The 10 dumbest and 10 smartest states in America


States are ranked based on level of education and the average annual salary of residents

states-dumbest-AmericaThis list is based on the level of education a certain percentage of the residents of each state achieves.

According to information compiled by the website infoplease.com, as of 2010 men with a BA make 60% more than their counterparts with a high school diploma — $40,000 to $64,000 — while women with BA’s make 56.6% more than their counterparts with a lower level of education — $30,000 to $47,000.

And the gulf is widening. Twenty years ago male college graduates only made 47.5% more than high school grads while female BA holders made 53% more.

For this reason there is some correlation between states with higher percentages of people with Bachelor’s and advanced degrees also having fewer people living below the poverty line.

One would think that states with more colleges and universities per capita might do better on this list but that is not necessarily the case. Vermont — number 8 on the smartest list — has the most schools per capita with 1 university per 36,545.3 residents, while New Jersey — number 6 on the smartest list — has the second lowest number of schools per capita with 1 university per 526,764.8 residents.

Intuitively states offering better jobs will attract better educated residents. The correlation between states offering better opportunities and the number of college graduates residing there is strong. Maryland — number 3 on the smartest list — leads the nation in median household income at $70,004 while Mississippi and West Virginia — numbers three and one respectively on the dumbest list — are at the bottom of the median household income list.

Here is a list of the 10 “smartest” and “dumbest” states based on percentage of the population with Bachelor’s degrees…

Read the full story on The Street here.

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