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All The US Presidents, Ranked By IQ

Updated December 21, 2024 601.4K views 45 items

An intelligence quotient test (IQ test) is a series of standardized tests used to gauge and assess a person's intelligence. While most people will never take a formal IQ test, high IQs have nevertheless always been a topic of public interest.

In recent history, US president IQs have been the subject of debate and discussion. This is in part due to Donald Trump's perpetual tweeting about his high IQ during the controversial election cycle of 2016. This led people to wonder who the smartest and dumbest presidents were throughout history.

A president's IQ is rarely made public, and many United States presidents were born before the modern IQ test was invented. Nevertheless, many psychological studies have provided educated guesses of presidential IQ based on a variety of factors.

When it comes to IQ scores, a score over 140 is considered genius level. Research indicates most presidents fall somewhere around 130, but that doesn't mean America has never had a genius in the Oval Office. There are outliers on either side, with many presidents' IQs being higher or lower than average. If you're curious to learn where our presidents rank in terms of intellectual prowess, browse the list below, ranked from highest to lowest.

1
John Quincy Adams
Dec. at 80 (1767-1848)
Alleged IQ: 175
- Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America
- Presidency: 6
- V.P.: John C. Calhoun
- Profession: Politician, Diplomat, Attorney at law, Lawyer
2
Thomas Jefferson
Dec. at 83 (1743-1826)
Alleged IQ: 160
- Birthplace: Shadwell, Colony of Virginia, British America
- Presidency: 3
- V.P.: Aaron Burr, George Clinton
- Profession: Statesman, Inventor, Author, Farmer, Architect
3
John F. Kennedy
Dec. at 46 (1917-1963)
Alleged IQ: 160
- Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Presidency: 35
- V.P.: Lyndon B. Johnson
- Profession: Politician, Military Officer, Author, Writer
4
Bill Clinton
Age: 78
Alleged IQ: 159
- Birthplace: Hope, Arkansas, USA
- Presidency: 42
- V.P.: Al Gore
- Profession: Statesman, Politician, Author, Lawyer, Teacher
5
Jimmy Carter
Dec. at 100 (1924-2024)
Alleged IQ: 156.8
- Birthplace: Plains, Georgia, United States of America
- Presidency: 39
- V.P.: Walter Mondale
- Profession: Statesman, Politician, Novelist, Military Officer, Author
6
James Madison
Dec. at 85 (1751-1836)
Alleged IQ: 155
- Birthplace: Port Conway, Colony of Virginia, British America
- Presidency: 4
- V.P.: Elbridge Gerry, George Clinton
- Profession: Politician, Author, Lawyer
7
John Adams
Dec. at 90 (1735-1826)
Alleged IQ: 155
- Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America
- Presidency: 2
- V.P.: Thomas Jefferson
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
8
Barack Obama
Age: 63
Alleged IQ: 155
- Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- Presidency: 44
- V.P.: Joe Biden
- Profession: Politician, Author, Law professor, Writer, Lawyer
9
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dec. at 63 (1882-1945)
Alleged IQ: 150
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York, Hyde Park
- Presidency: 32
- V.P.: John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, Harry S. Truman
- Profession: Politician, Soldier, Corporate lawyer, Writer, Lawyer
10
Millard Fillmore
Dec. at 74 (1800-1874)
Alleged IQ: 149
- Birthplace: Moravia, New York, United States of America
- Presidency: 13
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
11
Franklin Pierce
Dec. at 64 (1804-1869)
Alleged IQ: 147
