Average SAT Scores - 2022 National Test Scores by State, School, Gender

What is an Average SAT Score And How Do SAT Scoring Percentiles Work?

After taking the SAT, you might think about how you fare against the average SAT test taker. Interestingly there are several different ways to calculate and categorize average SAT test scores. They include national averages, averages by ethnicity, gender, family income, and high school type.

Still, you need to understand the SAT test scoring, the types of SAT averages, and which are the most important scoring percentiles for your future college and career goals.

In this article, we will delve into the different SAT score averages by looking at the Math score, Evidence-Base Reading and Writing (ERW) score, and the total or composite score. These scores will be on your SAT score report measuring how you performed on the overall test as well as the Math and ERW sections.

Let’s jump in!

What is the Average SAT Score?

According to the College Board SAT Suite Annual Report, the average SAT score is 1050 in 2022 with scoring of 529 and 521 on the Evidence-Based Reading & Writing and Math sections, respectively. This is the lowest average score since the testing format changes of 2016.

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score: 529
Math score: 521
Total average score: 1050

What is National Average SAT Score?

According to the College Board, the national average SAT score for 2022 are ERW 529, Math 521, and Total 1050. Therefore, if you score more than 1060, then you will have scored above the national average score.

This means you will have scored more than most test-takers. On the other hand, a score of below 1050 means your score is below the national averages and lower than most test-takers.

Here is a chart that shows the national average SAT test scores for each section.

SAT Test Sections	National Average SAT Test Scores
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	528
Math	523
Total Score	1051

Average SAT Scores by State, 2022

Every state performs differently on the SAT test primarily because they prioritize it differently. Some states requires all high school students to take the test resulting in a much higher participation rate but typically a lower overall average.

The states that encourage their students to take the test but don’t require it typically have higher averages because less students are being tested.

Here is the chart of average SAT scores by state in the US as reported by the College Board.

State	SAT Test Participation Rate	Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT Scores	Math SAT Scores	Total Average SAT Scores
Alabama	0.07	576	551	1127
Alaska	0.37	555	543	1098
Arizona	0.29	571	568	1139
Arkansas	0.04	590	567	1157
California	0.67	527	522	1049
Colorado	1	511	501	1012
Connecticut	1	527	512	1039
Delaware	1	497	481	978
District of Columbia	1	498	482	979
Florida	1	512	479	992
Georgia	0.68	537	516	1053
Hawaii	0.51	549	546	1095
Idaho	1	500	484	984
Illinois	0.98	504	503	1007
Indiana	0.64	540	534	1074
Iowa	0.03	611	609	1220
Kansas	0.04	617	620	1237
Kentucky	0.04	609	598	1207
Louisiana	0.05	597	573	1170
Maine	0.98	504	491	995
Maryland	0.88	522	507	1029
Massachusetts	0.8	560	559	1119
Michigan	1	503	495	998
Minnesota	0.04	624	633	1257
Mississippi	0.03	610	593	1203
Missouri	0.04	610	603	1212
Montana	0.1	598	587	1185
Nebraska	0.03	615	614	1229
Nevada	0.17	579	571	1150
New Hampshire	0.93	531	524	1055
New Jersey	0.82	541	540	1081
New Mexico	0.19	533	522	1055
New York	0.79	528	530	1058
North Carolina	0.48	553	544	1096
North Dakota	0.02	615	617	1231
Ohio	0.21	536	534	1070
Oklahoma	0.2	490	481	971
Oregon	0.51	557	547	1104
Pennsylvania	0.67	543	534	1078
Puerto Rico	N/A	511	481	993
Rhode Island	1	501	489	990
South Carolina	0.68	524	503	1026
South Dakota	0.03	609	610	1218
Tennessee	0.07	601	585	1186
Texas	0.73	510	500	1010
Utah	0.03	601	603	1204
Vermont	0.63	559	545	1103
Virgin Islands	N/A	474	437	912
Virginia	0.65	567	549	1116
Washington	0.69	539	534	1073
West Virginia	0.98	480	456	936
Wisconsin	0.03	615	628	1243
Wyoming	0.02	614	606	1220

Which State has the highest average SAT Score?

Like we said in the previous section, the states will lower participation rates tend to have the highest averages. Minnesota is no exception. With a participation rate of 4%, Minnesota has the highest average SAT score out of any state with a score of 1257. This is a staggering 206 points above the national average score.

Wisconsin and Kansas come in a close second and third with average test scores of 1243 and 1237, respectively.

Which States have the Highest SAT Participation Rates?

Although higher participation rates tend to correlate with lower overall averages, higher participations rates are a good thing. It shows that the states are committed to education and want to see how every student learns, instead of only testing the most educated or motivated.

