Iowa Is One Of The Top 10 Smartest States In The U.S. For 2023

Believe it or not, Iowa is pretty bright.

It turns out Iowans are some of the smartest people in the United States and there are numbers to back that claim up. World Population Review looked at each state's IQ scores, SAT scores, ACT scores (I hated that test), and the percentage of college graduates in each state. Based on the national median for all of that, the study ranked each of the states with intelligence scores.

via GIPHY

Before you go through your mental Rolodex of the random goofballs you've ran into in Iowa and think to yourself "there's literally no way we're that smart as a state", just wait. Iowa ranks in the top 10 smartest states in the U.S.

As far as IQ scores go, we rank number #13 in the nation for highest IQ's. For comparison, the average IQ in Iowa is 101.1. In Illinois, the average IQ is 99.4.

There are a bunch of variables when it comes to book smarts though. The study did point out that of course there's a connection between income and education. Iowa's median household income ($68,718) ranks above the national median (which is $63,179).

Massachusetts is considered the smartest state by the statistics and it's home to MIT, Harvard, and other high-end colleges and there are higher household incomes in the state. New Hampshire ranked high in part because there's a lower teacher-to-student ratio.

Minnesota and Wisconsin were also in the top 10 smartest states according to the numbers. You can see more on what the study found on World Population Review's website.