25 Most Illiterate Cities in America

Published on September 1, 2023 at 11:18 am by Zarah Hamid in Industries, Lists, News

In this article, we will be looking at a brief overview of the American education system, the basis of US illiteracy as well as the 25 most illiterate cities in America. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Most Illiterate Cities in America.

Education in the US

The education sector in the United States is classified into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. The primary level encompasses all elementary grades before high school. Secondary education consists of junior and senior high school. Finally, tertiary education refers to bachelor’s and further postgraduate studies. The education system includes both public and private institutions. Public institutes are government funded and supervised while private institutes determine their own policies and curriculum.

Roots of US Illiteracy

In general, literacy refers to the ability to read and write. The US National Center for Education Statistics reports that it measures functional literacy in the country which includes the ability to read, document, and perform calculations based on data.

In 2022, the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that approximately one-third of students in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades are proficient in reading. The situation even gets worse for certain groups such as people from a different race, older generations, and those who belong to low-income groups. Let’s dive into why illiteracy is present in the country in the first place.

The stem of illiteracy in the US emerges in both child and adult categories. As for children in the United States, the literacy problem starts at the school entry level. The Children’s Reading Foundation reports that 4 out of 10 children in the US enter kindergarten with skills lower than the level required. Similarly, some students even start school with a 1-year gap. Thus, students who tend to be behind form the largest group of dropouts, and they only have a 12% chance of attending a university degree of four years.

In the case of adult literacy, the level of education plays a significant role. Apart from the US adults who don’t get an education at all, some adults who usually have just done high school tend to bring average literacy levels lower for all the others who actively participate in higher studies. A survey regarding adult skills by the OECD reported that US adults performed poorly in responding to written texts. They even showed slightly higher than average performance while using mathematical concepts and interpreting information in digital environments regardless of attaining education.

Penetration of Edtech in the US

In a state of what analysts refer to as the silent literacy crisis for the US, there are several edtech companies that aim to change the current dynamics. The most widely used edtech platforms in the US include Udacity, Inc., Udemy Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY), Stride, Inc.(NYSE:LRN), 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU), and StartEd. Since the pandemic hit the country, there has been a booming trend of remote learning and skill development especially among the youth.

Based in California, Udacity, Inc. is an online education provider that offers different skill development courses related to data science, programming, business, AI, and product management. It is really popular in the US since job seekers tend to develop essential skills through it. The company reports that 50% of the students who completed the nano degree program, which comprises a number of courses, at Udacity, Inc. got a 33% raise in their pay after graduating from the program. This demonstrates how the platform helps US adults and teenagers become more technologically literate and contribute more to the job market.

Udemy Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY) is another leading company to introduce technology to learning in the US. The company offers many different courses for job-related skill acquisition among the youth. The company has joined hands with many others in the edtech industry, one of which is Degreed. As the company reported, Udemy Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY) helps corporate employees access many in-demand courses to develop skills on Decreed. An educated workforce hence contributes to better numbers for national literacy.

Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN) is a known name in the American education system. It is based in Virginia and serves 1 million students around the world, mostly in the United States. The firm has a partnership with 21K school for the US students to learn from an extensive American curriculum. 21K school, which is Asia’s leading online school, reported that it offers 170 electives under this partnership with Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN). The company has also collaborated with Southern New Hampshire University. On January 17, Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN) reported that Southern New Hampshire University would be offering discounted online courses to high school graduates under this partnership with the company. This initiative was especially taken to relieve many American students from the growing burden of debt acquired to pay for higher education.

2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) is another edtech firm famous in the US. It partners with the top US universities to enable them to facilitate the students through online learning. Its top partners include renowned names such as Arizona State University, Harvard University, Michigan State University, and the London School of Economics and Political Science. On August 15, the company reported that it partnered with Drake State Technical and Community College to help learners in Huntsville take part in an online boot camp related to data analytics and cyber security, that too without any cost. This upcoming collaboration will contribute to the technical skill development among Huntsville’s citizens, especially disadvantaged groups like low-income groups or women.

