Is your state one of WalletHub's best states for teachers?

Key points:

Needless to say, teaching is a demanding and often underrated career. And despite calls for higher salaries for educators and more support, not all states offer the same compensation and protections for educators.

WalletHub The best and worst states for teachers in 2024 analyzed all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 24 key metrics, ranging from teacher income growth potential to student-teacher ratios and per-student spending in public schools.

The 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. Snowfall
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 undervalued. States that make teaching careers more rewarding are those that compensate educators well, invest heavily in educational resources, pass laws that improve the quality of the school system, and provide supportive conditions that lead to low turnover,” Chip said Lupo, WalletHub analyst. .

According to the study:

• New Mexico has the highest average annual 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 2030 (indicating the size of the competition), which is six times smaller than the District of Columbia, which has the largest.
• Vermont has the lowest student-teacher ratio, which is 2.2 times lower than Arizona, the state with the highest.
• New York has the highest public school spending per student, which is 3.2 times greater than in Utah, the state with the lowest.

“The teaching profession has become increasingly complex and challenging, and over time more and more responsibilities are being added to teachers, even though teachers are continually underpaid compared to their similarly educated peers,” he said. Henry Tran, MPA, SHRM-CP, PHR, Ph.D., associate professor, University of South Carolina. “Many of the constantly evolving advances and problems of society at large are reflected in the classroom. Take, for example, the extreme polarization and politicization of numerous issues that become points of conflict with parents and the government in schools; these include, but are not limited to, reactions to book and course bans, masking 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 competitive professions may offer less stress, more resources and better salaries.”

Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. He graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Latest messages from Laura Ascione (see all)