Key points:
To say teaching is a demanding and often under-appreciated career goes without saying. And despite calls for higher educator salaries and more support, not all states offer the same compensation and protections for educators.
WalletHub’s Best & Worst States for Teachers in 2024 analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 24 key metrics, ranging from teachers’ income growth potential to the pupil-teacher ratio to public-school spending per student.
The top 5 best states for teachers, according to the analysis, are:
1. New York
2. Washington
3. Virginia
4. Utah
5. Maryland
The five worst states for teachers are:
47. Tennessee
48. Nevada
49. New Hampshire
50. Hawaii
51. Maine
“Despite having one of the most crucial jobs in America–educating the next generation–teachers are often underpaid and under-appreciated. The states that make a teaching career the most rewarding are those that compensate educators well, invest heavily in educational resources, pass laws that improve school-system quality, and provide supportive conditions that lead to low turnover,” said Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst.
According to the study:
- New Mexico has the highest annual average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living)–1.5 times higher than in Montana, the state with the lowest.
- New York has the highest average annual salary for public-school teachers (adjusted for cost of living)–1.7 times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest.
- Alaska has the lowest projected number of teachers per 1,000 students by the year 2030 (indicating the size of competition), which is six times lower than in the District of Columbia, which has the highest.
- Vermont has the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, which is 2.2 times lower than in Arizona, the state with the highest.
- New York has the highest public-school spending per student, which is 3.2 times higher than in Utah, the state with the lowest.
“The teaching profession has become increasingly complex and challenging, with incrementally more responsibilities being added to the plates of teachers over time, this is despite teachers being continuously underpaid relative to their similarly educated peers,” said Henry Tran, MPA, SHRM-CP, PHR, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of South Carolina. “Many of the ever-evolving advances and issues in broader society get reflected in the classroom. Take for example, the extreme polarization and politicization of numerous topics that become points of conflict with parents and the government in schools–these include but are not limited to reactions to books and courses being banned, mask mandates during the pandemic, remote digital learning, etc. When teachers receive weak support from their school employers and the community, the incentive for them to leave their roles intensifies. This is especially the case when other competing professions may offer less stress, more resources and better pay.”
