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The Best and Worst States for Teachers
June 28, 2022
A September 2021 study by WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 24 key indicators of teacher-friendliness. In some states, teachers are more fairly paid and better protected against the current pandemic than in others. Those states are less likely to face a revolving door of teacher turnover. The dataset ranges from teachers’ income growth potential to the pupil-teacher ratio to whether the state has a digital learning plan.
Main Findings
The table below summarizes and ranks overall state-by-state findings.Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Opportunity & Competition | Academic & Work Environment |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York | 60.86 | 3 | 3 |
2 | Utah | 57.43 | 1 | 13 |
3 | Washington | 55.41 | 4 | 11 |
4 | Pennsylvania | 54.61 | 5 | 14 |
5 | New Jersey | 54.53 | 15 | 4 |
6 | Virginia | 53.83 | 7 | 9 |
7 | Maryland | 52.76 | 27 | 2 |
8 | Delaware | 52.46 | 34 | 1 |
9 | Illinois | 51.88 | 6 | 21 |
10 | Connecticut | 50.02 | 29 | 6 |
11 | Massachusetts | 49.86 | 30 | 5 |
12 | Georgia | 49.71 | 7 | 28 |
13 | Florida | 49.19 | 23 | 10 |
14 | North Dakota | 49.10 | 32 | 7 |
15 | Indiana | 48.74 | 20 | 17 |
16 | Kentucky | 48.53 | 17 | 24 |
17 | Texas | 48.10 | 16 | 26 |
18 | Minnesota | 47.88 | 24 | 20 |
19 | California | 47.69 | 2 | 50 |
20 | Mississippi | 47.13 | 10 | 34 |
21 | Alabama | 47.07 | 9 | 35 |
22 | Oregon | 45.40 | 14 | 39 |
23 | West Virginia | 45.29 | 35 | 18 |
24 | Kansas | 44.24 | 19 | 37 |
25 | Idaho | 44.19 | 18 | 41 |
26 | Iowa | 44.10 | 36 | 22 |
27 | South Dakota | 43.81 | 21 | 36 |
28 | Rhode Island | 43.25 | 44 | 19 |
29 | Wyoming | 43.18 | 40 | 23 |
30 | Oklahoma | 43.16 | 12 | 48 |
31 | Wisconsin | 43.16 | 33 | 29 |
32 | Nebraska | 42.89 | 45 | 16 |
33 | North Carolina | 42.85 | 25 | 38 |
34 | Alaska | 42.55 | 11 | 49 |
34 | Ohio | 42.55 | 28 | 32 |
36 | Michigan | 42.44 | 41 | 27 |
37 | Colorado | 42.05 | 43 | 25 |
38 | Tennessee | 41.96 | 31 | 33 |
39 | Vermont | 41.49 | 48 | 12 |
40 | Arkansas | 41.01 | 22 | 46 |
41 | South Carolina | 40.97 | 26 | 43 |
42 | New Mexico | 40.89 | 13 | 51 |
43 | Louisiana | 39.70 | 46 | 30 |
44 | Hawaii | 38.97 | 37 | 42 |
45 | Missouri | 38.87 | 42 | 40 |
46 | Nevada | 38.50 | 39 | 44 |
47 | Montana | 38.05 | 47 | 31 |
48 | Arizona | 37.32 | 38 | 47 |
49 | Maine | 35.91 | 50 | 15 |
50 | District of Columbia | 31.84 | 49 | 45 |
51 | New Hampshire | 31.14 | 51 | 8 |
Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.
[ Full Methodology ]