StartEd is a popular platform that helps edtech companies at different stages, be it product development or connecting them with edtech investors. In April, Google Cloud announced its partnership with StartEd which enables US-based edtech firms to apply to this program through which they can avail corporate coaching, technical support, and networking with industry experts. The idea behind this collaboration was to enable edtech companies to provide seamless and better education in the United States.

Outcomes of Illiteracy

Literacy corresponds directly to personal income, employment levels, health, and overall economic growth. The Barbara Bush Foundation reported that the average income of an adult who is at the minimum proficient literacy level tends to be almost twice the amount earned by somebody at a low literacy level. It also reveals that if all US adults reach this bare minimum literacy level, they can contribute $2.2 trillion in annual income. Literacy is also linked with health since better health literacy leads to quick diagnosis and adherence to medical instructions. The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies reported that US adults who have low literacy levels tend to have poorer health than literate individuals.

Regardless of the situation of literacy in some cities of the US, Udemy Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY), Stride, Inc.(NYSE:LRN), and 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) continue to efficiently educate many Americans online. Now that we have taken a look at the illiteracy situation in the country, we can analyze the 25 most illiterate cities in America.

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Methodology

In order to create a list of the 25 most illiterate states in America, we utilized data from the US Census Bureau. This data was taken from the Education Attainment database. We considered certain metrics to define a literate person. We used the population enrolled in high school as our primary metric. To expand our research, we also used the population enrolled in college as a secondary metric. This population covers the age group of 18 to 24. Please note that the population enrolled in college will represent those who have completed high school. The last metric we used was the population with a Bachelor’s degree, which corresponds to individuals who have passed out of college, aged above 25. Thus, we gave first priority to the population enrolled in high school followed by the population enrolled in college and the population with a bachelor’s degree. We have considered the top 50 US Metropolitan Statistical Areas with a population greater than 1 million for our research. We created a list of the 25 most illiterate cities in the United States in ascending order of their populations enrolled in high school, college, and those with a bachelor’s degree, as follows:

25. Portland

Population Enrolled in High School: 73,573

Population Enrolled in College: 77,346

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 468,388

Portland makes it to the list of the top 25 US cities known to be illiterate. The adult literacy rates are very low. Many students have a basic reading level which is not adequate as per their grade level.

24. Austin

Population Enrolled in High School: 70,529

Population Enrolled in College: 84,726

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 512,424

Austin is one of the 25 most illiterate cities in the United States. It is the capital city of Texas, a known US state. Some of the adults in the city have limited proficiency in English and many students fail to get a high school diploma thereby contributing to high illiteracy.

23. Pittsburgh

Population Enrolled in High School: 69,936

Population Enrolled in College: 66,984

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 389,763

Located in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, is another US city that has a low literacy level. Many adults in the city experience unemployment since they do not have the literary skills required for a job.

22. Nashville

Population Enrolled in High School: 63,122

Population Enrolled in College: 69,587

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 357,851

Another illiterate city in the United States is Nashville. The Nashville Public Library helps the local adults to develop reading and writing skills. However, the literacy numbers are still low for the city.

21. Indianapolis

Population Enrolled in High School: 62,992

Population Enrolled in College: 60,110

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 346,920

Indianapolis also makes it to the list of the top illiterate cities in America. This is because there are many adults who do not even have a high school diploma and lack the basic skills of comprehension.

20. Columbus

Population Enrolled in High School: 62,559

Population Enrolled in College: 81,570

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 354,227

Columbus is the most populated city in Ohio, US. It is also one of the most illiterate cities in the country as some adults in the city can’t even read while students struggle with reading at their schools.

19. Kansas City

Population Enrolled in High School: 61,098

Population Enrolled in College: 64,965

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 365,996

Kansas City is situated in the midwestern part of the United States. It is also one of the US cities to lack literacy since many adults in the city have a reading level below the one required for fifth grade. Hence, Kansas is among the top illiterate cities in the country.

