Brain Power

This Dallas ZIP code clocks in among the smartest spots in Texas

One ZIP boasts big shares of residents with postgrad and professional degrees.

The Dallas area is bursting with brain power, particularly in one part of town. One ZIP code in the region ranks among the top 10 in Texas with the highest share of residents Texans who've earned a master's, professional, or doctoral degree, according to a new list from UnitedStatesZipCodes.org.

"When deciding where to live, neighborhoods full of residents with postgraduate degrees are … increasingly attractive," reads UnitedStatesZipCodes.org, which based its ranking on U.S. Census Bureau data. "Well-educated communities — full of leaders in technology, medicine, business, and more — can bring new industries and revenue."

The postgraduate category includes PhDs and MBAs, while the professional category includes JDs (law degrees) and MDs (medical degrees).

Coming in as the smartest ZIP code in Dallas — and No. 7 in Texas — is 75205. This Park Cities ZIP code is home to the Southern Methodist University campus. Here, 37.7 percent of adults hold a postgraduate or professional degree.

Just outside the top 10, at No. 11, is adjacent 75225, where 35.1 percent of adults have a postgraduate or professional degree. Other Dallas-area ZIPs that make the top 50 are 75063 in Irving (No. 19), 75039 in Irving (No. 21), 75201 in Dallas (No. 26), Plano's, 75025 and 75024 (No. 33 and 34, respectively), Colleyville's 76034 (No. 35), Richardson's 75082 (No. 36), 75018 in Coppell (No. 38), 75093 in Plano (No. 39), 75013 in Allen (No. 40), Southlake's 76092 (No. 41), and Dallas' 75204, 75230, and 75214 (No. 42, 46, and 48, respectively).

The three smartest ZIPs in Texas are all in Houston, according to the study. Houston's 77030, which houses the Texas Medical Center, ranks No. 1, with more than half (51.7 percent) of adults 25 and over holding a postgraduate or professional degree.

No. 2 is Houston's 77005, where 48.5 percent of adults hold a postgraduate or professional degree, and No. 3 is 77401 — Bellaire — with 47.6 percent of adults landing in the category.

The other Texas ZIP codes in the top 10 for postgraduate or professional degrees are:

No. 4 — 78703, Austin, 41.5 percent.
No. 5 — 77098, Houston, 39.2 percent.
No. 6 — 77025, Houston, 39.15 percent.
No. 8 — 78746, Austin, 37.2 percent.
No. 9 — 78731, Austin, 37.1 percent.
No. 10 — 77024, Houston, 35.4 percent.

Federal data shows the unemployment rates for people with master's, professional, and doctoral degrees are lower than for other groups, such as people whose bachelor's or associate's degrees are their most advanced degrees. In addition, people with a postgraduate or professional degree typically earn more money.

"Graduates with the right knowledge and skills have the ability to demand higher salaries, as they are equipped to make significant contributions to the revenue and growth of the companies they work for," the Digital Marketing Institute says.

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A version of this story originally appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.com.

rankings texas colleges education

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates