Do You Live In The Smartest State?

Local6.com ^ | 10/17/06 | Local6.com

[MotleyGirl70]

PHOENIX -- When it comes to intelligence, a new survey ranks Arizona dead last among the states.

For the second year in a row, an annual smartest-state ranking puts Arizona in the No. 50 spot.

The list is compiled by Morgan Quitno Press, a private research and publishing company in Kansas that also puts out annual rankings on the most livable, safest and healthiest states. smart-state ranking, Vermont comes in at the top, followed by Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maine.

Arizona is at the bottom, preceded by Nevada, Mississippi, California and Alaska.

View the full list of rankings.

The ratings are based on 21 elementary and secondary education indicators, ranging from graduation rates and test scores to teacher pay and class size.

"Vermont performs very well in a number of important areas of education," said Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press, in a news release. "A high percentage of the state’s students are proficient in reading and math. In addition, class sizes are small and the number of teachers per student is among the lowest in the nation."

Additional Resources:

[MotleyGirl70]

2006-2007 Smartest State Award

RANK	STATE	SMART RATING	2005-2006 RANK	CHANGE
1	Vermont	18.57	1	0
2	Massachusetts	16.09	3	1
3	Connecticut	14.46	2	-1
4	New Jersey	14.35	4	0
5	Maine	10.79	5	0
6	Virginia	10.07	7	1
7	Montana	9.55	9	2
8	Wisconsin	9.04	8	0
9	Iowa	8.82	14	5
10	Pennsylvania	8.69	11	1
11	Nebraska	6.40	12	1
12	New Hampshire	5.90	15	3
13	Minnesota	5.33	6	-7
14	Rhode Island	4.31	16	2
15	Kansas	4.27	13	-2
16	New York	3.66	10	-6
17	South Dakota	3.25	18	1
18	Maryland	2.27	19	1
19	Wyoming	1.35	17	-2
20	Idaho	1.29	28	8
21	North Dakota	0.95	20	-1
22	Missouri	0.94	21	-1
23	North Carolina	0.84	22	-1
24	Indiana	0.06	26	2
25	Texas	-0.11	24	-1
26	South Carolina	-1.19	29	3
27	Colorado	-1.32	23	-4
28	Delaware	-2.47	25	-3
29	Florida	-2.90	36	7
30	Tennessee	-3.01	41	11
31	Kentucky	-3.24	35	4
32	Arkansas	-3.44	37	5
33	Washington	-3.85	30	-3
34	Ohio	-4.00	31	-3
35	Illinois	-4.32	32	-3
36	Oklahoma	-5.81	39	3
37	West Virginia	-5.82	34	-3
38	Utah	-6.30	33	-5
39	Michigan	-6.43	27	-12
40	Oregon	-6.87	38	-2
41	Georgia	-6.92	40	-1
42	Hawaii	-9.31	42	0
43	New Mexico	-10.60	48	5
44	Louisiana	-10.95	45	1
45	Alabama	-11.00	43	-2
46	Alaska	-11.91	44	-2
47	California	-13.10	46	-1
48	Mississippi	-14.78	49	1
49	Nevada	-15.81	47	-2
50	Arizona	-17.61	50	0

[Tijeras_Slim]

If it wasn't for the bazillion phD's in Los Alamos, NM would be last.

[trisham]

As a resident of Massachusetts, I must say there are many reasons to dispute our ranking.

[Dog Gone]

So, if you pay teachers more, you're automatically smarter.

[HitmanLV]

I live in Nevada, the next to last smartest state. I took my dad's advice - if you want to look good, hang around ugly people. If you want to look tall, hang around short people. And if you want to look smart... ;-)

[bert]

If they're so smart, why are they Blue?

[MotleyGirl70]

Hey smarty pants, I'm more stupider than you.

[Jaysun]

The criteria is nonsense. This is obviously the work of some liberal.

[Jaysun]

I live in Nevada, the next to last smartest state. I took my dad's advice - if you want to look good, hang around ugly people. If you want to look tall, hang around short people. And if you want to look smart... ;-)

My Dad used to give me advice along the same lines. While it may be rather smug, I've found it to be mostly true:

If you want to be rich don't hang around poor people.

[Repub4bush]

Because, common sense wasn't part of the criteria! LOL

[TMSuchman]

I don't know with all of the folks that are members of the uaw & live in this state we may seem pretty brain dead!

[Jet Jaguar]

LOL. I could agree with that!

[Redcloak]

WOOHOOOO!!! We kick Mississippi's asses! PWNED!

[JCEccles]

teacher pay and class size.

So states in which an all-powerful NEA is indoctrinating at great expense the .5 child per liberal couple are the "smartest" states?

Actually, they tend to be the states on the fast track to socialist hell and extinction.

[MotleyGirl70]

And if you want to look smart... ;-)

I think I have a new motto ;)

[Jet Jaguar]

SC comes in at 26 behind Texas.

Yes!!! We are not number 50 in something!

[MotleyGirl70]

I'm surprised WI finished as high as it did.

[traditional1]

"WOOHOOOO!!! We kick Mississippi's asses! PWNED!"

Whew.......thank God we beat out W. Virginia ! Otherwise, we'd have to move.......

[aft_lizard]

I must look like a genius then here in Arizona..

[Cagey]

Yea, smart but very weird.