Montana’s High Intellect May Not Be A Surprise

Overall I think most people think of themselves as smart. There may be a subject or a topic that some people may not excel in, but if you ask most people, they would probably say that they are smart. This confidence is understandable, even if it may not always be true.

The average IQ on most standardized tests is 100 according to Above and Beyond Therapy, but there are other factors in determining an IQ. The National Library of Medicine has listed some of the other factors when determining an IQ, like well-being, crime, education, health and income. When taking all of them into account, Montana overall IQ ranks high.

Visualcapitalist.com has created a map of the U.S. using information from the National Library of Medicine from 2022, and it shows how high Montana's average IQ is compared to other states. Montana's average IQ ranks 6th (tied) highest in the country. We are tied with Maine with an average IQ of 103.4. I always thought we were smart, I never knew we were that smart.

The state with the highest IQ is Massachusetts with an average 104.3. Followed by New Hampshire (104.2), North Dakota (103.8), Vermont (103.8), and Minnesota (103.7). The states with the lowest IQs are Alabama, Hawaii, California, Louisiana and finally Mississippi with the lowest IQ of 94.2. Not only is Montana smart, but we are strong too, read below.

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Out of Montana's neighbors, North Dakota is the only state that has a higher average IQ than Montana. It challenges my perception since I grew up listening to unflattering jokes about North Dakota my entire life. This report has me now rethinking everything I thought I knew. I guess I can still learn after all these years, so maybe there is something to be said for Montanans being smart.