Teaching is one of the most important professions, but teachers’ compensation doesn’t reflect how much they’re valued. Instead, educators are often overworked and underpaid, and teaching jobs are one of the lowest-paying occupations that requires a bachelor’s degree. But some states are better when it comes to treating teachers fairly, and a new report reveals which ones they are.
- WalletHub’s annual list of the Best and Worst States for Teachers has just come out.
- They ranked all 50 states and Washington, D.C. on 24 key indicators of teacher-friendliness in two main areas: opportunity & competition and academic & work environment.
- They compared everything from average starting salaries to average teacher pension to student-teacher ratios and projected share of teacher turnover.
- Virginia tops the list as 2023’s best state for teachers, coming in first for opportunity and competition and 11th for academic work and environment.
- Delaware, 16th overall, is number one for academic work and environment.
- On the other end of the list is New Hampshire, making it the worst state for teachers. It’s last for opportunity and competition, and 10th for academic work and environment.
Top 10 Best States for Teachers
(Check out the full list here)
- Virginia
- New York
- Utah
- Washington
- Florida
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- North Dakota
- New Jersey
- Georgia
The 10 Worst States for Teachers
- New Hampshire
- Washington, D.C.
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Nevada
- Vermont
- Missouri
- New Mexico
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
Source: WalletHub