Best & Worst States for Teachers

Teaching can be a profoundly rewarding career, considering the critical role educators play in shaping young minds. But many teachers find themselves overworked and underpaid. Education jobs are among the lowest-paying occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree, and teacher salaries consistently fail to keep up with inflation. Meanwhile, the Every Student Succeeds Act demands growth in student performance. And this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made teachers’ jobs even harder than usual.

Earlier in 2020, teachers across the U.S. had to make an abrupt switch to online learning, and many may have to continue teaching through the internet this fall. Teachers in districts that do hold in-person learning will still have to do things far differently than normal, implementing social distancing procedures in the classroom. Some teachers may even need to do a combination of online and in-person teaching.

In some states, teachers are more fairly paid and better protected against the current pandemic than in others. Those states are less likely to face a revolving door of teacher turnover. To help America’s educators find the best opportunities and teaching environments, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 25 key indicators of teacher-friendliness. Our data set ranges from teachers’ income growth potential to the pupil-teacher ratio to whether the state has a digital learning plan. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

Main Findings

Best States for Teachers

Ask the Experts

Teachers must be able to make a reasonable living in order to meet the challenges of their profession. For more insight into the issues plaguing teachers and possible solutions for overcoming them, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in on with their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What are the biggest issues teachers face today?
2. How can local officials attract and retain the best teachers?
3. What tips can you offer young teachers looking for a place to settle?
4. In evaluating the best states for teachers, what are the top five indicators?
5. Do you think performance-based compensation (e.g., providing teachers a bonus when their students meet or exceed expectations) is a promising strategy for improving student outcomes?
6. As several states have announced plans to resume in-person classes this fall, what are some key measures to implement in order to protect both teachers and students?
7. Are unions beneficial to teachers? What about to students?

Methodology

In order to determine the teacher-friendliest states in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions, “Opportunity & Competition” and “Academic & Work Environment.” Because competitive salaries and job security are integral to a well-balanced personal and professional life, we assigned a heavier weight to the first category.

We evaluated the two dimensions using 25 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for living and working as a teacher.

Finally, we determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Opportunity & Competition - Total Points: 70

• Average Starting Salary for Teachers: Double Weight (~10.77 Points)
  Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living. State Cost of Living Index was estimated by averaging the indices of participating cities and metropolitan areas in that state.
• Average Salary for Teachers: Full Weight (~5.38 Points)
  Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living. State Cost of Living Index was estimated by averaging the indices of participating cities and metropolitan areas in that state.
• Teachers’ Income Growth Potential: Full Weight (~5.38 Points)
• 10-Year Change in Teacher Salaries: Full Weight (~5.38 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the change in current dollars for teacher salaries between the 2010–2011 and the 2019–2020 academic years.
• Average Teacher Pension: Full Weight (~5.38 Points)
  Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living. State Cost of Living Index was estimated by averaging the indices of participating cities and metropolitan areas in that state.
• Share of New Teachers with Inadequate Pensions: Full Weight (~5.38 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of new teachers who will not break even on their pensions. In other words, the amount of their future pension benefits will be less than the contributions they made to the state pension plan during their career.
• Projected Teacher Competition in Year 2028: Full Weight (~5.38 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the projected number of teachers per 1,000 students by year 2028.
• Public-School Enrollment Growth: Full Weight (~5.38 Points)
  Note: “Growth” was measured by comparing public-school enrollment in fall 2018 versus fall 2019.
• Length of Time Before Tenure Kicks in: Double Weight (~10.77 Points)
• Teacher Tenure Protections: Full Weight (~5.38 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the strength of the state law, if any, protecting teachers’ tenure.
• Teacher Preparation Program Completion: Full Weight (~5.38 Points)
  A teacher preparation program is designed to prepare both undergraduate and graduate students to become licensed teachers. Programs can offer students specialized coursework in the grade level and subjects they are interested in teaching. The teacher preparation program also includes a hands-on student teaching experience, which is required in most states for licensing. Typical coursework covers:
  • Issues in education
  • Child or adolescent development
  • Student assessment
  • Early childhood methods
  • Language and literacy
  • Educational psychology

Academic & Work Environment - Total Points: 30

• Statewide School Reopening: Double Weight (~3.87 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the status of public schools reopening.
  • 1 – State-ordered in-person instruction part-time or full-time;
  • 0.6 – Varies by school/district;
  • 0.5 – Hybrid or remote instruction only;
  • 0.25 – State-ordered regional closure in effect;
  • 0 – State-ordered closure in effect.
• Existence of Digital Learning Plan: Full Weight (~1.94 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers the presence or absence of state comprehensive digital learning strategies for schools deploying technology, a series of trainings for teachers, and instructional resources for building remote lesson plans.
• State Statute on Out-of-School Access to Instructional Materials: Full Weight (~1.94 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers state statute on accessibility of digital content and instructional materials outside of the classroom.
• State Guidance on Accessible Technologies: Full Weight (~1.94 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers the presence of absence of state accessibility assurance to acceptable technologies for providing instructional content.
• Quality of School System: Triple Weight (~5.81 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “States with the Best & Worst School Systems” ranking.
• Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Full Weight (~1.94 Points)
• Public-School Spending per Student: Full Weight (~1.94 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the annual state and local expenditures for K–12 public schools per capita.
• Presence of Annual Teacher-Evaluation Requirement: Full Weight (~1.94 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers the presence or absence of an annual evaluation requirement policy for all teachers in the state.
• Presence of Teacher-Effectiveness Requirement: Full Weight (~1.94 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers the presence or absence of state implemented policies for “objective student growth as part of teacher evaluation system,” as described by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
• Projected Share of Teacher Turnover: Full Weight (~1.94 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of teachers “planning to leave the teaching profession as soon as possible or as soon as a more desirable job opportunity arises,” according to the Learning Policy Institute.
• Share of Teachers Who Feel Supported by Their Administrator: Full Weight (~1.94 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of teachers who strongly agree that their school administration’s behavior toward the staff is supportive and encouraging. LPI analysis of Public School Teacher File, 2016, from the Schools and Staffing Survey, National Center for Education Statistics.
• Average Commute Time: Half Weight (~0.97 Points)
• Prevalence of Childhood Disadvantage: Half Weight (~0.97 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “States with the Most Underprivileged Children” ranking.
• Working Mom-Friendliness: Half Weight (~0.97 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best & Worst States for Working Moms” ranking.

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, National Education Association, National Center for Education Statistics, Council for Community and Economic Research, TeacherPensions.org, ProCon.org, National Council on Teacher Quality, Projections Central - State Occupational Projections, Learning Policy Institute, Education Commission of the States, Editorial Projects in Education, State Educational Technology Directors Association and WalletHub research.

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