%--414 Milwaukee
41.4%--407 Orlando
40.9%--713 Houston
40.6%--801 Salt Lake City
40.5%--401 Providence
40.5%--916 Sacramento
40.3%--281 Suburban Houston
40.1%--747 San Fernando Valley
39.5%--561 Palm Beach County
38.9%--757 Virginia Beach
39.3%--440 Suburban Cleveland
39.1%--205 Birmingham
38.9%--502 Louisville
38.3%--216 Cleveland
38.3%--901 Memphis
38.0%--213 Downtown Los Angeles
37.8%--626 Suburban Los Angeles
37.7%--302 Delaware
37.6%--816 Kansas City
37.6%--305 Miami
37.4%--602 Phoenix
37.2%--904 Jacksonville
35.8%--817 Ft Worth
33.8%--313 Detroit
33.0%--210 San Antonio
32.0%--623 Suburban Phoenix
31.4%--562 Long Beach
29.8%--909 Inland Empire
28.6%--702 Las Vegas
24.3%--951 Inland Empire
22.7%--559 Fresno

source: Zip Atlas

iheartthed · #2 Posted **May 9, 2026, 4:29 PM**

What happened to 646? I don't think 212 will be a good representation since so few people have that area code for their personal number. I've had a number of 212 phone numbers for my direct landline office number thanks to VOIP but never as a cell number. I can only think of one person I know that has a 212 area code as their personal cell number, and I'm sure they've had that number since the 1990s.

734 is mostly an area code for Detroit's western suburbs. It just so happens to also include Ann Arbor, but the majority of people with the 734 area code live in Wayne County, within the Detroit MSA. If it were Ann Arbor's area code the percentage would be well over 50%... probably close to 70%.

dimondpark · #3 Posted **May 9, 2026, 5:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheartthed

What happened to 646?

Thanks for catching that? I updated the list.

craigs · #4 Posted **May 9, 2026, 5:17 PM**

I have a 415 area code, but I live in Los Angeles. Am I included in the 415 statistic, even though I'm not a resident of the area associated with that area code?

Also, I'm curious about the San Fernando Valley overlay area code, 747. I wonder if those with newly-acquired local numbers have a higher rate of educational attainment than those with legacy 818 numbers.

dimondpark · #5 Posted **May 9, 2026, 5:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by craigs

I have a 415 area code, but I live in Los Angeles. Am I included in the 415 statistic, even though I'm not a resident of the area associated with that area code?

I think you count for the area code you reside in, not the area code of your phone.

Quote:

Also, I'm curious about the San Fernando Valley overlay area code, 747. I wonder if those with newly-acquired local numbers have a higher rate of educational attainment than those with legacy 818 numbers.

The rate for 747 is 40.1%, I'll add it to the list.

craigs · #6 Posted **May 9, 2026, 5:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dimondpark

I think you count for the area code you reside in, not the area code of your phone.

The rate for 747 is 40.1%, I'll add it to the list.

Thanks and thanks.

SIGSEGV · #7 Posted **May 11, 2026, 9:31 PM**

I don't see 773 on there? Curious to see how it compares to 312 (probably lower).

dimondpark · #8 Posted **May 12, 2026, 2:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

I don't see 773 on there? Curious to see how it compares to 312 (probably lower).

773 comes in at 47.7%, I added it to the list.

Docere · #9 Posted **May 12, 2026, 3:08 PM**

In the city of Seattle, a remarkable 70% are college-educated.

Chisouthside · #10 Posted **May 12, 2026, 3:34 PM**

crazy with 773 and 312 combined I would probably say the total number is over the 50 percent mark. a number like that would seem to support the narrative of a tale of two cities in chicago.

PhilliesPhan · #11 Posted **May 12, 2026, 3:39 PM**

312 isn't Philadelphia. That would be 215 (+267 and 445). Is Philly at 45.9% or is the 312 area code?

I'd also be curious to see where 302, Wilmington and New Castle County, DE, would land on this list. I'd imagine that a large number of New Castle County residents are college-educated.

Docere · #12 Posted **May 12, 2026, 3:54 PM**

I assume this is based on the population that lives in a geographic area served by an area code, and not a survey of people in said area codes.

dimondpark · #13 Posted **May 12, 2026, 4:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

312 isn't Philadelphia. That would be 215 (+267 and 445). Is Philly at 45.9% or is the 312 area code?

I'd also be curious to see where 302, Wilmington and New Castle County, DE, would land on this list. I'd imagine that a large number of New Castle County residents are college-educated.

Thanks I knew it was 215 but I goofed. Corrected.

302 comes in at 37.7%, I will add it to the list.

dimondpark · #14 Posted **May 12, 2026, 4:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Docere

I assume this is based on the population that lives in a geographic area served by an area code, and not a survey of people in said area codes.

Yes, this is based on the residents of the area code.

Docere · #15 Posted **May 12, 2026, 4:27 PM**

So you can live in more than one.

JManc · #16 Posted **May 12, 2026, 5:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dimondpark

I think you count for the area code you reside in, not the area code of your phone..

How does that work though? Here in Houston, areas codes are no longer broken down by geography so anyone can be 713 (me), 281 (my wife), 832, 346 or 621. When I first moved here, 713 was the central part of the city and 281 was the suburbs but that was done away with about 20 years ago when they started added new ones.

Docere · #17 Posted **May 12, 2026, 5:28 PM**

Area code figures (like ZIP codes) would make more sense on the "old map" when one area code (with a 0 or 1 in the middle) was the area code for everyone.