Missouri and Illinois’ Average IQ is Lower than You Thinks

I've always had the perception that the residents of Missouri and Illinois were pretty smart, but I've learned that I was being dumb - literally. A new ranking shows that the average IQ for both Missouri and Illinois is lower than you thinks.

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This fun new study shared by Homesnacks reveals the states with the highest average IQ's. Spoiler Alert - Missouri and Illinois ain't near the top. They say that this ranking was created using "a paper from the Department of Management at Cleveland State University". So we're trusting people from Cleveland with educational stuff now? Here's the graphic they shared showing where the numbers line up regarding brain power:

In case you can't see the small print, Missouri comes in 27th with an average IQ of 99.5. Illinois comes in a few notches down in 31st with an average IQ of 99.4. So close.

What is considered a good IQ anyway?

I found an interesting breakdown by Healthline that says an IQ of 116 is considered above average. 130 is considered a high IQ. Go figure. They say that IQ tests are based on the following metrics:

• language
• reasoning abilities
• processing speed
• visual-spatial processing
• memory
• math

I don't even know what "visual-spatial processing" is which is why I'm not above that cherished 100 IQ mark I suppose. My wife has family in Iowa who are likely proud to be in the 100+ crowd.

The entire IQ ranking on Homesnacks is an interesting read to see which states are smarty-pants and which ones isn't.