A study by online finance news company 24/7 Wall Street LLC found that Ames and Iowa City ranked among the nation’s 10 “smartest” cities, based in large part on the percentage of residents ages 25 or older holding at least a bachelor’s degree.

Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa, ranked sixth, one slot ahead of Ames, home of the state’s largest public university, Iowa State University.

In Iowa City, 48.6 percent of the residents in that age bracket had at least a bachelor’s degree; in Ames, 48.2 percent.

The study found somewhat sobering wage data for workers in both towns. In Iowa City, the median salary for a person with a bachelor’s degree was $38,807. A typical resident with a high school diploma, on the other hand, earned $34,278.

In Ames, a bachelor’s degree brought a median salary of $42,482 in 2013, below the national median of $50,000. Read more