Which is the smartest state in the union? That all depends on how "smart" is defined. An easy start is to determine the educational level of each population. According to the United States Census Bureau's most recent data (2003), the most educated state is not a state at all. In the District of Columbia, 44.2 percent of the population over the age of 25 has at least a four-year degree. We should probably take heart that the politicians, lawyers, educators, and various professionals who run our nation's capital have had some sort of college education.
Removing Washington, D.C., from the lineup, Massachusetts takes the top spot, with 35.8 percent of the population holding four-year degrees. Colorado and Connecticut are neck and neck for second and third place, with 34.7 and 34.6 percent, respectively.
What is this data worth? Big bucks, it turns out. That's because higher education frequently translates into higher earning potential.
The median annual household income in Massachusetts is $53,610, the fifth highest in the country. Colorado ranks tenth at $50,538, and Connecticut hits third place again with a median annual income of $56,803. A quick look at the top ten "most educated" states shows that seven out of ten also rank in the top ten for median annual household income:
State (
District of Columbia not included)
Percent of population older than 25 with bachelor's degree or higher
Median household income & (rank)
Massachusetts
35.8
$53,610 (5)
Colorado
34.7
$50,538 (10)
Connecticut
34.6
$56,803 (3)
Maryland
34.5
$57,218 (2)
Virginia
32.2
$50,805 (7)
New Jersey
32.1
$58,588 (1)
Vermont
32
$43,697 (21)
Minnesota
30.6
$50,100 (12)
New Hampshire
30.3
$53,910 (4)
Washington
30.2
$46,868 (16)
But does the easy term "most educated" equal smart? Morgan Quinto Press, a private research and publishing company in Lawrence, Kansas, specializes in complex statistical analysis of this nature. The Census Bureau data, above, are raw numbers, derived by collecting the answers to various simple questions and then tabulating the totals. But Morgan Quinto gathers data from multiple sources (including Census Bureau statistics), based on multiple variables, and presents more nuanced information.
Since 2002, Morgan Quinto has published a "Smartest State Award" list, which ranks all 50 states based on 21 positive and negative factors that influence the education quality as well as the education level of the residents of each state. These variables include how much the state spends on each student annually, number of high school graduates, subject-area proficiency, and teacher salary. There can be no true comparison between Morgan Quinto's rankings and the Census Bureau's data, as Morgan Quinto's research deals only with elementary and secondary education levels. But a curious pattern develops when we view Morgan Quinto's 2005-06 top ten "smartest states."
State (
District of Columbia not included)
Median household income & (rank)
Vermont
$43,697 (21)
Connecticut
$56,803 (3)
Massachusetts
$53,610 (5)
New Jersey
$58,588 (1)
Maine
$39,838 (35)
Minnesota
$50,100 (12)
Virginia
$50,805 (7)
Wisconsin
$44,084 (20)
Montana
$35,399 (42)
New York
$46,195 (17)
Four of the top ten "smartest states" still rank in the top ten income bracket, and all of those also made the Census Bureau's list of the most educated states. Furthermore, an additional four of the top ten "smartest states" rank high in the income department.
This comparison, though unscientific, backs the education = income equation that has been supported through various data collected over the years, including the National Center for Educational Statistics learning/earning data as well as reports from the Census Bureau.
We can't all move to New Jersey (which seems to have a strong foothold on both lists). And it seems that college grads flock to Vermont despite its modest median income. Perhaps its combination of rural scenery and proximity to large urban centers in neighboring states factors into Vermont's plethora of smarties.
So what about the states that fell to the bottom of both lists? Included below are the bottom ten from the Census Bureau and Morgan Quinto, respectively.
State (
District of Columbia not included)
Percent of population older than 25 with bachelor's degree or higher
Median household income & (rank)
Oklahoma
21.9
$35,129 (44)
Tennessee
21.5
$38,247 (39)
Louisiana
21.3
$34,141 (48)
Alabama
21.2
$35,158 (43)
Indiana
21
$42,067 (24)
Nevada
19.5
$43,395 (18)
Arkansas
19
$34,246 (47)
Mississippi
18.7
$32,466 (49)
Kentucky
18.6
$34,368 (46)
West Virginia
17
$31,008 (50)
State (
District of Columbia not included)
Median household income & (rank)
Tennessee
$38,247 (39)
Hawaii
$50,787 (8)
Alabama
$35,158 (43)
Alaska
$52,499 (6)
Louisiana
$34,141 (48)
California
$50,220 (11)
Nevada
$43,395 (18)
New Mexico
$34,805 (45)
Mississippi
$32,466 (49)
Arizona
$40,762 (29)
Regarding the low end of the list, it's clear that some of the states listed face economic hurdles based on struggling industries such as coal mining (West Virginia) and an increase in service-industry jobs (Louisiana) that generally offer lower pay scales than skilled labor or white-collar employment. And from the Morgan Quinto list alone, it's clear that Alaska, California, and Hawaii have some education-expenditure prioritizing to do.
But we can take away from these lists a valuable piece of information: Education increases earning potential. Whether it's the simple comparison of adults with four-year degrees to the median household income, or the more complex mapping of a well-supported and robust elementary and secondary education system, those with schooling have better opportunities for greater financial success.
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