We’re So Smart? Montanans IQ Ranked Among the Highest in US

Wait... Montanans are not a bunch of dumb hicks?

Out-of-staters might have a preconceived notion that Montana residents are a bunch of illiterate rednecks. I won't argue that we do have our fair share of redneckery, but data indicates plenty of intelligent people live in the Treasure State too. In fact, Montanans have the 6th highest average IQ in the nation, according to a recent report.

Research by the free online education platform Guru99.com analyzed the average "intelligence quotient" (IQ) of every state to determine how each state ranks. They also included these metrics in their study: graduation rates, percentage of the population with low literacy rates, average SAT scores, % of the states that don’t have a high school diploma or GED, and GDP per capita.

Montanans have an average IQ of 103.4.

The Top 5 most intelligent states are Massachusettes (home to Harvard and MIT), New Hamshire, Vermont, and North Dakota. Montana nabbed a respectable 6th place, with Montanans earning an average IQ score of 103.4. Not too shabby. Regarding our smartness, the authors noted that Montanans typically score well on the SAT, with an average of 1206.

Want to test your IQ? Here's a free test from Mensa.

Montana Mensa members?

Only the top 2% of the world's most intelligent people are eligible for Mensa membership and applicants must have a minimum IQ score of 132. There are only around 150,000 members in the exclusive group worldwide. I couldn't locate any data about how many Mensa members live in Montana, but I did find this gem...

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Montana's most infamous genius was also a killer.

Theodore "Ted" Kacynski reportedly had an IQ of 167, well above the average. He entered high school at age fifteen and was a math prodigy. Like many brilliantly minded individuals, Ted was socially awkward and reserved according to Crime Museum.org. Unfortunately, Ted went down a dark path and became known as the Unabomber. He was apprehended in his ramshackle cabin in Lincoln, MT in 1996, ending his reign of letter bombs. He died in prison by suicide.