Does IQ predict income and success?
Long-term studies find a link. It is strongest for education, weaker for occupation and weaker still for income.
What long-term studies found
Strenze’s 2007 meta-analysis combined studies that measured intelligence first and success years later. As summarised by the author, the correlations were .56 with education, .43 with occupational level and .20 with income.
Why income shows the weakest link
A correlation of .20 means that scores explain only a small part of the differences in income. Field, family, location, health, chance and many other things also matter, and the studies cannot separate all of them.
Compared with family background and grades
The same review compared intelligence with parents’ socioeconomic status and school grades. All were related to later success, and intelligence was at least as strong a predictor as the others.
What this does not mean
These are averages over many people, from specific countries and periods. They do not show how far any person will go. A score on our site says even less, because it has not been compared with a tested group.
Sources
- Strenze (2007), Intelligence and socioeconomic success: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal research. Intelligence
- Strenze (2015), Intelligence and success. Summary chapter
Last checked: 2026-11-03
A summary of published research, not medical, career or psychological advice. A correlation describes groups, not any one person. This text has not yet been reviewed by a psychologist.