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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.