States With The Highest And Lowest SAT Scores In 2022 [New Study]

The SAT is one of the most important placement exams that many high school students take. It could determine whether or not they get into their desired college or university, affecting their entire future, or it may affect the scholarships they get. The minimum score on the SAT is 400, and the highest you can get is 1600. That said, the national average currently rests at 1060.

So how does your state’s test score stack up against the others? And where does it fall relative to the nation’s average? In collaboration with Learner, a leading online tutoring platform and SAT Test Prep experts, Scholarship Institute crunched the numbers to find out. Take a look at our map below to see where your state’s average SAT score ranks!

The top spots for the highest average SAT scores are:

1. Minnesota – 1263
2. North Dakota – 1258
3. Nebraska – 1246
4. Iowa and Kansas – 1243 (tied)
5. Utah – 1238
6. Wyoming – 1233
7. Montana – 1225
8. Tennessee1220
9. Kentucky and Missouri – 1219 (tied)

The states with the lowest SAT scores are:

43. Delaware – 984
42. Idaho – 985
41. District of Columbia – 987
40. Florida – 993
39. New Mexico – 996
38. Texas – 1003
37. West Virginia – 1007
36. Illinois – 1007
35. Rhode Island – 1011
34. Michigan – 1031

Interesting Data Findings

Minnesota came in with the highest mean SAT score at 1263, which is 203 points above the national average
Delaware ranked as the state with the lowest score—76 points below the nation’s average and an average score of 984
Some states tied for their ranking
- Iowa and Kansas each had an average score of 1243, putting both of them in fourth place
- Tennessee and Kentucky tied for ninth place, both with a score of 1219
- South Dakota and Wisconsin were neck and neck for the tenth spot on the list with an average score of 1215
- Alaska and Oregon both attained a score of 119, giving them the 24th spot overall
- A three-way tie between Colorado, Connecticut, and Washinton put them in 29th place, with a score of 1072
- California and New York’s average SAT score was 1057, putting them in the 31st spot
- Illinois and West Virginia ranked 37th with a score of 1007

Methodology

We compiled the national and individual state SAT Suite Results for 2021 from the College Board to find out which states had the highest and lowest SAT scores. We then compared each state’s mean SAT score with the national average to understand which states had a mean score higher or lower than the national average.

Ranking	State	Mean SAT Score	Points Above/Below National Average
1	Minnesota	1263	203
2	North Dakota	1258	198
3	Nebraska	1246	186
4	Iowa	1243	183
4	Kansas	1243	183
5	Utah	1238	178
6	Wyoming	1233	173
7	Montana	1225	165
8	Tennessee	1220	160
9	Kentucky	1219	159
9	Missouri	1219	159
10	South Dakota	1215	155
10	Wisconsin	1215	155
11	Mississippi	1202	142
12	Nevada	1195	135
13	Arkansas	1194	134
14	Louisiana	1188	128
15	Massachusetts	1184	124
16	Arizona	1181	121
17	Alabama	1159	99
18	Virginia	1151	91
19	North Carolina	1150	90
20	Hawaii	1144	84
21	New Jersey	1125	65
22	Vermont	1124	64
23	Pennsylvania	1123	63
24	Alaska	1119	59
24	Oregon	1119	59
25	Maine	1099	39
26	Indiana	1095	35
27	Georgia	1086	26
28	Maryland	1073	13
29	Colorado	1072	12
29	Connecticut	1072	12
29	Washington	1072	12
30	New Hampshire	1065	5
N/A	National Average	1060	0
31	California	1057	-3
31	New York	1057	-3
32	Ohio	1048	-12
33	Oklahoma	1042	-18
34	South Carolina	1036	-24
35	Michigan	1031	-29
36	Rhode Island	1011	-49
37	Illinois	1007	-53
37	West Virginia	1007	-53
38	Texas	1003	-57
39	New Mexico	996	-64
40	Florida	993	-67
41	District of Columbia	987	-73
42	Idaho	985	-75
43	Delaware	984	-76

Scholastic Assessment Tests are Back

At the height of the pandemic, many higher learning institutions dropped the SAT and ACT requirements for admission consideration. Two years later, there are a lot of discussions around which colleges and universities are remaining test-optional moving forward as the things affected by the COVID-19 pandemic start to return to normalcy. Now high school students are back to balancing their high school GPA, community service, and SAT or ACT scores to qualify for a merit-based scholarship.

Does your high school require the SAT to graduate?

Not all do. Ask your counselor or any teacher at the school whether this is required to get your high school diploma. If the answer is yes, then, unfortunately, there’s no way around it! The good news is that we’re here to help.

Applying to a University of College school?

University of California schools including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, have announced that at least for the class of 2022, they will remain SAT and ACT optional.

Which schools require the SAT?

Some schools that have decided to reinstate the SAT requirement as part of the admission process are the University of Central Florida, Florida State University, University of Florida, University of South Florida, University of Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgetown University, and Simmons University. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced earlier this year that students applying to the university in 2022 (to graduate in 2023) will once again have to submit SAT or ACT exam scores.

What countries accept the SAT?

Want to see the world while you learn? There’s so much you can learn by immersing yourself in different countries and cultures, that books can’t teach you. If you’re looking to widen your breadth and study abroad, some universities in the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Singapore accept SAT Scores.

What’s a good SAT Score for 2022 Overall?

It’s a race to the top (half)! Your SATs are benchmarked against your peers and if your test scores end up ranking higher than average, the better. Although the SAT is only one part of your admission process and in no way indicates what you are capable of or how great you truly are, if it’s being added as a part of your application package then it’s best to aspire for your highest possible score.

Here’s how the numbers stack up:

99th (Best)	760 and above	800	1520 and above
90th (Excellent)	670-680	690	1350
75th (Good)	600-610	600	1200-1210
50th (Average)	520-530	520	1040-1050
25th (Poor)	450	440	890-900
10th (Poorer)	390-400	370-380	780
1st (Poorest)	330 and below	310 and below	670 and below