- Birthplace: Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States of America
- Presidency: 14
- V.P.: William R. King
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
12
Rutherford B. Hayes
Dec. at 70 (1822-1893)
Alleged IQ: 146
- Birthplace: Delaware, Ohio, United States of America
- Presidency: 19
- V.P.: William A. Wheeler
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
13
Woodrow Wilson
Dec. at 67 (1856-1924)
Alleged IQ: 145.1
- Birthplace: Staunton, Virginia, United States of America
- Presidency: 28
- V.P.: Thomas R. Marshall
- Profession: Politician, Historian, Professor, Political scientist, Political Science
14
Benjamin Harrison
Dec. at 67 (1833-1901)
Alleged IQ: 145
- Birthplace: North Bend, Ohio, United States of America
- Presidency: 23
- V.P.: Levi P. Morton
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
15
Andrew Jackson
Dec. at 78 (1767-1845)
Alleged IQ: 145
- Birthplace: Waxhaw Settlement between North Carolina and South Carolina, British America
- Presidency: 7
- V.P.: Martin Van Buren, John C. Calhoun
- Profession: Prosecutor, Judge, Politician, Soldier, Farmer
16
Donald Trump
Age: 78
Alleged IQ: 145
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
- Presidency: 45
- V.P.: Mike Pence
- Profession: Businessperson, Television producer, Investor, Entrepreneur, Real estate entrepreneur
17
Grover Cleveland
Dec. at 71 (1837-1908)
Alleged IQ: 144
- Birthplace: Caldwell, New Jersey, USA
- Presidency: 22, 24
- V.P.: Adlai Stevenson I, Thomas A. Hendricks
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
18
Theodore Roosevelt
Dec. at 60 (1858-1919)
Alleged IQ: 143
- Birthplace: New York City, Manhattan, USA, New York
- Presidency: 26
- V.P.: Charles W. Fairbanks
- Profession: Statesman, Politician, Police officer, Historian, Conservationist
19
George H.W. Bush
Age: 100
Alleged IQ: 143
- Birthplace: USA, Massachusetts, Milton
- Presidency: 41
- V.P.: Dan Quayle
- Profession: Businessperson, Politician, Entrepreneur, Military aviator
20
Chester A. Arthur
Dec. at 57 (1829-1886)
Alleged IQ: 142
- Birthplace: Fairfield, Vermont, United States of America
- Presidency: 21
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer, Teacher
21
James A. Garfield
Dec. at 49 (1831-1881)
Alleged IQ: 141.5
- Birthplace: Moreland Hills, Ohio, United States of America
- Presidency: 20
- V.P.: Chester A. Arthur
- Profession: Laity, Politician, Lawyer, Teacher
22
Abraham Lincoln
Dec. at 56 (1809-1865)
Alleged IQ: 140
- Birthplace: Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
- Presidency: 16
- V.P.: Andrew Johnson, Hannibal Hamlin
- Profession: Statesman, Politician, Lawyer
23
Lyndon B. Johnson
Dec. at 64 (1908-1973)
Alleged IQ: 140
- Birthplace: Stonewall, Texas, United States of America
- Presidency: 36
- V.P.: Hubert Humphrey
- Profession: Politician, Teacher
24
George Washington
Dec. at 67 (1732-1799)
Alleged IQ: 140
- Birthplace: Popes Creek, Colony of Virginia, British America
- Presidency: 1
- V.P.: John Adams
- Profession: Surveyor, Politician, Soldier, Military Officer, Farmer
25
Gerald Ford
Dec. at 93 (1913-2006)
Alleged IQ: 140
- Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- Presidency: 38
- V.P.: Nelson Rockefeller
- Profession: Politician, American football player, Lawyer
26
George W. Bush
Age: 78
Alleged IQ: 139
- Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Presidency: 43
- V.P.: Dick Cheney
- Profession: Pilot, Public speaker, Businessperson, Politician, Author
27
James Monroe
Dec. at 73 (1758-1831)
Alleged IQ: 139
- Birthplace: Monroe Hall, Virginia, British America
- Presidency: 5
- V.P.: Daniel D. Tompkins
- Profession: Politician, Farmer, Lawyer
28
John Tyler
Dec. at 71 (1790-1862)
