Parent Talk / August 2006
Get Smart
Deciding on the smartest state in the union 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 stfate is not a state at all. In the District of Columbia, over 44 percent of the population over the age of 25 has at least a four-year degree. It is comforting that the politicians, lawyers, educators, and professionals who run the nation’s capital have some college education.
Removing Washington, D.C., from the lineup, the New England states tend to take the top spots-Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut-but Colorado almost ties for second place.
The outcome matters 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:
“Most educated” doesn’t necessarily equal “smart” but it clearly has some relationship to higher income.
Morgan Quinto Press, a private research and publishing company in Lawrence, Kansas, specializes in complex statistical analysis. The Census Bureau collects the answers to various simple questions and then tabulates the totals. But Morgan Quinto gathers data from multiple sources that include 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. It also includes student-teacher ratio, class size and even school district efficiency.
West Virginia, who is ranked last or next to last, in so many economic, social and political standings, is listed as a respectable number 34. Ohio comes in at 31, Kentucky is number 35.
Educated fools have never been in short supply, and there are certainly plenty of determined men and women who have succeeded despite having once dropped out of high school or college. A degree has never been a guarantee of success. But there is no doubt that education often translates into more comfortable living. Hitting the mid-30’s in the smartest state list isn’t the same as being number one, and it does leave room for improvement. But it also proves a commitment to education that should translate to a better life and better living for the following generations.
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