Many students take the SAT every year. These include students from your state as well as from other states in the US. An interesting way to benchmark your scores is by looking at average SAT scores by state. This gives you an indication of your own performance in the state. Looking at these numbers is also interesting because it tells you about the states with the best SAT scores in the US and other such interesting metrics.
Now, let us look at the average SAT scores by state:
| State | Critical Reading | Mathematics | Writing | Total SAT score |
| Alabama | 545 | 538 | 533 | 1616 |
| Alaska | 509 | 503 | 482 | 1494 |
| Arizona | 523 | 527 | 502 | 1552 |
| Arkansas | 568 | 569 | 551 | 1688 |
| California | 495 | 506 | 491 | 1492 |
| Colorado | 582 | 587 | 567 | 1736 |
| Connecticut | 504 | 506 | 504 | 1514 |
| Delaware | 462 | 461 | 445 | 1368 |
| District of Columbia | 441 | 440 | 432 | 1313 |
| Florida | 486 | 480 | 468 | 1434 |
| Georgia | 490 | 485 | 475 | 1450 |
| Hawaii | 487 | 508 | 477 | 1472 |
| Idaho | 467 | 463 | 442 | 1372 |
| Illinois | 599 | 616 | 587 | 1802 |
| Indiana | 496 | 499 | 478 | 1473 |
| Iowa | 589 | 600 | 566 | 1755 |
| Kansas | 588 | 592 | 568 | 1748 |
| Kentucky | 588 | 587 | 574 | 1749 |
| Louisiana | 563 | 559 | 553 | 1675 |
| Maine | 468 | 473 | 451 | 1392 |
| Maryland | 491 | 493 | 478 | 1462 |
| Massachusetts | 516 | 529 | 507 | 1552 |
| Michigan | 594 | 609 | 585 | 1788 |
| Minnesota | 595 | 607 | 576 | 1778 |
| Mississippi | 580 | 563 | 570 | 1713 |
| Missouri | 596 | 599 | 582 | 1777 |
| Montana | 561 | 556 | 538 | 1655 |
| Nebraska | 589 | 590 | 576 | 1755 |
| Nevada | 494 | 494 | 470 | 1458 |
| New Hampshire | 525 | 530 | 511 | 1566 |
| New Jersey | 500 | 521 | 499 | 1520 |
| New Mexico | 551 | 544 | 528 | 1623 |
| New York | 489 | 502 | 478 | 1469 |
| North Carolina | 498 | 504 | 476 | 1478 |
| North Dakota | 597 | 608 | 586 | 1791 |
| Ohio | 557 | 563 | 537 | 1657 |
| Oklahoma | 576 | 569 | 548 | 1693 |
| Oregon | 523 | 521 | 502 | 1546 |
| Pennsylvania | 499 | 504 | 482 | 1485 |
| Puerto Rico | 463 | 450 | 450 | 1363 |
| Rhode Island | 494 | 494 | 484 | 1472 |
| South Carolina | 488 | 487 | 467 | 1442 |
| South Dakota | 592 | 597 | 564 | 1753 |
| Tennessee | 581 | 574 | 568 | 1723 |
| Texas | 470 | 486 | 454 | 1410 |
| Utah | 579 | 575 | 554 | 1708 |
| Vermont | 523 | 524 | 507 | 1554 |
| Virginia | 518 | 516 | 499 | 1533 |
| Virgin Islands | 414 | 388 | 412 | 1214 |
| Washington | 502 | 510 | 484 | 1496 |
| West Virginia | 509 | 497 | 495 | 1501 |
| Wisconsin | 591 | 605 | 575 | 1771 |
| Wyoming | 589 | 586 | 562 | 1737 |
The mean SAT scores for total group students taking the SAT in 2015 were: Critical Reading – 495, Mathematics – 511, Writing – 484. Illinois is the state with the highest SAT score and is the only one to breach the 1800 mark to stand at 1802. This is well above the national SAT average of 1490. Other states such as North Dakota (1791) and Michigan (1788) are also not far behind Illinois. In fact, North Dakota was last year’s winner with an average score of 1816. However, its numbers have taken a beating this year and fallen by a good 25 points this year.
Forbes had written an article last year highlighting the trend of Midwest states dominating the SAT. The article reasoned that despite the relatively low number of students taking the SAT in this region, the best brains sit for the exam. So arguably, if you are from the Midwest, the competition for a good score will be a lot tougher than from other parts of the US.
The dubious distinction of the state with the lowest SAT score goes to the District of Columbia. The state is well below the national average with a SAT score of only 1313.
Use the table above to find out your state and find out how you compare among your peers!
Preparing for SAT? Access free practice tests here.
Img. – etsy.com
