Don't worry. The list of the top 10 "dumbest states" isn't as bad as it looks.

"Dumbest" in this case doesn't mean stupid or any other such synonym. This list below from the financial news website, TheStreet.com, is based on the level of education of a certain percentage of the residents of each state.

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Academicians have long known there's a correlation between states with higher percentages of people with bachelor's and advanced degrees and those having fewer people living below the poverty line.

The US poverty level for 2014 was set at $23,850 (total yearly income) for a family of four.

Data from 2010 shows that men with a BA make 60 percent more every year than their counterparts with a high school diploma. That translates into $64,000 for the college graduate as against $40,000 for the guy with a high school diploma.

On the other hand, women with BAs make 56.6 percent more money than their counterparts with a high school diploma or $47,000 to $30,000.

That income gap has risen as the figures above show. Twenty years ago, male college graduates only made 47.5 percent more than high school graduates while female BA holders made 53 percent more.

So take the label "dumbest" as defined by TheStreet.com with a grain of salt ... and a grin.

And the top 10 "dumbest states" in the USA are:

1. West Virginia

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 17.3%

Median Household Income (2012): $40,196 (48th)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1513

2. Arkansas

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 18.9%

Median Household Income (2012): $40,112 (49th)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1697

3. Mississippi

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 19.6%

Median Household Income (2012): $37,095 (50th)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1673

4. Kentucky

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 21%

Median Household Income (2012): $41,724 (46th)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1741

5. Louisiana

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 21.4%

Median Household Income (2012): $42,944 (43rd)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1655

6. Nevada

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 21.8%

Median Household Income (2012): $49,760 (27th)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1454

7. Alabama

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 22%

Median Household Income (2012): $41,574 (47th)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1608

8. Indiana

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 22.5%

Median Household Income (2012): $46,974 (32nd)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1470

9. Oklahoma

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 22.7%

Median Household Income (2012): $44,312 (41st)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1689

10. Tennessee

% of Population with Bachelor's Degrees: 23%

Median Household Income (2012): 42,764 (44th)

Average SAT Score (2013): 1709

TagsPoverty, SAT, dumbest states