Average IQ by occupation (estimated from wordsum scores)

Because it does not appear to be posted anywhere else on the web, and because it was such a tedious slog to put together (a labor like this isn't going to just sit unexposed in an excel file!), the following table shows IQ by occupation as estimated from GSS wordsum scores. The mean wordsum score for native-born whites is assumed to correspond to an IQ of 100, with a standard deviation of 15.

Sample sizes are not sufficient for statistical significance for a host of job categories (as long as the respondent pool is plural, it is included), and the usual disclaimer about a ten question vocabulary test not correlating perfectly with IQ (Razib reports an r-value of .71) applies. Women tend to do slightly better on verbal measures of intelligence, while men do better on quantitative measures of the same. Calculated from wordsum scores, women enjoy a bit less than a 2 point IQ advantage over men, so heavily female occupations like teaching are slightly overstated and heavily male occupations like those involving engineering are similarly understated. To avoid issues of English language proficiency, only those born in the US are included. Because a perfect score translates to an IQ of 128, high-end wordsum scorers encounter an artificial ceiling on their purported IQ. So, to a much lesser extent, do low-end scorers, as missing all ten items corresponds to an estimated IQ of 53. Consequently, the table is merely suggestive, not definitive or statistically rigorous:

Occupation	IQ	n
1. Mathematician	117.1	4
2. Physician	117.0	48
3. Geologist	116.7	5
4. Meteorologist	116.7	2
5. College professor	115.9	89
6. Author	115.1	58
7. Librarian	114.6	28
8. Attorney	114.5	102
9. Biologist	113.7	8
10. Optometrist	112.9	3
11. Statistician	111.4	2
12. Computer systems analyst	111.3	85
13. Judge	111.0	3
14. Psychologist	110.3	20
14. Actor	110.3	20
14. Dentist	110.3	16
14. Chemist	110.3	11
18. Museum curator	110.1	4
19. Clergyman	108.9	38
20. Pharmacist	108.7	11
21. Teacher	108.1	297
22. Agronomist	107.9	6
22. Electrical engineer	107.9	46
24. Stockbroker	107.8	31
25. Fine artist	107.4	33
26. Physical therapist	107.4	40
26. Sociologist	107.4	4
28. Economist	106.6	21
29. Mechanical engineer	106.5	35
29. Architect	106.5	26
31. Real estate agent	105.7	80
32. Commercial airline pilot	105.6	12
33. Dental hygienist	105.5	33
34. Social worker	105.0	109
35. Registered nurse	104.9	238
36. Stenographer	104.6	44
37. Government official	104.1	77
37. Insurance agent	104.1	77
37. Computer programmer	104.1	41
40. Accountant	104.1	168
41. Civil engineer	104.0	23
42. Undertaker	103.6	8
43. Jeweler	103.2	5
44. Secretary	103.1	430
45. Engineering technician	102.6	55
46. Police officer	102.5	81
47. Industrial machine repairer	102.4	9
47. Photographic process worker	102.4	6
49. Debt collector	101.7	10
50. Sales representative	101.6	134
50. Compositor/typesetter	101.6	8
52. Fashion designer	101.4	7
53. Photographer	100.8	19
54. Receptionist	100.8	104
55. Machine tool operator	100.6	7
56. Veterinarian	100.4	5
57. Communications equipment mechanic	100.2	9
57. Broadcast technician	100.2	9
59. Glazier	99.3	3
60. Mail carrier	99.1	68
61. Retail salesperson	99.0	368
62. Telephone operator	98.7	41
63. Dressmaker	98.4	18
64. Bank teller	97.8	67
65. Licensed practical nurse	97.5	73
66. Plumber	97.3	66
67. Maid	97.1	107
68. Waiter/bartender	96.5	289
69. Aircraft mechanic	96.3	21
70. Barber	96.2	117
71. Data entry clerk	96.0	53
72. Carpet and tile installer	95.8	143
72. Painter	95.8	51
74. Child care worker	95.4	181
75. Tool maker	95.3	53
76. Telephone installer/repairer	95.1	10
77. Security guard	95.0	26
78. Farmer	94.7	11
79. Bus driver	94.6	45
79. Firefighter	94.6	42
81. Insulation installer	93.9	5
82. Cashier	93.8	290
83. Furniture upholsterer	93.7	13
84. Electrician	93.6	66
85. Taxi driver	93.5	76
86. Bookbinder	93.0	5
87. Welder	92.7	63
88. Automobile mechanic	91.6	131
89. Dietitian	91.5	9
90. Truck driver	90.6	216
91. Railroad conductor	90.4	7
91. Sailor	90.4	3
93. Bricklayer	90.3	22
94. Cook	90.3	140
95. Construction worker	90.0	139
96. Roofer	89.3	16
97. Sheet metal worker	88.5	44
98. Carpenter	87.4	3
99. Janitor	86.9	82
100. Drill-press operator	86.7	2
101. Forklift operator	85.8	42
102. Butcher	84.3	21
103. Concrete worker	82.9	8
103. Surveyor	82.9	2
105. Shoe maker/cobbler	79.6	6
106. Lumberjack	75.3	8

GSS variables used: ISCO88, WORDSUM, BORN(1)