We're Wicked Smart But Is Massachusetts The Smartest State?

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Our accents may not sound like it, but we are wicked smaht. The question is; Is Massachusetts the smartest state in America? You are about to find out, my friend. Come along for the ride.

A recent study reveals which are the smartest states in these United States. UTS, the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia is a public research online university. They used data collected from 10 main factors. The study examined average IQ, high school and college graduation rates, plus SAT, ACT and NAEP scores. Literacy rates, numeracy rates, number of colleges per capita and share of State Added for Arts and Culture Production (ACPSA).

Is It Just Us Or Is Massachusetts the Smartest State?

Using all that information, a list of the smartest states in the United States was released. And drum roll, please... Massachusetts the smartest state in the U.S. and the clear winner!

We top the rest with an "intelligence score" of 81.63. Apparently, this is due largely because of our average IQ at 104.3 Our student do well in the exams, scoring the highest in both the ACT and SAT tests and coming in 2nd in NAEP (the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam).

It certainly doesn't hurt that we are home to M.I.T, Harvard and many other highly acclaimed universities. Massachusetts had the highest college grad rate in the entire country, according to this study. So, yeah. We are wicked smaht. The question, is Massachusetts the smartest state, has been answered. And hell yeah, it is!

How Did the Rest Of New England Score

Most of the other New England states ranked high in this list of the smartest states. Congrats to New Hampshire, coming in hot with a 79.52 intelligence score. The education system is what drove these numbers, primarily. NH recorded the highest literacy and numeracy rates in the country.

Vermont took 4th place with a score of 75.60. The Green Mountain State scored high in its literacy and numeracy rates, along with a high school graduation rate of 93.3%. Plus VT scored big in IQ numbers, coming in 4th overall.

Let's go to Connecticut. The Nutmeg State ranks #7 out of all the United States. The intelligence score here is a respectable 70.74. CT has the 5th highest college graduation rates. Plus this state has impressive consistency across standardized testing, ranking 9th for exam results.

Maine ranks #13, while Rhode Island came in at #31 in this particular study. You can see the full list of "The Smartest States," direct from UTS, here:

