State rankings

Smartest States in the U.S.

New Hampshire has the highest Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99) in 2024 (56.82), followed by Minnesota (55.82) and Wyoming (54.98). New Mexico has the lowest (40.52).

EducationPopulation50 states · 3 metricsUpdated Mar 11, 2025Original page
3 sources
Year 202430 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map

Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99), 2024

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 30 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
47.8
Middle half 43.75 – 52.57
Average
48.27
30 states
Highest
56.82
New Hampshire
Lowest
40.52
New Mexico

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99)
#
1New Hampshire56.82104.270.5
2Minnesota55.82103.767.0
3Wyoming54.98102.449.3
4Vermont54.91103.872.2
5Montana54.64103.451.9
6North Dakota54.38103.848.4
7Maine53.83103.455.8
8South Dakota52.61102.843.1
9Wisconsin52.45102.948.5
10Utah52.21101.155.5
11Iowa52.04103.246.2
12Massachusetts51.83104.393.9
13Washington51.39101.960.3
14Nebraska50.67102.357.8
15Colorado50.56101.669.4
16Rhode Island45.0499.550.5
17Arizona44.6297.435.9
18Florida44.598.432.4
19Kentucky44.499.430.5
20Arkansas44.0997.519.1
21Georgia43.8398.040.2
22California43.895.540.0
23South Carolina43.7398.428.0
24Oklahoma43.499.322.4
25Alabama42.9695.722.4
26Louisiana42.495.315.2
26West Virginia42.498.712.6
28Mississippi41.6794.213.3
29Texas41.46100.023.9
30New Mexico40.5295.720.4
—New York—100.757.8
—Pennsylvania—101.552.4
—Illinois—99.951.4
—Ohio—101.846.7
—North Carolina—100.240.7
—Michigan—100.543.8
—New Jersey—102.869.5
—Virginia—101.972.5
—Tennessee—97.734.2
—Indiana—101.736.8
—Missouri—101.045.0
—Maryland—99.772.8
—Oregon—101.252.0
—Connecticut—103.173.8
—Nevada—96.520.0
—Kansas—102.855.5
—Idaho—101.436.8
—Hawaii—95.643.1
—Delaware—100.446.8
—Alaska—99.043.1

What correlates with Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99) (2024)?

Pearson r against 2,089 other state metrics sharing at least 18 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99) tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. SocioeconomicsBest States to Raise a FamilyA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.94 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot
  2. Frost Line Average DepthFrost Lines by State
    r = +0.88 · very strong · n = 29
    Plot
  3. Financial Safety Rank WalletHubSafest States in the USA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.87 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot
  4. NAEP Math ScoresBest States for Education
    r = +0.87 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot
  5. Average Days with Accumulated Snow 1 or More Inches Deep 1980-2010Snowiest States
    r = +0.85 · very strong · n = 29
    Plot
  6. Overall Best (WalletHub)Best States to Live InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.84 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99) tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. % of Pop. with Less Than High School DiplomaMost Educated U.S. States
    r = −0.91 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot
  2. Indoor Allergy Rainfall ScoreAllergy-Friendly States
    r = −0.91 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot
  3. Off-Grid Climate ScoreOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = −0.89 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot
  4. Average Overall Temperature 1901-2000Coldest States in the US
    r = −0.88 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot
  5. Average Temperature (°F) 1901-2000Average Temperatures by State
    r = −0.88 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot
  6. Average High TemperatureAverage Temperatures by State
    r = −0.88 · very strong · n = 30
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99)?
New Hampshire has the highest Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99) in 2024, at 56.82, followed by Minnesota (55.82) and Wyoming (54.98).
Which state has the lowest Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99)?
New Mexico has the lowest Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99) in 2024, at 40.52.
What is the median Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99) across US states?
The median is 47.8 across the 30 US states with data in 2024.
Where does this smartest states in the u.s. data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Average IQ by State - US by Numbers; Revealed: America's Smartest States - Penn Stakes; Most and Least Intelligent States in America - OnFocus.