Why would you care what the average ACT score by state is? A lot of colleges and universities have admissions officers who focus on a particular region. Believe me, they’re more than familiar with what the average score looks like in your area! Also, if you’re applying to college in a particular state with a lot of in-state applicants, it’s good to know approximately where you stand in terms of the admissions pool by comparing yourself to local test takers.
So if your score is slightly lower than average for the college—but far above average in your state—it might not hurt your chances as much as you think it might. In fact, it may even help you!
State ACT Score Averages
Here are the average ACT scores by state, plus information about the percentage of students who meet national performance benchmarks for the United States. These are composite ACT scores or scores for the overall ACT test.
State | % Students Tested | Average Composite Score | Average English Score | Average Math Score | Average Reading Score | Average Science Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | 100 | 18 | 17.3 | 17.4 | 18.5 | 18.2 |
Alaska | 14 | 20.4 | 19.3 | 20 | 21.4 | 20.4 |
Arizona | 64 | 18.4 | 17.3 | 18.5 | 18.8 | 18.5 |
Arkansas | 93 | 18.8 | 18.3 | 18.1 | 19.2 | 19.1 |
California | 4 | 26.5 | 26.9 | 25/6 | 27.3 | 25.8 |
Colorado | 15 | 23.2 | 23 | 22.4 | 24 | 23 |
Connecticut | 9 | 26.3 | 26.8 | 25.3 | 27.1 | 25.7 |
Delaware | 5 | 24.9 | 25.3 | 23.6 | 26.1 | 24,3 |
District of Columbia | 18 | 26.9 | 27.4 | 25.2 | 28.2 | 26 |
Florida | 46 | 19 | 18.5 | 18.4 | 20 | 18.8 |
Georgia | 30 | 21.6 | 21 | 20.8 | 22.5 | 21.5 |
Hawaii | 53 | 18.8 | 17.6 | 18.6 | 19.4 | 19.1 |
Idaho | 15 | 22.8 | 22.3 | 22.2 | 23.7 | 22.6 |
Illinois | 18 | 24.5 | 24.8 | 23.7 | 25.2 | 24 |
Indiana | 13 | 22.8 | 22.1 | 22.5 | 23.7 | 22.5 |
Iowa | 49 | 21.4 | 20.4 | 20.6 | 22.3 | 21.6 |
Kansas | 73 | 19.9 | 18.9 | 19.4 | 20.6 | 20.1 |
Kentucky | 96 | 18.6 | 17.8 | 18 | 19.2 | 18.7 |
Louisiana | 100 | 18.1 | 17.6 | 17.4 | 18.6 | 18.3 |
Maine | 2 | 25.1 | 25.2 | 23.7 | 26.2 | 24.6 |
Maryland | 8 | 24.4 | 24.6 | 23 | 25.4 | 23.9 |
Massachusetts | 9 | 26.5 | 26.6 | 25.6 | 27.3 | 25.8 |
Michigan | 8 | 24.6 | 24.7 | 23.9 | 25.2 | 24.2 |
Minnesota | 69 | 21 | 19.7 | 20.7 | 21.7 | 21.4 |
Mississippi | 100 | 17.8 | 17.2 | 17.4 | 18.2 | 18 |
Missouri | 66 | 20.2 | 19.5 | 19.5 | 21 | 20.4 |
Montana | 94 | 19.3 | 18 | 19 | 20.1 | 19.5 |
National | 36 | 19.8 | 19 | 19.3 | 10.4 | 19.9 |
Nebraska | 94 | 19.4 | 18.6 | 19.1 | 19.8 | 19.6 |
Nevada | 100 | 17.3 | 16.1 | 17.1 | 17.8 | 17.6 |
New Hampshire | 5 | 25.7 | 25.7 | 25 | 26.5 | 25.2 |
New Jersey | 12 | 24.6 | 24.9 | 23.9 | 25.1 | 24 |
New Mexico | 20 | 19.8 | 18.7 | 19.1 | 20.9 | 20.1 |
New York | 10 | 25.3 | 25.2 | 24.6 | 26 | 25 |
North Carolina | 88 | 18.5 | 17.1 | 18.5 | 19.2 | 18.8 |
North Dakota | 96 | 19.2 | 17.9 | 19.1 | 19.7 | 19.6 |
Ohio | 82 | 19.4 | 18.2 | 19.2 | 20 | 19.7 |
Oklahoma | 94 | 17.9 | 17 | 17.3 | 18.6 | 18.2 |
Oregon | 7 | 23 | 22.5 | 22 | 24.2 | 22.8 |
Pennsylvania | 7 | 24.4 | 24.3 | 23.7 | 25.2 | 24 |
Rhode Island | 5 | 25.2 | 25.3 | 24 | 26.2 | 24.7 |
South Carolina | 40 | 18.9 | 17.8 | 18.5 | 19.6 | 19.1 |
South Dakota | 58 | 21.5 | 20.5 | 21.2 | 22.2 | 21.7 |
Tennessee | 100 | 18.6 | 18 | 18.1 | 19 | 18.5 |
Texas | 22 | 19.8 | 18.7 | 19.5 | 20.4 | 19.9 |
Utah | 91 | 19.9 | 18.9 | 19.4 | 20.6 | 20.2 |
Vermont | 8 | 23.7 | 23.4 | 22.4 | 25 | 23.5 |
Virginia | 9 | 24.6 | 24.6 | 23.5 | 25.7 | 24.3 |
Washington | 7 | 24.6 | 24.3 | 23.6 | 25.6 | 24.3 |
West Virginia | 28 | 20.5 | 20.2 | 19.4 | 21.4 | 20.4 |
Wisconsin | 93 | 19.4 | 18.3 | 19.3 | 19.7 | 19.8 |
Wyoming | 100 | 19.2 | 18.1 | 18.9 | 20 | 19.5 |
National | 36 | 19.8 | 19 | 19.3 | 20.4 | 19.9 |
Data from ACT Average Scores by State (PDF), provided by the ACT.
