Why Arizona Ranked One Of The “Dumbest” States In America

I love living in Arizona. The natural beauty and sense of community I've found here is better than anywhere else I've ever lived. The people here made made my experience so much better, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Unfortunately, not everyone sees Arizona in the light that I do.

Arizona is Dumb

Earlier this year, RoadSnacks released their rankings of the dumbest states in the U.S. The poll takes in a few variables to determine which states produce geniuses, and which have, shall we say, personality.

Arizona ranks in at #15, far above the margin anyone was hoping for. Luckily, Nevada (#1) and New Mexico (#4) are making us look a little better by comparison. In fact, every state in the southern half of the country (including California) falls within the top-20.

There has to be a mistake, right?

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Read More: Study That Will Make You Mad: Arizona Ranked One Of 10 Worst States To Live In

Why Was Arizona Ranked So High

This poll was based on two factors, both linking directly to intelligence spread across the states. The first is the percentage of high school dropouts per state. The second is the percentage of the population without a college degree. By putting these two together, we can begin to see a pretty decent picture of a state's intelligence, and where that figure came from.

Arizona hits a sort of sweet spot with these. Out of our population of just over Seven Million, 11% (or around 770,000 people) are without a high school diploma, and 32% (or 2,240,000 people) have yet to receive their college degree. Compare that to Minnesota, who has a comparable population and sits at the bottom of the list, with a 5% HS dropout rate and a 38% college dropout rate, and we see the issue.

Luckily, high school dropouts are a rarity, and with education reform sweeping the state, it's likely we'll see ourselves drop back down to the lower half of the list sometime very soon.

[RoadSnacks]