Montanans Are Surprisingly Literate Compared to Other States

When was the last time you read a book?

For most people, they'll probably say it's been years. A Gallup poll has even measured how many fewer books Americans are reading: 3 fewer per year on average, though they say the "percentage reading any books is stable."

So if you do read, you're probably reading less, but there are significantly more people who aren't reading at all.

But reading is only one aspect of being literate, and it turns out that Montanans are some of the most literate people in the country.

Montana's Literacy Rate

Do you remember the BOOK IT!, the program that rewarded reading goals with pizza? There were certainly multiple national initiatives to encourage reading in children, but I even remember singing a song about literacy with my elementary school choir here in Missoula, which makes me wonder if Montana schools were more focused on literacy than most.

In any case, information from the National Center for Education Statistics at wisevoter.com shows that Montana's literacy rate is high.

Overall ranking: Montana has the fifth highest literacy rate in the country. 

Montana has a literacy rate of 86.9% which is higher than the national average of 80.7%. Montana is in the top 10 for numeracy, too, with a numeracy rate of 77.3%.

Conversely, Montana's illiteracy rate is 13.1% and we're ranked 48th in the country. This is also lower than the national average of 19.3%.

Another ranking that was surprising to me was the percentage of Montana's population that has a Bachelor's degree. I would have thought that fewer Montanans would have a Bachelor's degree because of how many skilled labor opportunities there are, but Montana is ranked 13th in the country.