The best large-sample estimate puts the average IQ of nurses at about 100, right at the population average, based on 674 nurses in the UK Understanding Society survey (Wolfram, 2023). The range inside nursing is wide, and the figure says little about how good any individual nurse is.
What the data show
In Wolfram’s (2023) analysis of the UK Understanding Society survey, nurses (N = 674) had an estimated mean of 100.0 — essentially the population average. Because the group is large, this is one of the more precise figures in the dataset (95% uncertainty about ±1.0 points).
Several features of the data are worth keeping in mind. The survey ran from 2011 to 2013, when the UK nursing workforce still included many nurses who had qualified through diploma rather than degree routes (all new nursing students in England moved to degree programmes from 2013). “Nurses” is also a very large, diverse category spanning many roles, levels of seniority and specialities, and the survey battery emphasised memory, verbal fluency and simple numeracy rather than the full range of reasoning a clinical test samples.
We could not find comparable, verified figures for nurse practitioners, specialist nurses or nursing in other countries, so we do not report any.
Nurse IQ range
Like every occupation, nurses are spread out. With a typical within-occupation SD of about 13, around two-thirds would score between 87 and 113, about 12% would score 115 or higher, and about 6% 120 or higher:
| IQ range | Nurses (model) | General population |
|---|---|---|
| below 90 | ~22% | 25% |
| 90–99 | ~28% | 25% |
| 100–109 | ~28% | 25% |
| 110–119 | ~16% | 16% |
| 120–129 | ~5% | 7% |
| 130 or above | ~1% | 2% |
Model: normal distribution around the estimated mean with SD 13, the average within-occupation spread implied by Wolfram (2023), where roughly three-quarters of IQ variance lay within rather than between occupations. Real distributions can be skewed.
What nursing actually demands
Nursing combines cognitive demands — medication calculations, monitoring changes in a patient’s condition, prioritising under time pressure — with skills that IQ tests do not measure: physical stamina, calm under stress, communication with frightened patients and families, teamwork and attention to safety procedures. Job performance research across occupations shows cognitive ability is only one predictor (validity about .31 in the latest estimates; Sackett et al., 2022), and in hands-on caring professions experience and conscientiousness carry a great deal of weight.
Comparing nurses with doctors on IQ alone also misses that the professions are trained and selected for different jobs. The overlap between the two groups is large: with means of about 100 and 113 and SD 13 in each, roughly 24% of nurses would be expected to outscore a randomly chosen doctor.
How to read these numbers
Every number on this page comes with three caveats. First, the UK estimates are based on a short survey battery — word recall, number series, everyday numeric problems, serial subtraction and verbal fluency — rather than a full clinical IQ test, so they are less precise for individuals and tend to compress group differences. Second, they describe people working in an occupation at one time (2011–2013), not what the job requires. Third, they are averages: Hauser’s analysis of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study found that the correlation between occupation and measured ability was only moderate (about .39–.44), and that the spread of ability was almost as wide in high-status occupations as in others.
Sources
- Wolfram, T. (2023). (Not just) intelligence stratifies the occupational hierarchy: Ranking 360 professions by IQ and non-cognitive traits. Intelligence, 98, 101755. Occupation figures as tabulated in J. Thompson, “Minds and professions” (2023).
- Hauser, R. M. (2002). Meritocracy, cognitive ability, and the sources of occupational success. CDE Working Paper 98-07, University of Wisconsin–Madison (Wisconsin Longitudinal Study).
- Sackett, P. R., Zhang, C., Berry, C. M., & Lievens, F. (2022). Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(11), 2040–2068.
- Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262–274.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average IQ of nurses?
About 100 in the UK Understanding Society data analysed by Wolfram (2023), based on 674 nurses surveyed in 2011–2013.
Is nursing a high-IQ job?
Nursing has real cognitive demands, but survey data put nurses close to the population average, with a wide spread; many nurses score well above 115.
Do you need a high IQ to be a nurse?
No IQ score is required. Entry depends on nursing education and licensing exams, and success depends heavily on practical, interpersonal and organisational skills.
Why is the nurse average lower than doctors?
The occupations are selected and trained differently; the 2011–2013 UK workforce also included many diploma-trained nurses. The two groups overlap heavily.