Alleged IQ: 136.2
- Birthplace: Charles City County, Virginia, United States of America
- Presidency: 10
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
29
Martin Van Buren
Dec. at 79 (1782-1862)
Alleged IQ: 133
- Birthplace: Kinderhook, New York, USA
- Presidency: 8
- V.P.: Richard Mentor Johnson
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
30
William Henry Harrison
Dec. at 68 (1773-1841)
Alleged IQ: 132
- Birthplace: Charles City County, Colony of Virginia
- Presidency: 9
- V.P.: John Tyler
- Profession: Politician, Soldier, Military Officer
31
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dec. at 78 (1890-1969)
Alleged IQ: 132
- Birthplace: Denison, Texas, USA
- Presidency: 34
- V.P.: Richard Nixon
- Profession: Politician, Soldier
32
Richard Nixon
Dec. at 81 (1913-1994)
Alleged IQ: 132
- Birthplace: Yorba Linda, California, United States of America
- Presidency: 37
- V.P.: Gerald Ford, Spiro Agnew
- Profession: Politician, Military Officer, Author, Lawyer
33
James K. Polk
Dec. at 53 (1795-1849)
Alleged IQ: 130.2
- Birthplace: Pineville, North Carolina, USA
- Presidency: 11
- V.P.: George M. Dallas
- Profession: Politician, Farmer, Lawyer
34
Herbert Hoover
Dec. at 90 (1874-1964)
Alleged IQ: 130
- Birthplace: West Branch, Iowa, United States of America
- Presidency: 31
- V.P.: Charles Curtis
- Profession: Businessperson, Civil engineer, Engineer
35
William McKinley
Dec. at 58 (1843-1901)
Alleged IQ: 130
- Birthplace: Niles, Ohio, United States of America
- Presidency: 25
- V.P.: Theodore Roosevelt, Garret Hobart
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
36
Ronald Reagan
Dec. at 93 (1911-2004)
Alleged IQ: 130
- Birthplace: Tampico, Illinois, USA
- Presidency: 40
- V.P.: George H. W. Bush
- Profession: Spokesperson, Politician, Soldier, Lifeguard, Radio personality
37
James Buchanan
Dec. at 77 (1791-1868)
Alleged IQ: 129
- Birthplace: Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Presidency: 15
- V.P.: John C. Breckinridge
- Profession: Politician, Diplomat, Lawyer
38
Zachary Taylor
Dec. at 65 (1784-1850)
Alleged IQ: 129
- Birthplace: Barboursville, Virginia, United States of America
- Presidency: 12
- V.P.: Millard Fillmore
- Profession: Politician, Soldier, Drummer
39
Harry S. Truman
Dec. at 88 (1884-1972)
Alleged IQ: 128
- Birthplace: Lamar, Missouri, USA
- Presidency: 33
- V.P.: Alben W. Barkley
- Profession: Businessperson, Politician, Haberdasher, Farmer, Writer
40
William Howard Taft
Dec. at 72 (1857-1930)
Alleged IQ: 126
- Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Presidency: 27
- V.P.: James S. Sherman
- Profession: Judge, Jurist, Lawyer
41
Calvin Coolidge
Dec. at 60 (1872-1933)
Alleged IQ: 127
- Birthplace: Plymouth Notch, Vermont, United States of America
- Presidency: 30
- V.P.: Charles G. Dawes
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer
42
Andrew Johnson
Dec. at 66 (1808-1875)
Alleged IQ: 125
- Birthplace: Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
- Presidency: 17
- Profession: Politician, Tailor
43
Warren G. Harding
Dec. at 57 (1865-1923)
Alleged IQ: 124
- Birthplace: Blooming Grove, Ohio, United States of America
- Presidency: 29
- V.P.: Calvin Coolidge
- Profession: Businessperson, Politician, Journalist, Newspaper
44
Ulysses S. Grant
Dec. at 63 (1822-1885)
Alleged IQ: 120
- Birthplace: Point Pleasant, Ohio, United States of America
- Presidency: 18
- V.P.: Schuyler Colfax, Henry Wilson
- Profession: Politician, Soldier, Military Officer
45
Joe Biden
Age: 82
Alleged IQ: Unknown
- Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
- Presidency: 46
- V.P.: Kamala Harris
- Profession: Politician, Lawyer