Investors who are interested in the US edtech industry can look up Udemy Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY), Stride, Inc.(NYSE:LRN), and 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU).

18. Cleveland

Population Enrolled in High School: 60,072

Population Enrolled in College: 65,971

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 303,162

Located in Ohio, Cleveland, is one of the most illiterate US cities. This is because the overall illiteracy rate is significantly high in the region while adult literacy is an even bigger issue for the city.

17. Oklahoma City

Population Enrolled in High School: 51,950

Population Enrolled in College: 57,525

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 202,082

Oklahoma City is the capital of the state of Oklahoma. Some of the adults in the city have a basic literacy level while some fall even below the basic literacy level, making it one of the US cities with significantly low literacy rates.

16. Milwaukee

Population Enrolled in High School: 49,299

Population Enrolled in College: 49,475

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 272,652

Milwaukee has a lot of illiterate adults and children who do not perform well on their reading tests since their reading skills are limited. Thus, Milwaukee is one of the most illiterate cities in the United States.

15. Memphis

Population Enrolled in High School: 48,852

Population Enrolled in College: 40,133

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 169,981

Another city in the US that doesn’t do well in literacy statistics is Memphis. Memphis is located in the US state of Tennessee. 1 in 7 adults in the city cannot read above sixth-grade level thereby making the city one of the most illiterate cities in the country.

14. Jacksonville

Population Enrolled in High School: 48,841

Population Enrolled in College: 50,671

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 263,566

Based in Florida, Jacksonville, is known to have children who are unable to read at their grade level. Early literacy is an issue and hence, Jacksonville is one of the illiterate states in the US.

Some companies dominating the US education technology sector include Udemy Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY), Stride, Inc.(NYSE:LRN), and 2U Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU).

13. Salt Lake City

Population Enrolled in High School: 47,052

Population Enrolled in College: 46,246

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 189,318

The capital of Utah, Salt Lake City, is known to be one of the most illiterate US cities. Adult literacy is a problem in the city as many adults struggle to even read thereby bringing the literacy rate lower.

12. Richmond

Population Enrolled in High School: 40,469

Population Enrolled in College: 45,365

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 219,962

One of the 25 cities in the United States that are known for illiteracy is Richmond. It is the capital city of Virginia. The city even has adults who do not know how to fill out an application form or read a bus schedule.

11. Tucson

Population Enrolled in High School: 39,850

Population Enrolled in College: 48,697

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 139,300

Tucson is another city in the US that is known to have low literacy. It is located in Arizona. The city has many students who can’t read at their grade level and adults who can read only at a basic level.

10. Raleigh

Population Enrolled in High School: 38,500

Population Enrolled in College: 52,195

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 299,161

Raleigh is a US city which is based in North Carolina. The city needs to focus on its early literacy levels to develop grade-level knowledge in students. Hence, Raleigh has a low rate of literacy and is one of the most illiterate US cities.

9. Louisville

Population Enrolled in High School: 37,715

Population Enrolled in College: 41,487

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 173,456

Another city that fails to achieve adequate literacy levels is Louisville. The city has a large adult population with a basic education, making it one of the most illiterate cities in the United States.

8. Tulsa

Population Enrolled in High School: 37,412

Population Enrolled in College: 30,292

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 138,417

Tulsa is another US city that has a low literacy rate. Adult literacy is high and a significant issue in the city. Thus, Tulsa is also one of the 25 most illiterate states in the US.

7. Urban Honolulu

Population Enrolled in High School: 37,376

Population Enrolled in College: 32,268

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 162,253

Based in Hawaii is the city of Urban Honolulu, which ranks as one of the most illiterate US cities. High homelessness in the city contributes to illiteracy over here.

6. Fresno

Population Enrolled in High School: 36,885

Population Enrolled in College: 39,862

Population Holding a Bachelor’s Degree: 99,450

Fresno is a major city in California. It has a high rate of functional illiteracy which implies that the adults in the city do not even have basic literacy skills. Hence, Fresno is one of the 25 most illiterate cities in America.

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