A new study has revealed that residents of St. Johns County possess the highest average math skill level in Florida. Spreadsheets and data analysis site Excel Champs analyzed the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics to identify the U.S. states and counties with the highest and lowest adult numeracy skill scores.
This data was collected from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, which surveyed 12,330 U.S. adults aged 16 to 74 regarding their numeracy and literacy proficiency between 2012 and 2017.
In this assessment, a score between 226 and 276 indicates that adults are “nearing proficiency but still struggling to perform numeracy tasks.” A score below 226 is considered at risk for difficulties with numeracy.
A score between 226 and 276 signifies that adults are “nearing proficiency but still struggling to perform numeracy tasks”. A score below 226 “can be considered at risk for difficulties with numeracy”.
The 10 counties with the highest average math scores in Florida
| Rank | County | Average overall math score |
| 1. | St. Johns County | 272.6 |
| 2. | Santa Rosa County | 262.8 |
| 2. | Seminole County | 262.8 |
| 3. | Sumter County | 259.5 |
| 4. | Okaloosa County | 259.4 |
| 5. | Leon County | 258.6 |
| 6. | Sarasota County | 258.5 |
| 7. | Martin County | 257.9 |
| 8. | Nassau County | 257 |
| 9. | Brevard County | 256.5 |
| 10. | Clay County | 255.8 |
Residents of St. Johns County have the highest math skills in Florida, with a score of 272.6, which is 9.5% higher than the national average.
Santa Rosa County and Seminole County tied for second place, with scores of 262.8, while Sumter County ranks third, with a score of 259.5.
Floridans in Okaloosa County have the fourth-highest adult numeracy skill score at 259.4 and residents in Leon County have the fifth-highest score at 258.6.
Puneet Gogia, an Excel and data analytics expert from Excel Champs commented on the findings:
“Discovering the numeracy skills across states and counties provides a fascinating insight into not only the quality of math education in schools, but also how technology may be eradicating our need for numeracy skills,” Gogia said. ““It is important to note that this study does not reflect how intelligent or skilled the residents in each state are but does potentially highlight broader socio-economic disparities between regions.”
Source: National Center for Education Statistics: Program for the International Assessment for Adult Competencies (PIAAC) between 2012 and 2017
Methodology: Data from the PIACC was analyzed to create a ranking of the overall numeracy scores for each U.S. county.
Author
