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Smartest states in the US REVEALED - and neither California nor New York make the cut
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 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 contributed five percent to the total score (see breakdown below).
As the home of many storied institutions, Massachusetts may have benefited from those five percent boosts in the rankings.
'The state, home to M.I.T. and other prestigious universities, also saw the highest college graduation rate in the country,' the UTS Online researchers said in a statement.
Adding: 'The state has the highest average IQ, at 104.3.'
'All these factors make Massachusetts top of the pile in both intelligence and education,' the authors said.
To provide a sense of the spread created by the UTS Online's 'intelligence score' system, Massachusetts topped the list with a 81.63/100 and New Mexico's score at the bottom of the list was 17.74/100.
Education researchers with the University of Technology Sydney Online, who conducted the new state-by-state analysis, only factored-in 'average IQ' as 15 percent out of the 100 percent total used in their system. Statewide average SAT & ACT scores counted as 15 percent as well
According to this UTS analysis, Vermont came in fourth place with an 'intelligence score' of 75.60/100.
Residents of the 'Green Mountain State' stood out for their high literacy and math literacy rates, as well as a strong high school graduation rate of 93.3 percent.
Vermont also had the third-best average IQ score in the US, although that apparent general aptitude did not place the state in the top 10 of other standardized tests like SAT and ACT scores.
Washington — which came in as the fifth smartest state with a score of 69.20/100 — benefited greatly from a high ACPSA score, meaning that its artistic and cultural industries led the nation contributing a 9.5/100 to their intelligence score.
Washington students also delivered on standardized tests, landing in the top 10 for SAT, ACT, and NAEP contributions to the total score.
The remote residents of Montana took the sixth spot, with an intelligence score of 71.49/100, with one of the highest average IQs in the nation at 103.4.
The state also was found to have one of the highest literacy rates in the country.
'A significant number of states are falling behind with their education. Graduation rates are dropping, and standardized test scores are stagnating, raising concerns about the future of our nation's workforce,' a spokesperson from UTS Online warned.
The Sydney, Australia-based university's researchers advised that US states officials should consider 'increased funding for schools, investment in quality teachers, and a shift towards fostering critical thinking skills [...] to empower students.'
'States ranking on the higher end of the list should stay on their toes,' they added, 'and keep pushing to maintain the momentum and standards they've set.'