How Smart is Bethesda?

Let us count the PhDs. Bethesda ranks fifth among U.S. cities with highest percentage of doctoral degrees

August 26, 2014 7:30 a.m.

Bethesda ranked fifth among the 50 U.S. cities with the highest percentage of doctoral degree holders, according to a ranking by an online guide to doctoral programs.

Other nearby communities also made the list: Silver Spring ranked 19th and Gaithersburg ranked 40th.

While the top four cities—Brookline, Mass.; Davis and Palo Alto, Calif.; and Cambridge, Mass.—made the list for their proximity to major universities, the three Montgomery County communities mostly had facilities including the National Institutes of Health and Lockheed Martin to thank.

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About 11 percent of Bethesda residents reported holding doctorates, according to the rankings, which were assembled by Online PhD Programs a web guide to doctoral programs. Authors say they based their rankings on U.S. Census data and information from the website City-Data.com.

“The fact that it borders Washington, D.C., and is part of the metropolitan area that had the fifth-highest gross domestic product in the country in 2013 seemingly gives Bethesda, Md., an advantage when it comes to having a highly educated population,” the authors concluded.

In Silver Spring, 6.6 percent of the population had doctorates in 2012, the most recent year information was available. That was spurred in part by local employers such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  and biotech companies including United Therapeutics. About 4.4 percent of Gaithersburg residents have doctorates.

"There are many things for future doctoral candidates to consider before they embark on their chosen programs,” list author Luke Paton said. “Which institution to study at and what to research are the two most obvious, but thought should also be given to where doctorate holders might end up once they've finished their degrees.”

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