Minnesota Named One Of The Most Intelligent States In The Country In 2024

Minnesotans tend to find themselves at (or near) the top of a lot of feel-good lists. From having some of the best beer in the world to having plenty of enviable places to live, there are a lot of high marks the Land of 10,000 Lakes tend to earn.

Here's another one you can add to the list - Minnesota is among the most intelligent states in the country, barely being beaten out by a couple of states in a ranking of highest average IQ scores around the country for 2024.

In data compiled by World Population Review, they examined intelligence quotient (IQ) score data from around the country to determine the average IQ score in each state around the country.

IQ scores measure how an individual compares in areas of language, reasoning ability, processing speed, visual-spatial processing, memory, and math. That said, experts (and even the folks with World Population Review) admit that IQ scores don't tell the whole story.

The World Population Review's own story about state-by-state scores says "It is nearly impossible to fully calculate someone's intellect because it is not a variable that is numerically represented. Instead, IQ scores are a way of trying to put a number on someone's intelligence."

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That said, in their findings, they concluded that the average overall IQ score in the United States this year is 98. That puts the country as a whole in the range of the "normal range" or "average intelligence".

Minnesota comes in with a score of 102.9, which is still in the "average" range, albeit on the higher end of the average. It is among the highest scores in the country, coming in third just behind New Hampshire (103.2) and Massachusetts (103.1), also on the higher end of the average.

Top 5 States: Average IQ Score in 2024

1. New Hampshire
2. Massachusetts
3. Minnesota
4. Vermont
5. North Dakota

So, it isn't like we're a bunch of geniuses around here, but Minnesota (and Massachusetts and New Hampshire) score notably better than the lowest-scoring states of New Mexico (95), Louisiana (95.2), and Mississippi (95.8).

For those wondering how Minnesota's rival state to the east fairs, Wisconsin has an average score of 101.2, good for #12 on the ranking of highest IQ scores.