That being said, there are eight states that require the SAT test for every students. Here are the states with SAT participation rates of 100%:

Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Idaho
Michigan

Which State has the Lowest Average SAT Score?

West Virginia has the lowest average SAT score out of any state with a score of 936. This is somewhat understandable since West Virginia’s participation rate is 98%.

The second lowest scoring state does not follow this same statistical pattern. Oklahoma students only scored 971 even though the participation rate was only 20%. This shows that average scores and participation rates are correlated, but there are outliers.

Average SAT Test Score by College, University, & School in 2022

Most colleges in the US use SAT scores as a tool to measure of students’ knowledge and education for admission. Universities typically set a minimum test score that new students and applicants must obtain in order to be admitted into the college.

These minimum test score requirements different drastically between colleges and states, but it is interesting to look at the average SAT test scores for different schools.

Top 25 Ranked Colleges with the Highest Average SAT Scores

Here is a chart of the Top 25 colleges and universities in the US with the highest average SAT scores.

Ranking	College / University	25th Percentile SAT Test Score	75th Percentile SAT Test Score	Total Average SAT Score
1	Princeton	1460	1570	1510
2	Harvard	1460	1570	1510
3	Columbia	1450	1570	1510
4	MIT	1510	1570	1540
5	Yale	1460	1570	1515
6	Stanford	1440	1570	1500
7	University of Chicago	1500	1570	1530
8	Penn State	1450	1560	1500
9	Caltech	1530	1560	1540
10	Johns Hopkins	1470	1570	1520
11	Northwestern	1440	1550	1490
12	Duke	1480	1570	1520
13	Dartmouth	1440	1560	1500
14	Brown	1440	1570	1500
15	Vanderbilt	1460	1560	1510
16	Rice	1470	1570	1520
17	WUSTL	1480	1560	1520
18	Cornell	1400	1560	1480
19	Notre Dame	1400	1550	1470
20	UCLA	1280	1530	1400
21	Emory	1360	1530	1440
22	UC Berkeley	1310	1530	1420
23	Georgetown	1380	1550	1460
24	University of Michigan	1340	1530	1430
25	USC	1360	1530	1440

75 Most Popular Universities’ SAT Average Scores

Here is a chart of 75 of the most popular and well respected colleges, schools, and universities in the US along with their average SAT test scores.

College / University	25th Percentile SAT Score	75th Percentile SAT Score	Total Average SAT Score
American University	1220	1380	1300
Amherst College	1420	1530	1480
Baylor University	1210	1370	1293
Binghamton University (SUNY Binghamton)	1310	1440	1375
Boston College	1370	1490	1420
Boston University	1340	1500	1420
Bowdoin College	1300	1510	1405
Brigham Young University (BYU)	1220	1410	1315
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)	1240	1430	1335
Carnegie Mellon	1460	1560	1510
Chapman University	1190	1370	1280
Claremont McKenna College	1420	1560	1490
College of William and Mary	1230	1510	1415
Drexel University	1200	1380	1290
George Washington University (GWU)	1280	1460	1370
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)	1390	1540	1465
Harvey Mudd College	1490	1560	1530
Indiana University Bloomington	1280	1460	1370
Lehigh University	1300	1430	1365
Loyola Marymount University	1210	1390	1296
Miami University	1210	1390	1310
Michigan State University (MSU)	1120	1310	1210
Middlebury College	1360	1530	1445
New York University (NYU)	1370	1510	1440
Northeastern University	1390	1540	1465
Ohio State University (OSU)	1300	1420	1355
Pace University	1060	1220	1140
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)	1160	1370	1265
Pepperdine University	1220	1420	1320
Pitzer College	1340	1490	1410
Pomona College	1410	1530	1465
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)	1330	1500	1409
Rutgers University	1190	1410	1300
Scripps College	1300	1480	1390
Stony Brook University—SUNY	1250	1420	1335
Syracuse University	1180	1370	1275
Temple University	1140	1310	1238
Texas A&M University	1180	1390	1275
Texas Christian University (TCU)	1150	1340	1250
Trinity College	1300	1460	1380
Tufts University	1390	1540	1465
Tulane University	1350	1490	1420
UC Davis	1150	1410	1280
UC Irvine	1180	1440	1310
UC Riverside	1130	1330	1225
UC San Diego (UCSD)	1250	1470	1360
UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)	1230	1480	1355
UC Santa Cruz	1170	1400	1285
United States Military Academy (West Point)	1185	1400	1300
United States Naval Academy	1250	1450	1410
University of Alabama	1060	1280	1184
University of Arizona	1120	1350	1235
University of Cincinnati	1160	1370	1265
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder)	1160	1350	1253
University of Connecticut (UConn)	1210	1420	1315
University of Florida	1280	1440	1360
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)	1340	1500	1420
University of Iowa	1140	1330	1235
University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass)	1210	1370	1290
University of Miami	1280	1420	1355
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities	1270	1440	1351
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)	1300	1470	1395
University of Pittsburgh	1260	1440	1350
University of Rochester	1340	1500	1420
University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)	1240	1470	1355
University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas)	1250	1450	1350
University of Vermont	1200	1360	1270
University of Virginia (UVA)	1340	1500	1430
University of Washington	1220	1460	1340
University of Wisconsin—Madison	1300	1480	1390
Vassar College	1370	1510	1440
Villanova University	1330	1460	1395
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)	1180	1390	1285
Wake Forest University	1310	1470	1390
Wellesley College	1360	1530	1437
Williams College	1410	1550	1479

