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— Occupational IQ research

Professional Athletes — average IQ & cognitive profile

Avg IQ
109
Percentile
73th
SD above mean
+0.60
Strongest axes
Spatial & Pattern reasoning

Published occupational IQ research consistently places professional athletes at an average IQ of around 109 — the 73th percentile of the general adult population. This sits modestly above the population mean.

Why professional athletes cluster at this level

Pro athletes average slightly above the population mean overall, with particular strength on spatial-perceptual tasks. Elite chess players, by contrast, average around +2 SD.

What this number really means

An occupational IQ average is a statistical mean, not a hiring criterion. The within-profession standard deviation is typically 10-15 IQ points, which means:

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How to interpret your own score against this average

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