Average SAT Scores by State 2024

More than a million students across the country take the SAT each year. So what do SAT scores by state look like? How do you stack up against other test takers in your state? Finally, what are some interesting state facts—for example, which state has the highest SAT score? The lowest SAT score? The highest rate of participation?

It's the battle of the states, SAT edition. Find out your state's average SAT scores and other fun facts in this article!

What Is the National Average SAT Score?

Before we get into the SAT averages by state, let's quickly go over the SAT scoring system as well as what the overall average SAT score in the US currently is.

As you probably know, the SAT is made up of two sections: Reading & Writing and Math. Both sections are scored on a scale of 200-800. By combining these two sections, we get a total SAT score range of 400-1600, with 1600 being a perfect score.

Now that we've got this down, let's take a look at the national average SAT score. In 2024, the College Board reported the following average SAT scores:

• Total: 1024
• Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW): 519
• Math: 505

As you can see, the average scores for ERW and Math are fairly close. These then add up to get a total SAT average score that's around the halfway point of the total score range (400-1600).

But what are the average SAT scores by state? Keep reading to learn some interesting trends and to see the notable top spots held by different states!

State SAT Awards

We'll start with the states that have won our "State SAT Awards." The categories for these are as follows:

• Highest SAT Score
• Highest SAT Score With Over 20% Participation
• Team Players (Over 75% Participation)
• Lowest SAT Score
• Most Variation Between SAT Sections

All data below comes from the College Board's 2024 SAT state reports.

Highest Score: Kansas (SAT Score: 1256)

Kansas takes the cake for highest average SAT score with 1256. This is 232 points higher than the national average!

But wait—Kansas also has lower test participation than most of the US at 2%. Because more students in Kansas take the ACT than they do the SAT, Kansas' high average SAT score likely means that only the most prepared, ambitious high schoolers take the SAT. These students tend to score higher, effectively raising the state's average.

But what if we look instead at states with a significant participation rate—that is, a state in which more than 20% of students take the SAT? The winner for that SAT award is ...

North Carolina is known as the birthplace of aviation...and also high SAT scores.  

Highest Score With 20% or Higher Participation: North Carolina (SAT Score: 1161, with 20% Participation)

Great achievement here! With 23,495 students in the class of 2024 taking the SAT here, North Carolina is truly outperforming the national average. The state averaged an ERW score of 590 and a Math score of 571, with an average total score of 1161.

Team Players (Over 75% Participation): 13 States

There are 13 states where over 75% of seniors took the SAT in 2024. They are:

• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Washington D.C.
• Florida
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Michigan
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• Rhode Island
• West Virginia

Special shout out to Washington DC, New Mexico, and Indiana who all had 100% participation for the SAT.

Lowest Score: New Mexico (SAT Score: 885)

Unfortunately, New Mexico underperforms the national average by 139 points. This is likely due to 100% of seniors in New Mexico taking the SAT. In other states where less than 5% of seniors took the SAT, it's likely only the most prepared students took the SAT, thus bumping up the average. Other states with low average SAT scores were Delaware, Washington D.C., Florida, and West Virginia (<950 composite score). The U.S. Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory, also have low SAT scores.

Most Variation Between Sections: Florida (493 EBRW, 455 Math) 

Florida had an average Math score 38 points lower than their average Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) score.

There's also a discrepancy among students in the US Virgin Islands–students scored an average of 48 points higher on ERW than on Math, but since there were only 503 students in the class of 2024 who took the SAT there, such variance is less surprising than in Florida, where far more students took the SAT.

List of All Average State SAT Scores

Here are the most recent average SAT scores for all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Find your area below and see how your SAT score compares with your region's average!

Source: The College Board

What's Next?

How will scores change on the Digital SAT? Our breakdown of the new digital SAT test format will teach you everything you need to know.

Confused about SAT scoring? Learn more about how the SAT is scored, and get tips on how to figure out your SAT goal score based on the schools you're applying to.

Wondering what it takes to get a perfect SAT score? I scored a perfect SAT score and wrote a detailed guide about what it takes here. Read this to learn all of my best strategies—and to get a 1600 on test day!

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