Rank	State	High School Graduation Rates 2024	College Graduation Rate 2024	Average IQ	SAT and ACT score 2023	NAEP	Literacy Rate	Numeracy Rate	ACPSA	No. Colleges	Total Score
1	Massachusetts	17*	1	1	1	2	17	18	5*	29	81.63
2	New Hampshire	5	8	2	14	7*	1	1	12*	37	79.52
3	Minnesota	4	10	4	5	7*	4*	2	13*	22*	78.39
4	Vermont	3	6	3*	17	11*	3	4*	15*	42	75.60
5	Washington	13	11	12*	6	10*	11	11	1	4	73.97
6	Montana	1	18	5*	27	7*	4*	7	11*	41	71.49
7	Connecticut	19	5	7	9	9*	16	20	6	28*	70.74
8	North Dakota	7*	25*	3*	20	5*	5*	4*	21*	45	70.32
9	Colorado	12	2	15	24	9*	13	16	8	8	70.31
10	Wyoming	2	34*	10	19	1	6	6	16*	17	70.19
11	Wisconsin	9	24	8	10	6	9*	13	14*	9	70.11
12	Utah	8	14*	19	11	5*	7	5	11*	26	69.77
13	Maine	6	20*	5*	8	12*	5*	8	17	39	69.01
14	New Jersey	22	4	9*	12	7*	28	29	9	11	68.16
15	Iowa	10*	30*	6	16	5*	8*	9	22*	35	67.61
16	Nebraska	14	20*	11	21	3	12*	14	21*	25	66.86
17	Virginia	23	7	12*	3	9*	22	22	15*	18	66.41
18	South Dakota	11	30*	9*	4	7*	8*	12	23*	44	65.59
19	Kansas	15	16	9*	18	10*	15	17	21*	40	63.95
20	Pennsylvania	18	21	16	15	8*	20	23	11*	33	60.40
21	Maryland	21*	3	27	13	15*	24	30	16*	3	59.32
22	Oregon	17*	15	18	25	16*	14	15	12*	16	59.29
23	Alaska	7*	28*	31	35	18*	2	3	21*	2	57.22
24	Idaho	16*	33	17	38	9*	12*	19	19*	22*	56.76
25	Michigan	16*	28*	22	28	13*	18	21	14*	14	54.67
26	Illinois	24	12	26	32	8*	27*	28	10	24	54.64
27	Indiana	25	36	14	26	7*	21	26	23*	27	54.39
28	Ohio	20	32	13	44	8*	19	24	14*	36	53.78
29	Missouri	21*	29	20	22	13*	23	25	15*	34	53.12
30	Hawaii	10*	17	40	43	8*	10	10	12*	12	51.54
31	Rhode Island	26	13	28	34	11*	27*	27	11*	28*	51.23
32	New York	33*	9	21	7	17	39	38	3	30	50.89
33	North Carolina	28*	23	24	39	9*	30	34	13*	10	49.03
34	Delaware	21*	19	23	33	18*	26	32	26	15	48.42
35	Georgia	31*	22	34	37	10*	36	44	5*	7	42.43
36	Tennessee	30	34*	35	29	9*	31	37	7	31	41.22
37	Kentucky	33*	40	29	23*	11*	32	36	18*	23	41.07
38	Florida	28*	26	33*	49	4	37	39	12*	19	40.87
39	Arizona	31*	27	37	40	13*	35	35	14*	6	39.12
40	South Carolina	29	31	33*	45	11*	33	40	15*	20	38.03
41	Nevada	34*	39	38	42	15*	9*	43	4	1	37.34
42	California	39	14*	41	2	14*	43	42	2	13*	37.02
43	Texas	38	25*	25	46	7*	42	46	18*	5	36.84
44	Oklahoma	27	38	30	50	15*	25	31	23*	38	34.20
45	Arkansas	33*	42	36	31	16*	34	41	22*	43	29.61
46	Alabama	34*	37	39*	41	14*	38	45	20	13*	27.85
47	West Virginia	32	44	32	48	18*	29	33	25	46	26.52
48	Louisiana	36	41	42	36	15*	40	48	19*	32	20.59
49	Mississippi	37	43	43	30	11*	41	49	24	21	18.96
50	New Mexico	35	35	39*	47	19	44	47	16*	28*	17.74

It's no secret that we all think our own dogs are the smartest in the world. No dog knows more tricks than our good boy, and no other dog has a paw up on our best friend. But does your dog breed actually make the cut?

Dogs have been man's best friend for thousands of years. They are dependable, cute, and destined to turn any bad day around. While we may love our dogs, and we are thankful for them every day, chances are they aren't actually a member of one of smartest breed out there.

Today we take a look at Reader Digest's list of the smartest dog breeds.

Border Collie

Border Collies are the smartest dogs out there! With a life expectancy between 12 and 15 years, it's more than likely they'll pick up a few new tricks over the years.

Poodle

High maintenance and highly intelligent, this French dog breed is one of the smartest out there!

German Shepherd

It's no secret that German Shepard's are one of the smartest dogs out there! With many German Shepard's able to learn a new trick on the first go around, this breed is highly obedient and very clever.

Golden Retriever

Bred for hunting, the Golden Retriever is a favorite of sportsman and search and rescuers alike. They are loved universally due to their reliable, loving nature.

Doberman Pinscher

Doberman Pinschers make the perfect body guard due to their imposing looks and ability to be trained,

Sheetland Sheepdog

Sheetland Sheepdogs are the budget version of your common herding dog. They are able to do all the same things but on considerably less food!

Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retrievers rely on their sense of smell and ability to self-train to make good judgement calls, which is why they are a popular breed for emotional support dogs!

Papillon

Papillons are a happy, outgoing dog that aims to please and has a high aptitude for leaning and obeying commands!

Rottweiler

Rottweilers date back to the Roman Empire, where they were used to herd livestock. They are smart, perceptive, and unwaveringly loyal.

Australian Cattle Dog

Australian Cattle Dogs have played an important role with the development of the beef industry over the years! If you don't give your Australian cattle dog something to do, than it will find a way to fill it's time!

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We’re Wicked Smaht: Is Massachusetts The Smartest State In USA?

Our accents may not sound like it, but we are wicked smaht. The question is; Is Massachusetts the smartest state in America? You are about to find out, my friend….