Psychological Reports, 2010, 107, 1, 251-254.

© Psychological Reports 2010

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CLIMATE AND

IQ IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA1

JOSEPH J. RYAN, JARED M. BARTELS, AND JAMES M. TOWNSEND

University of Central Missouri

Summary.—Relations between average temperature of each of the 48 contigu-

ous states and estimates of state IQ were inspected. Additional state variables were
controlled in the correlational analyses, namely gross state product, percent His-
panic, Black, and Asian in the state population, and the pupil-to-teacher ratio for
each state. A significant correlation between average temperature and state IQ was
found (r = −.70, p < .001). Possible explanations are discussed.

Previous research has shown both state and national IQs to be related
to numerous variables including years of education (Tulsky & Ledbetter,
2000), birth rate (Shatz, 2008), and violent crime rates (McDaniel, 2006a;
Bartels, Ryan, Urban, & Glass, 2010). Research further suggests that IQ at
the national level may be associated with climate differences. Templer and
Arikawa (2006), for example, examined the relationship between climate
and IQ of over 120 nations. These authors compiled average high and low
temperatures for both winter and summer across countries believed to
have a high proportion of indigenous citizens. For each country, means
for climate/temperature and estimated IQ (Lynn & Vanhanen, 2002) were
obtained and correlated. It was found that means for temperature and IQ
were strongly associated, particularly for mean high winter temperatures
(r = −.76, p < .001). These results suggest that countries with lower tempera-
tures tend to have residents with higher IQs.
The USA was one of the countries originally excluded from Templer
and Arikawa’s study (2006) because it did not have a large proportion
of indigenous peoples. Considering the wide range of climates present
across states, an examination of IQ differences within the USA may be
just as insightful as comparisons made among other countries. McDaniel
(2006a) provided state IQ estimates using standardized test data from the
National Assessment of Educational Progress. McDaniel found significant
correlations between these state IQ estimates and a number of variables
including, for example, gross state product and violent crime. The pres-
ent study attempted to explore the possibility of meaningful relationships
between temperature and state IQ estimates within the USA. Addition-
ally, a number of potential confounding variables at the state level were

Address correspondence to Joseph J. Ryan, Department of Psychology, University of Central

1

Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 64093 or e-mail (ryan@ucmo.edu).

DOI 10.2466/04.17.PR0.107.4.251-254 ISSN 0033-2941

252 J. J. RYAN, ET AL.

controlled, namely, percent Hispanic, Black, and Asian in the state popu-
lation, gross state product, and pupil-to-teacher ratio in the state. In keep-
ing with the findings of Templer and Arikawa (2006), it was hypothesized
that states with lower average temperatures would have citizens with the
higher IQs. Thus, it was predicted that the correlation between tempera-
ture and IQ would be negative and significant.
Method
Temperature
Temperature data for each of the 48 contiguous states were obtained
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (United
States Department of Commerce, National Climatic Data Center, 2002).
The average temperatures of the two coldest months (December and Jan-
uary) and the two warmest months (July and August) were used to com-
pute mean winter and mean summer temperatures, respectively. The
mean year-round temperature was computed by averaging the winter
and summer means.
State IQ
Estimated state IQs were taken from McDaniel (2006a, Table 3, p. 612),
who used standardized test data from the National Assessment of Educa-
tional Progress (NAEP) as a basis for his estimates. The NAEP is admin-
istered in all 50 states to 4th, 8th, and 12th grade public school students,
and the reading and math scores for 4th and 8th grades were standard-
ized and averaged across multiple years to obtain state-level IQ estimates.
An alpha of .99 for the state IQ estimates is reported; however, it should
be noted that only 16 states reported information for all tests for all years
(see McDaniel, 2006a, p. 610). Kanazawa (2006) also published estimates
of state IQ, but these were not used in the present study because they were
based on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The use of a measure such as
the SAT introduces an unknown selection bias because it is administered
only to college-bound high school students and it is less widely used than
its competitor, the American College Test (McDaniel, 2006b).
Gross State Product
The gross state product data, a measure of state productivity, obtained
from McDaniel (2006a), were included as a measure of state productivity.
McDaniel notes that this represents the per capita gross state product av-
eraged across the years 2000 to 2004.
Percent Hispanic, Black, Asian in State Populations
These variables were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau and are
based on data from the 2000 census.
 CLIMATE AND IQ 253

Pupil-to-teacher Ratio in State

The pupil/teacher ratio for elementary and secondary schools in each
state was used as a measure of class size and was obtained from McDan-
iel (2006a).
Data Analysis
Partial Pearson product-moment correlations were computed be-
tween estimated state IQs and winter, summer, and year-round tempera-
tures, controlling for the percent Hispanic, Black, and Asian and the pupil/
teacher ratio in each state as well as the gross state product.
Results and Discussion
Significant negative relationships were found between state IQ and
both winter (r = −.73, p < .001) and summer (r = −.53, p < .001) temperatures.
Moreover, a significant negative association was found between state IQs
and year-round temperatures (r = −.70, p < .001). Thus, as environmental
temperature decreases, the state IQ tended to increase, congruent with the
hypothesis and the findings of Templer and Arikawa (2006). While expect-
ed, these results are difficult to explain. Previous research has attributed
the relationship between climate and IQ to the evolutionary process. Lynn
(1991) posited that early humans who migrated from tropical climates to
colder ones, were forced to undertake challenging cognitive tasks which
resulted in selection for larger brain size and increased intelligence, rela-
tive to individuals and groups who remained in the warmer climates.
The United States population is composed largely of immigrant
groups representing a wide range of ethnicities and geographical origins,
with only 1.5% indigenous peoples. Relations between state IQ and cli-
matic data must reflect characteristics of the various ethnic groups prior
to their arrival in North America. Currently there are few additional chal-
lenges related to living in colder states, so it is difficult to see why the cor-
relation between temperature and IQ persists. Perhaps, individuals from
colder climates in Europe and Asia tended to migrate to similar colder
climates in the USA. Whatever the cause, studies that have examined the
stratification variables of intelligence test standardization samples have
reported regional differences that agree with the present findings. Sam-
ples from the Southern region have lower IQs on the Wechsler Intelligence
Scale for Children–Revised (Kaufman & Doppelt, 1976) and the Wechsler
Adult Intelligence Scale–Revised (Reynolds, Chastain, Kaufman, &
McLean, 1987) than those living in the Northern region. While these geo-
graphic differences in mean IQs are not artifacts, they are relatively small,
and no conclusive explanation to account for them has been presented
(Kaufman, McLean, & Reynolds, 1988).
254 J. J. RYAN, ET AL.

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Accepted July 21, 2010.