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Wondering what American state ranks top of the class? Whilst a staggering 65% of Americans believe they have above-average intelligence according to a 2018 study, there are clearly some states that are more intelligent than others.
Based on a recent study from WalletHub, our rankings consider the educational achievements of all state citizens over the age of 25, and the quality of that education.
We begin with the most intelligent state.
1.MASSACHUSETTS:
Massachusetts has ranked as number 1 in the U.S. for both educational attainment and quality of education. Massachusetts currently has a share of 48% of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest across the country, as well as the highest percentage of adults with graduate degrees in the country.
Massachusetts also has the second-highest university quality, home to Harvard University – the top-ranked school in the U.S. according to Forbes.
2. MARYLAND:
Ranking over 2nd in the country, Maryland has placed 2nd for quality of education and 3rd for educational attainment. Currently, 42% of Maryland’s population has a bachelor’s degree – the third greatest share in America. The state also has the 2nd highest rate of residents with a graduate degree.
Maryland also has several Universities ranking among the top 25 schools in the U.S.A, those including the John Hopkins University and the United States Naval Academy.
3. COLORADO:
Moving towards the West Coast, the mountainous state of Colorado has ranked 3rd overall. With a population of 5.7 million people, 43% of Colorado’s population has a bachelor’s degree – the 2nd highest share of residents with a bachelor’s degree in the country.
The State ranks 3rd overall, however, as the quality of education is not among the best in the nation. No universities in Colorado made it among the top 20 in the nation, their highest ranking University was the United States Air Force Academy, ranking 43rd according to Forbes’ top 100 list.
4. VERMONT:
The heavily forested state on the northeastern border of the United States has ranked overall 4th in the nation. With a small population of around 600,000 people, Vermont has a 40% share of their population with a bachelor’s degree.
The state has ranked 5th for educational attainment and 8th highest for quality of education in the nation, earning them an overall 4th rank in the country. The top-ranked school in the state, Middlebury College, is ranked 37th on the Forbes’ top 100 universities list.
5. CONNECTICUT:
Connecticut, located in the southern New England region has ranked 5th overall, ranking 4th best for educational attainment and 9th highest for quality of education. Currently, 42% of the state’s 3.5 million people have a bachelor’s degree, and has one of the highest rates of graduate degrees.
The prestigious Ivy League Yale University is stationed in Connecticut, ranking the third-best school in the nation according to the Forbes top 100 list.
6. VIRGINIA:
Virginia, a southeastern state, has ranked 6th overall. The population of 8.5 million has a current 42% share of adults with a bachelor’s degree. The state’s scores for educational attainment as well as overall quality of education are among the top 10 in the country. The state’s top three universities have all ranked in the top 50 on the Forbes list, including the University of Virginia, Washington and Lee, and the College of William & Mary.
The state also has the fourth-largest share of citizens who hold a graduate degree.
7. WASHINGTON:
This state on the Northwest coast of America has earned top marks on both educational achievement and educational quality. Washington, with a population of 7.6 million people currently has a 38% share of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree.
The state has ranked 9th best for educational attainment and 10th best for quality of education across the nation. The highest ranking schools in the state are the University of Washington and Seattle and Whitman College. However, these Universities did not make Forbes’ top 50, instead ranking 64th and 89th.
8. NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Back on the East coast of the U.S. in the New England region, New Hampshire has ranked 8th overall. Whilst the state has a small population of 1.36 million, there is currently a 38% share of adults with a bachelor’s degree.
New Hampshire’s score for quality of education was not quite as high as their score for educational achievement. New Hampshire’s quality of education ranked 27th on WalletHub’s list. Some Universities in New Hampshire include the Ivy League Dartmouth College, as well as the University of New Hampshire and Saint Anslem College.
9. NEW JERSEY:
On the Northeastern coast of the U.S, New Jersey has ranked 9th overall. Their population of 8.8 million people has a current 44% share of people earning a bachelor’s degree. The state has also tied with Connecticut for the fourth highest rate of residents with a bachelor’s degree.
The State did rank as 5th best for quality of education and 10th highest for educational achievement. New Jersey is home to prestigious schools such as the Ivy league Princeton University, which ranked as 5th best university in America according to Forbes.
10. MINNESOTA:
The top-ranking state of the Midwest, Minnesota has placed in the top 10. The population of 5.6 million people has a 40% share of the population with at least a bachelor’s degree. This state bordering Canada has ranked 8th for educational achievement, however, only 18th best for quality of education provided.
Some of the state’s top universities include the University of Minnesota, the University of St. Thomas and St. Catherine University.
11. UTAH:
This mountainous state next door to Colorado has ranked 11th overall for educational achievement and general quality of education. Utah has a current population of 3.2 million people, 35% of which have attained at least a bachelor’s degree.
The state has also ranked 11th for both educational attainment and quality of education according to WalletHub. The highest-ranked school in the state is the Brigham-Young University, which placed very low on Forbes’ top 100 list at number 95.
12. ILLINOIS:
Illinois is the second highest ranking state in the midwest for educational quality and achievement. The state has a population of 12.67 million people, and has a 39% share of adults with a bachelor’s degree.
Illinois has earned a 17th ranking for both educational achievement and educational quality according to WalletHub’s findings. Two of Illinois’ top ranking schools in the state have placed in the top 20 of the Forbes’ top 100 list, those being the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.
13. NEW YORK:
The state of New York on the east coast of America, home to the largest city in the U.S.A, New York City, came in at 13th. The city of 8.4 million people has a 40% share of adults with a bachelor’s degree. New York was ranked as 18th in the country for educational attainment, and 16 for general quality of education.
New York is home to two Ivy league colleges, those being Cornell University and Columbia University. In addition to these prestigious universities, all five of New York’s top-rated schools made the top 50 on the Forbes list.