Smartest states in the US REVEALED - based on 10 metrics including IQ and exam ... trends now
While the average IQ score has dropped in the US over the years, individual states have seen a rise that has made them stand out from the crowd.
Researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) analyzed 10 metrics, such as exam grades and IQs, which were given a numerical score and totaled to uncover the smartest states.
The team found that Massachusetts, home to Harvard and MIT, took the top spot with a total score of 81.63 that was boosted by its average 104.3 IQ score and high college graduation rate.
New Hampshire ranked second with a 79.52 intelligence score based on having the highest literacy and numeracy rates in the nation.
New Mexico, however, came in last on the list, with a total score of 17.74 due to having one of the lowest scores on the SAT and ACT tests.
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Minnesota nabbed the gold, silver and bronze as the 'smartest' states in the union according to the new analysis by the University of Technology Sydney Online (above). The researchers merged 10 data points to compile their rankings
The new study follows a 2023 report by the World Population Review which found that the average IQ score across the entire US fell from 100 to 98 last year - which some experts said was the first time rates have fallen since tracking began.
But the education researchers with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Online — who conducted the new state-by-state analysis — only factored-in 'average IQ' as 15 percent out of the 100 percent total measurements used in their system.
Both college graduation rates and statewide average SAT & ACT scores counted as 15 percent each, alongside those IQ scores.
High school graduation rates counted at 10 percent, as did literacy and math literacy or 'numeracy' rates.
Innovative metrics like 'Colleges per Capita' and each state's share of the US Bureau of Economic Analysis 'State Value Added for Arts and Culture Production' (ACPSA) score each
