BOSTON— Boston can now add another accolade to its long-standing reputation as a hub of intellectual capital: it is home to the most-educated ZIP code in the United States, according to new reporting from the Boston Business Journal (BBJ).
In an analysis of national U.S. Census data, BBJ projects reporter Grant Welker identified Boston’s Seaport District (ZIP code 02210) as leading the nation, with a staggering 93% of residents holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. The findings excluded ZIP codes with fewer than 5,000 residents to ensure a meaningful comparison.
“The distinction belongs to the Seaport, which over its development in the last decade or more has become a desirable address with prices to match,” reported BBJ. “That means those who can afford it are more likely to work in jobs that require a degree — like the life sciences or professional services firms that have set up offices there.”
The Seaport’s rise reflects not only Boston’s transformation into a global hub for healthcare, technology, and life sciences, but also the socio-economic shifts that accompany such growth. According to BBJ, the per-capita income in the Seaport now stands at $175,892, illustrating the area’s economic exclusivity.
The BBJ analysis placed several other Massachusetts communities in the national spotlight as well. Wellesley Hills (ZIP 02481) and Newton’s Waban neighborhood (ZIP 02468) ranked just behind the Seaport, with per-capita incomes of $117,974 and $130,948, respectively.
Massachusetts already leads the country in education levels, with 47.8% of adults statewide holding at least a bachelor’s degree, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, as cited by BBJ. In total, the state boasts three of the eight most-educated ZIP codes in the nation and six of the top 26.
BBJ emphasized that this concentration of educational attainment is not uniform across the state.
“That brainpower isn’t spread out evenly. The most highly educated residents tend to cluster in the Boston area’s most ritzy neighborhoods and suburbs,” BBJ noted.
Nationally, similarly high levels of educational attainment are found in affluent enclaves of major metropolitan areas like New York and Chicago, or in university towns such as Madison, Wisconsin, and Stanford, California, BBJ reported.
The full BBJ report includes a slideshow highlighting Massachusetts’ top 10 most-educated ZIP codes, as well as data on income and home values across the state. In Lexington’s 02421 ZIP code, for example, 84.7% of residents have a bachelor’s or higher, with a median home value of $1,147,700, according to BBJ.
As Boston continues to evolve into a nexus for innovation and professional excellence, the Seaport’s distinction as the most-educated ZIP code in America may serve as both a point of civic pride—and a reflection of growing disparities in access to opportunity and housing.
All statistics, quotes, and data in this article are attributed to the Boston Business Journal’s reporting by Grant Welker, published May 8, 2025.
