With World Teachers’ Day around the corner and teaching among the lowest-paid professions that require a bachelor’s degree, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018’s Best & Worst States for Teachersas well as accompanying videos.

In order to help educators find the best opportunities and teaching environments in the U.S., WalletHub analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 22 key metrics, ranging from teachers’ income growth potential to pupil-teacher ratio to teacher safety.

Best States for Teachers Worst States for Teachers
1 New York 42 West Virginia
2 Connecticut 43 District of Columbia
3 Minnesota 44 Oklahoma
4 Illinois 45 South Carolina
5 North Dakota 46 Mississippi
6 Pennsylvania 47 Florida
7 Wyoming 48 Louisiana
8 New Jersey 49 North Carolina
9 Maryland 50 Arizona
10 Ohio 51 Hawaii

Best vs. Worst

  • Wyoming has the highest annual average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $47,288, which is 1.9 times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest at $24,409.
  • Michigan has the highest average annual salary for public-school teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $69,439, which is 2.3 times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest at $30,086.
  • Maryland has the lowest projected number of teachers per 1,000 students by year 2026 (indicating the size of competition), 21.97, which is 4.3 times lower than in District of Columbia, the state with the highest at 94.64.
  • Vermont has the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, 10.54, which is 2.2 times lower than in California, the state with the highest at 23.63.
  • District of Columbia has the highest public-school spending per student, $25,323, which is 3.8 times higher than in Indiana, the state with the lowest at $6,673.

To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers/7159/