What College or University has the highest average SAT test score?

Many schools maintain incredibly high SAT scores, but the two colleges tied with the highest total SAT score of 1540 are MIT and Caltech.

Although not as high as these two colleges, there are many different private and public schools that achieve high scores as well. For example, the average SAT score for Harvard is 1510. Likewise, the average SAT score for UCLA and Stanford are 1400 and 1500, respectively.

SAT Average Score by Gender, 2022

Also, the College Board has calculated the average score by gender, and averages are based on the 2019 SAT class. The Math and ERW sections are scored out of 800, and the total score will be 1600.

Gender	Math SAT Score	Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT Score	Total Average SAT Scores
Male	523	531	1055
Female	532	516	1048
No Response	499	468	967

From the averages, it is evident that males outperform females by 15 points on Math, but the females outperform males by 9 points in ERW.

Average SAT Test Score by Ethnicity and Race, 2022

The College Board offers the alternative of specifying ethnicity, and most test takers do provide their ethnicity. The SAT average scores by ethnicity are as shown:

Ethnicity / Race	Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT Scores	Math SAT Scores	Total Average SAT Scores
White	557	547	1104
Asian	585	632	1217
American Indian / Alaska Native	456	447	902
Black / African American	473	454	927
Hispanic / Latino	491	478	969
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	478	470	948
Two or more races	552	539	1091

Average SAT Test Score by Waiver

The SAT has been having issues with test-takers from low-income households as they tend to score lower than the average for students from a high-income family.

Despite the College Board not including data on family income, they provide information in scores for students who have used or not used a fee waiver.

SAT Fee Waiver	Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT Scores	Math SAT Scores	Total Average SAT Scores
Used	503	491	966
Not Used	533	430	1063

How is the SAT Test Scored?

The SAT exam is scored out of 1600, and for the two sections Math and ERW, you get a scaled score of 200-800. You determine the scaled score by converting the raw score, representing points for each question you score correctly.

Interestingly, there is no penalty for skipped questions or those that you get wrong. The raw scores are scaled through equating, which is a process that ensures test forms or a student’s ability level with who whom they are tested do not affect the score. Equating makes it easier to compare students that take different test editions across various administrations.

You can use cross-sectional scores and subscores to evaluate your performance. The total score will be the sum of the section scores, so the maximum SAT score is 1600, and the average score is around 1000.

Section scores are the scores for the two SAT sections scored out of 800 each, which will be combined to give the total score. SAT subscores will show how you performed various skills to provide a picture of your weaknesses and strengths.

Is the SAT Test Graded on a Curve?

According to the College Board, they do not grade the SAT exam on a curve. This implies test-takers will not be evaluated according to how well they performed relative to other test takers that took the exam the same day. Usually, students will take different editions of the SAT, making performance comparison difficult.

Usually, when grading is done on a curve, the score will go up or down depending on the group’s performance. Grading by curves is disadvantageous to students because it limits how many students will get a top score.

The Board uses equating to grade the test because some tests could be easier than others. Equating will mean that scores will be comparable, and a 600 score in Math on a particular test date will be the same as a 600 on another test date.

Why are SAT Score Average Percentiles Important?

Besides, the composite score SAT also ranks the performance in percentile ranks from 1-99. You will receive a percentile rank for the overall composite score and the section scores for ERW and Math. The percentile will tell the student how they performed relative to other test-takers.

For instance, a 78 composite percentile means that your score is higher than 78% of the test takers. If you fall in the 45 percentile in ERW, it means that you performed better than 45% of ERW test takers.

Percentiles are vital in comparing student scores for college admission, and most institutions have their score ranges, but they don’t change that much yearly. SAT percentiles are crucial when deciding whether you will retake the test, as they help put your score in context.

For instance, a 700 in Maths and 600 in ERW might seem not to be huge, but the Math score might be on the 94^th percentile and the ERW in the 75^th percentile. This will help you know that you should concentrate more on ERW when your retake because a 100 points increase in the ERW score could boost your percentile up to the 92^nd percentile.

Average SAT Score