With Wed., Oct. 5 being International World Teachers Day and the Every Student Succeeds Act soon to go in effect, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s Best & Worst States for Teachers.
In order to help educators find the best teaching opportunities in the country and draw attention to the states needing improvement in this regard, WalletHub analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 16 key metrics, ranging from “average starting salary” to “pupil-teacher ratio” to “school safety.”
Best States for Teachers Worst States for Teachers
1 New Jersey 42 Rhode Island
2 Massachusetts 43 South Carolina
3 Illinois 44 North Carolina
4 Minnesota 45 Maine
5 Wyoming 46 South Dakota
6 Virginia 47 Mississippi
7 New York 48 Oregon
8 Texas 49 Arizona
9 Utah 50 West Virginia
10 Connecticut 51 Hawaii
Kansas ranked 32nd out of the 51 analyses.
Best vs. Worst
Wyoming has the highest average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $46,626, which is 1.9 times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest, $24,334.
Michigan has the highest median annual salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $70,042, which is two times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest, $34,063.
Nevada has the lowest projected number of teachers per 1,000 students by year 2022 (indicating competition), 26.83, which is 3.3 times lower than in North Dakota, the state with the highest, 87.59.
Vermont has the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, 10.6, which is 2.3 times lower than in California, the state with the highest, 24.3.
Vermont has the highest public-school spending per student, $25,286, which is 3.4 times higher than in Indiana, the state with the lowest, $7,538.
To view the full report and your state’s ranking, visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers/7159/