What US State is the Most Intelligent?

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.

14. OREGON:

Oregon, on the west coast of the U.S has ranked 14th overall on the list. Oregon’s population of 4.2 million people has 35% of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree. Whilst there is a quite high rate of educational attainment, Oregon seems to be seriously lacking in quality education.

The state ranked 10th worst in the country for quality of education, and none of Oregon’s highest-ranking schools placed on Forbes’ top 100 list of schools. The closest was Portland’s Reed College which came in at 105th in the country.

15. HAWAII:

This tropical Pacific island has come in at 15th overall for educational achievement.  The relatively small population of 1.4 million people has a 34% share of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree.

Similar to Oregon, Hawaii significantly lacks in quality education. The state ranked fourth-lowest in America for quality of education. The only school to make an appearance on the Forbes list was the University of Hawaii, which placed 385th in the country.

16. WYOMING:

Educational achievement in the Western region of the U.S is overall higher than the national median, with a relatively high general quality of education.

Wyoming did, however, tie with Indiana for the 10th lowest share of adults with at least a bachelor degree, with just a 28% share of their population of 500,000.

17. DELAWARE:

Delaware on the East coast of the U.S has come in at the 17th spot. The relatively small state of just over 900,000 people has a 34% share of adults attaining a bachelor’s degree.

Delaware has, however, ranked quite highly for quality of education considering their low percentage of educational attainment. The state has been ranked as 12th best in the country in terms of their quality of education.

18. MAINE:

Maine on the Northeastern border of the U.S has ranked overall 18th according to WalletHub. The state has a 34% share of their adult population of 1.3 million people with a bachelor’s degree.

The top schools in Maine are among some of the best in the country, all ranking within the top 100 on the Forbes list. Some of these Universities including Bowdoin University, Bates College and Colby University.

19. MONTANA:

Montana, neighbour to Wyoming, has ranked at 19th overall. The state with a population of around 1 million people has a 35% share of adults with a bachelor degree at least.

However, the state has lacked significantly in quality education, ranking 11th worst in the country for the standard of education and the highest-rated UNiversities in the state barely made it onto the top 400 Universities list according to Forbes

20. NORTH DAKOTA:

North Dakota in the midwest has earned a 20th ranking, as it has generally high levels of educational achievement and educational quality.

The state has a 32% share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or above, with a small population of just 700,000 people. However, the state does have the lowest percentage of graduate degree holders in the country.

21. WISCONSIN:

The midwestern state has come in 21st spot on the list, earning their ranking with their high rates of quality education.

WalletHub has ranked Wisconsin at 13th best state overall for their quality of education, with their top rated university, the University of Wisconsin, coming it at 69th on the Forbes’ top 100 list.

22. RHODE ISLAND:

Rhode Island in the New England region has come in at 22nd spot. Their population of over roughly 1 million people has a share of 37% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or above.  Although the state is known for the very prestigious Ivy League Brown University, the state’s overall educational attainment and quality of education is quite average.

No other schools in the state made the Forbes’ top 100 list, with the only other school coming in at 112th, that being the Rhode Island School of Design.  A 34% share of adults in the state of 5.8 million people have achieved a bachelor’s degree or higher.

23. NEBRASKA:

Nebraska in the country’s midwest has taken out 23rd place, with their population of 1.9 million people with a 36% share of adults with a bachelor’s degree at least.

Nebraska has however ranked quite low in terms of quality of their education, coming in at 38th according to WalletHub. Nebraska’s top-rated school, Creighton University did not make the Forbes top 100, instead placing at 194th. Only two other universities in Nebraska even made the top 500 universities on the list.

24. KANSAS:

This midwestern state has ranked highly for education attainment, coming in at 13th place. However, the state has lacked in quality of education with the top-rated school coming in at 260th on the Forbes’ list.

The state of 2.9 million people did have 35% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or above, earning them an overall 24th place on the list.

25. CALIFORNIA:

California, the most popular state in the country on the East coast, has come in at 25th place. The state with a huge population of almost 40 million people has a 36% share of adults that have completed a bachelor’s degree at least.

