For a long time, it has been assumed that access to the Internet helps people become better educated. Access to broadband is even better because of the speed at which it can deliver information and entertainment to people, many of whom live in remote places. People without the Internet, it continues to be argued, lose the chance to be informed.

If the argument is taken to one reasonable conclusion, people who have Internet delivered at particularly fast speeds should be better off, intellectually, than those who have access to slower service. Based on new research, several states in the United States have blazing fast Internet, at least compared to states where Internet speeds are much slower. Are the residents of those states smarter because of the swift access to all things online? Surprisingly, states with poorer populations, and ones where educational attainment is weak, tend to have Internet speeds are relatively slow. It may be dangerous to draw a conclusion about cause and effect, but it may be more than a coincidence nevertheless.

The speed at which the Internet operates in Mississippi ranks 40th out of 51 states and the District of Columbia, according to research firm Ookla, at 19.52 Mbps. Arkansas ranks 44th at 17.21 Mbps. Kentucky is 49th at 15.28 Mbps. West Virginia ranks 42nd at 18.45 Mbps. Of course, most of these states are relatively rural, which may account for some of the slowness. However, there is a powerful argument against that as the sole reason for lack of speed. Internet speeds in Utah are first among all states as 36.12 Mbps, more than twice Kentucky’s pace. And South Dakota ranks fifth, while North Dakota ranks 12th.

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Among the states that are often considered “smart” because of education and median income, the Internet does tend to be fast compared to the balance of the country. Virginia ranks 10th at 29.99 Mbps. Connecticut ranks 11th at 29.78 Mbps. Massachusetts ranks sixth at 32.67 Mbps.

And New Jersey ranks second at 35.99 Mbps.

Is there any relationship between Internet speed and education or income? Not that Ookla is willing to say. But that does not mean it doesn’t exist, maybe.

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