Denver is the fourth most-literate city in the country — scooting past San Francisco and Boston, according to a study released this week by Central Connecticut State University.
But the oft-talked about “Colorado paradox” — meaning that the state’s higher-than-average education levels in the workforce reflect that the state has imported them, and that K-12 and higher education systems are not keeping pace — could hurt the city’s ranking in the future.
Central Connecticut State president Jack Miller studied 69 cities’ Internet usage, newspaper readership and library memberships, among other factors. Minneapolis held the top spot, followed by Seattle and St. Paul, Minn. According to the survey, 36 percent of Denverites held bachelor’s degrees or something more advanced, which ranks 15th in the country. But the number of high school dropouts citywide is dragging the overall average down. About 82 percent of Denverites had a high school diploma — which ranks 36th in the country, said Mark McLaughlin, university spokesman.
Central Connecticut State has been doing the study since 2003. Denver has been in the top 10 each year.
