We recently compiled a list of the 20 Cities with the Highest Average IQ in the US and in this article we will look at the city with the highest IQ.
Trends in Educational Attainment Across the US
Intelligence has several measuring markers, with IQ and trends in educational attainment signifying the most prominent ones. The United States of America ranks among the top countries in the world in terms of educational attainment, According to data from the United States Census Bureau, an official website of the U.S. government, less than 8.9% of American citizens had an academic attainment of less than a high school diploma or equivalent educational qualification as of 2021. In comparison, around 14.4% of the country’s residents had a professional, master’s, doctoral, or other advanced degree as of the same year.
Bachelor’s degrees were the highest academic achievement of around 23.5% of Americans, with 10.5% of the country’s population holding an associate degree as their highest educational qualification. A high school graduation certificate was the highest academic qualification of approximately 27.9% of individuals in the country. In addition, 14.9% of individuals completed a college but did not hold a degree as of 2021. The high school graduation rates for individuals aged 25 or older across the country have grown over the years, going from 87.6% to 91.1% between 2011 and 2021, respectively. Similarly, 35% of the population aged 25 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree as of 2021. For more insight, you can also look at our detailed report on 20 Best States for Education in the US.
How Much Does The US Spend on Education?
The positive educational attainment statistics in the USA have a lot to do with the amount the country spends on education. According to a report on the Condition of Education 2023 released by the National Center for Education Statistics, the United States spent $870 billion in total expenses for public elementary and secondary schools in the 2019-2020 school year, considered in constant 2021-2022 US dollars. This translates to an average spending of $17,013 per student enrolled in public schools in the fall of the same school year. Eight states had total educational expenditures of less than $12,500 in the school year 2019-2020, with the lowest being Idaho ($10,709) and Utah ($11,311). In contrast, eleven states and the District of Columbia had educational expenses equal to or higher than $20,000 as of the same school year, with the highest being the District of Columbia ($34,670) and New York ($30,157).
However, college education in the United States is costly, with only a fraction of the country’s population being able to afford it without external aid. That is one of the primary reasons why the popularity of EdTech has been increasing in the country, including platforms such as Coursera Inc. (NYSE:COUR). It was launched in 2012 with the noble objective of offering universal and unhindered access to learning worldwide. It is one of the largest online platforms to do so, partnering with more than 300 prestigious universities to offer more than 7,000 courses, professional certificates, and degrees. The pandemic increased the company’s popularity, with more and more people shifting to online learning instead of their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Coursera Inc. (NYSE:COUR)’s user base nearly doubled in 2020, going from 47 million users to 77 million. It has continued to grow ever since, standing at approximately 129 million registered users at the present.
On May 20, Coursera Inc. (NYSE:COUR) announced plans to collaborate with Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) to offer four new entry-level Professional Certificates tailored to equip learners with the necessary skills to kickstart a new career within months. The Professional Certificates eliminate the immediate need for a college degree, and will help prepare learners for jobs on an exponential growth trajectory. The four new certifications by Coursera Inc. (NYSE:COUR) include IT Support Specialist Professional Certificate, Cloud Support Associate Professional Certificate, Business Analyst Professional Certificate, and Project Manager Professional Certificate.
In addition, the company is leveraging AI to make online learning more accessible and flexible. It has employed AI in the form of a personalized chatbot and learning companion called Coach. Students can ask Coach questions, offer insight on concepts, summarize the learning material, and even create mock problems for practice. The company’s plan of action is to integrate ChatGPT into each of its courses as a personalized tutor for its users, thereby making education more accessible to people and helping increase their educational attainment.
Now that we have taken an overview of the trends in educational attainment across the US, let us look at the 20 cities with the highest average IQ in the US. You can also look at Top 20 Countries with the Best Education System in the World and 20 Worst States for Education in the US.
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
Our Methodology
We have considered the standard IQ scores of US states as a proxy to rank the cities with the highest average IQ. We selected the most populous city in each state with the highest IQ. Data for each state’s standard IQ scores has been derived from a report by Bryan J. Pesta titled Updated IQ and Well-Being Scores for the 50 U.S. States, available at the National Library of Medicine website. The data is as of 2022, and the list is sorted in ascending order.
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The City with the Highest Average IQ in the US
1. Manchester, New Hampshire
Average IQ Score as of 2022: 103.2
Manchester ranks first on our list of the 20 cities with the highest average IQ in the US. It is located on the Merrimack River in the southern wing of New Hampshire and has a population of 115, 141 people as of 2022. It is the largest city in New Hampshire, and the center of the metropolitan area that comprises Londonderry, Goffstown, Bedford, and Hooksett. Located along the city of Nashua, Manchester is one of the two seats of Hillsborough County, the most populous county in New Hampshire. The city has an average IQ of 103.2.
Curious to learn about other cities with high IQs? Check out our report on the 20 Cities with the Highest Average IQ in the US.
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