The average Rice Purity score
There is no reliable national average Rice Purity score, and no published average by age. The two sourced figures are 62, the average of 119 Rice women in 1924, and 65, the average of Houston test takers on one day in August 2017. Both come from the Rice Thresher.
The two averages with a source
| Average | Who | When | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 119 women students at Rice, on the original ten-question test | 1924 | Rice Thresher[1] |
| 65 | People in Houston who took the Thresher's online test that day | Saturday after O-Week, August 2017 | Rice Thresher[1] |
The 1924 figure comes from a different test: ten questions worth ten points each, about things like broken engagements and dancing[1][2]. It cannot be compared with a modern 100-item score. The 2017 figure is from the modern test, but it covers one city on one day, a day when the number of tests taken in Houston jumped to 274 from about 100 on a normal day[1].
Why there is no national average
The only people who could measure one are the sites that run the test, and the well-run ones choose not to collect answers. The Thresher reported city-level counts in 2017, but has not published a national or age breakdown that we can find. We do not collect answers or scores at all, so we cannot measure one either.
You will find sites stating averages "by age" or "for college students" with no source. Treat those as guesses. We would rather say we do not know.
Average by age
No published source breaks the score down by age. It is reasonable to expect scores to fall as people get older, because the list counts experiences and experiences add up, but that is common sense, not data, and we will not put numbers on it.
Why other sites show averages by age
Search for the average and you will find exact-looking tables: one figure for under-18s, another for under-25s, a "current average" to two decimal places. When we checked on 2 October 2026, none of the ones we found named a survey, a sample size or a method. Some sites say the figures come from their own visitors; if so, they are storing or sending answers, which is worth knowing before you take their test.
A real average needs three things: a defined group of people, a known number of them, and a test everyone took the same way. The 1924 and 2017 Thresher figures have all three, which is why they are the only ones we quote.
Want an average that means something?
Take it with your own group. Our group mode reads the items out one at a time and keeps a scoreboard in the page, with the group average, and forgets it all when you close the tab.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average Rice Purity score?
There is no reliable national average. The two sourced figures are 62 (119 Rice women, 1924) and 65 (Houston test takers on one day in August 2017), both from the Rice Thresher.
What is the average Rice Purity score by age?
No published source breaks the score down by age. We have not found one, so we do not give one.
Is 65 the normal score?
It is the average of one city on one day, the Saturday after Rice O-Week in 2017. It is a real number, but not a norm for everyone.