That’s a lot of information, so let’s break it down. The table gives us the average composite score for each state, as well as the percentage of students from each state meeting college-readiness benchmarks in English, Reading, Science, and Math.
What’s a Readiness Benchmark?
If you take a look at the Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019 report (PDF), the most recent report released by ACT, you can see that they take another measure into consideration for college readiness.
ACT has done a lot of research (and I invite you to read it), but for those of you on a tight schedule, this is how the ACT evaluates college readiness:
- ACT scores (or other standardized test scores) are a valuable predictor of college success for high school students, taken in consideration with high school grades and other factors.
- The “benchmark” scores for each section show the threshold above which high school graduates can expect to be reasonably prepared for college courses in this subject area. More specifically, the ACT explains, these indicators show the percentage of students who “have a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses.”
- In each state, a different percentage of test-takers meets or exceeds the benchmarks every year.
Note: This year’s data does not contain the percentage of students meeting the college readiness benchmark. For reference, see the 2021 data.
Average ACT Scores by the Numbers
What do those scores mean in a national context? In 2019, the national average ACT score was 20.8 (Source: ACT College Readiness 2019 Report). The breakdown looks like this:
ACT Test (Section) | Average Score (2019) |
---|---|
English | 20.2 |
Math | 20.5 |
Reading | 21.3 |
Science | 20.7 |
Composite | 20.7 |
However, keep in mind that these numbers come from an incredibly large pool of students (over 2 million, according to the National Center for Education Statistics!) each of whom is taking the ACT for different reasons.
So the overall averages are really not all that helpful in contextualizing your score. Instead, let’s look at how to contextualize average SAT scores by state and how you can use them to your advantage.
What Average ACT Scores by State Mean for Everyone
Benchmarks are one way of determining college readiness and what constitutes a “good” ACT score, and they’re more reliable than comparing your score to the 20.8 average. But as we’ve seen, test scores in one state are not perfectly comparable to scores from another state—the 100% test rate in some states shows us that, in places, all students, not just those who are determined to go to college, take this exam. This most likely lowers that state’s ACT composite score.
A Better Way to Put Your Score in Context
In other words, to get a better idea of how your scores stack up, it can be helpful to look at data from a smaller pool of students—preferably some who have had a similar education.
- First of all, you can look at average ACT scores for your state.Although you will find that scores don’t vary drastically between states, you may live in a slightly less or more competitive one.
- Next, you can look at average ACT scores for your high school.Many students can access this data on their high school’s “Profile” sheet. This might be posted on your school’s website, or you can ask your college counseling department for it. In fact, this is a really crucial piece of paper. Did you know that this is the info colleges use to understand how your high school compares to other high schools, as well as how you compare with to fellow students? Information is valuable, people!
- Compare them to the average ACT scores at the colleges or universities you are targeting.If you don’t have a college list yet (or even if you do), I highly recommend doing some exploratory research by reading our comprehensive post on ACT scores, which has a great table you can use to find the average test scores at the top 100 U.S. universities.
As you might expect, more selective schools have high average scores (even up to the highest possible score of 36!), while less selective schools have lower average scores. But keep in mind that these are usually ranges–you don’t need to get the maximum score of 36 to get into a highly selective school (though it won’t hurt!).
The Magoosh Answer
Your ACT score can be a very important factor in determining college admissions. So make sure to arm yourself with all of the above facts and figures before you set your ACT goals. But, it’s also important to keep in mind that your ACT scores are only one part of who you are as an applicant, and you have lots of other talents to offer a college or university!
And, don’t forget the most important person to be comparing yourself to is…you.
So, if you studied hard and increased your ACT score from a 16 to a 20, that is a huge win! You are now way better prepared than “average you” was before. And that—rather than the average ACT scores by state—is what really counts at the end of the day.
How do ACT scores look for 2016 with the new revisions?are the scores lower? The test seems more difficult…
They haven’t really compiled the data for 2016 yet, so that’s a really good question! The recent changes to the ACT aren’t actually designed to make the test more difficult. So new scores shouldn’t be impacted– in theory at least. It’s possible that students may find the new format changes more challenging. Only time will tell, although if that does prove to be the case, the ACT will probably try to make a few more adjustments, as “more difficult” was not what they were aiming for.
My son said when he looked around, no one was finished with the specific sections and that everyone was just filling in the bubbles as quickly as they could.
As a parent, running out of time and guessing is not a true indication of intelligence. I’m not happy with this new test. .
My son said the same thing! He and most everyone else were not able to complete most sections. He just marked random answers in case he hit one right. I felt the same way, not enough time and then guessing is not a true sign of what their capabilities are today.
Mom and Carol, I would have to respectfully disagree with you. The ACT is designed with the strict and fast paced time schedule because it is intended to test both knowledge of the student and their time management skills. In the workforce, looking beyond college, companies look for the employee that can work well and efficiently under stressful circumstances and meet timely deadlines.
I am actually a current junior in high school right now and just took the ACT in April. This is just what I have concluded from my experience taking and preparing for the standardized ACT test.
In every ACT I’ve ever taken, I along with about half of the students in the room with me have finished their section when the buzzer goes off. As for a measure of intelligence, those that do not finish are showing, by getting most if not all of their guessed answers wrong, that they are unable to complete the test material in the allotted time. Their inability is a test result.