California has achieved highly in terms of their quality of education, ranking 3rd best in the country for quality.  The top 5 ranking universities in California all made the top 25 on Forbes’ list of top universities.  Some of the highest ranking universities in the state include Stanford university, the California Institute of Technology and the University of California-Berkeley.

26. ALASKA:

This arctic state on the northwest extremity of the country has come in at 26th place overall. The small population of 700,000 people has a 30% share of adults with a bachelor’s degree.

The state’s quality of education, however, ranks low. Coming it at 5th lowest in the country for quality of education, with the state’s top two universities not making Forbes’ top 500 university list.

27. FLORIDA:

Florida, with over 21 million people, has just a 31% share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Florida, the second-largest state in the nation, has come in at 4th place overall for quality of education in the nation. The state’s top two rated universities have both made Forbes’ top 100, those being the University of Florida and the University of Miami.

28. MICHIGAN:

Michigan, in the upper Midwestern region, has made 28th place. Their population of almost 10 million has a 32% share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

However, they do lack a general quality of education. Although the state’s top-rated University of Michigan ranked 20th place on the Forbes’ list, no other universities in the state even made the top 150 ranks.

29. IOWA:

Iowa in the Midwest has placed 29th overall. Their population of around 3 million people has a 32% share of adults who have gained a bachelor’s degree or higher.

In both achievement and quality, Iowa ranks slightly below the halfway mark nationwide. Its top rated school, Grinnell college, came in 80th place on Forbes’ list, whilst the next University from the state came in at 160th.

30. PENNSYLVANIA:

Pennsylvania on the Northeastern coast of the U.S has ranked 30th, with a 35% share of their population of 12.8 million people with a bachelor’s degree.

Their ranks for educational achievement were slightly below the median and their quality of education were slightly above average. Eight of the state’s highest-ranked schools made the top 100 on Forbes’ list, including the University of Pennsylvania.

31. NORTH CAROLINA:

This Southeastern state has come in 31st place overall. North Carolina has a 34% share of their population of 10.5 million earning at least a bachelor’s degree.

The state’s quality of education falls just below the median, while it ranks 32nd of educational achievement. North Carolina’s top three ranking schools all made the top 50 on Forbes’ list, one of which even making the top 10.

32. MISSOURI:

This Midwestern state has ranked in 32nd place, with a low rate of educational quality and achievement. Missouri has a 32% share of their population earning a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

Missouri’s highest-rated school, Washington University in St. Louis, came in 31st place on Forbes’ list, but it was the only university in the state to make the top 150.

33. OHIO:

Ohio has come in 33rd place, and with a population of over 11 million people, has a share of just 31% of people with at least a bachelor’s degree.

Ohio’s general quality of education is right on average, with their highest-rated school falling reasonably high on the Forbes’ top universities list.

34. GEORGIA:

This Southeastern state has come in 34th place, with their educational attainment score falling well below WalletHub’s median score.  The highest-rated colleges in Georgia all made the top 100 on the Forbes list, with Emory University taking the top spot at number 55.

Their population of 10.6 million people has a 34% share of adults with at least a  bachelor’s degree.

35. SOUTH DAKOTA:

South Dakota has come in at 35th place, with flaking just below average for educational attainment, and falling significantly below average for quality of education.

Just 31% of their population of 800,000 people have achieved at least a bachelor’s degree.  Their highest-rated school, Augustana University, barely squeezed into the top 400 on the Forbes’ list.

36. IDAHO:

The Northwestern state of Idaho has come in 36th place, with just a 29% share of their population of 1.7 million with at least a bachelor’s degree.

The state lacks significantly in quality of education. falling into the bottom five for their quality of education.  None of Idaho’s top rated Universities made the top 400 on the Forbes list.

37. INDIANA:

Indiana has come in at 37th place overall, despite having very high levels of quality education.  In terms of quality, Indiana’s education sector comes in 7th in the country.

However, the state has one of the lowest rates of higher education in the U.S, with just 28% of their population of 6.7 million with a bachelor’s degree or above.