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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.

2021 best and worst states for teachers

 

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 ]