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 Teachers.
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.
Teacher-Friendliness of North Carolina (1=Best; 25=Avg.)
- 30th – Avg. Salary for Teachers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
- 32nd – Quality of School System
- 34th – Pupil-Teacher Ratio
- 39th – Public-School Spending per Student
- 38th – Teachers’ Income Growth Potential
- 46th – 10-Year Change in Teacher Salaries
- 43rd – Teacher Safety
North Carolina ranked just slightly better than Arizona and Hawaii;
Overall Rank (1 = Best) |
State | Total Score | ‘Opportunity & Competition’ Rank | ‘Academic & Work Environment’ Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York | 64.55 | 4 | 6 |
2 | Connecticut | 63.72 | 21 | 2 |
3 | Minnesota | 63.26 | 5 | 8 |
4 | Illinois | 62.83 | 2 | 21 |
5 | North Dakota | 62.32 | 17 | 3 |
6 | Pennsylvania | 61.85 | 7 | 11 |
7 | Wyoming | 61.24 | 22 | 4 |
8 | New Jersey | 61.23 | 29 | 1 |
9 | Maryland | 60.81 | 13 | 9 |
10 | Ohio | 60.30 | 9 | 18 |
11 | Utah | 59.85 | 6 | 22 |
12 | Virginia | 58.54 | 10 | 24 |
13 | Massachusetts | 58.00 | 28 | 5 |
14 | Alaska | 57.95 | 1 | 50 |
15 | Missouri | 57.79 | 8 | 31 |
16 | Wisconsin | 57.59 | 19 | 19 |
17 | Montana | 56.93 | 23 | 20 |
18 | Kentucky | 56.52 | 18 | 23 |
19 | Texas | 56.47 | 3 | 46 |
20 | Iowa | 56.45 | 14 | 26 |
21 | Washington | 55.80 | 27 | 12 |
22 | Michigan | 55.62 | 12 | 36 |
23 | Nebraska | 55.48 | 24 | 25 |
24 | Oregon | 55.34 | 15 | 34 |
25 | Delaware | 55.33 | 30 | 10 |
26 | Idaho | 55.29 | 20 | 28 |
27 | Vermont | 54.54 | 32 | 14 |
28 | Colorado | 54.33 | 39 | 7 |
29 | Rhode Island | 54.29 | 31 | 17 |
30 | Georgia | 54.12 | 16 | 38 |
31 | California | 53.14 | 11 | 47 |
32 | Nevada | 51.09 | 25 | 40 |
33 | Alabama | 50.80 | 26 | 39 |
34 | Kansas | 50.66 | 45 | 15 |
35 | South Dakota | 50.53 | 35 | 27 |
36 | Indiana | 50.24 | 36 | 30 |
37 | Arkansas | 49.85 | 34 | 35 |
38 | New Hampshire | 49.48 | 46 | 16 |
39 | Tennessee | 48.71 | 41 | 29 |
40 | Maine | 47.77 | 49 | 13 |
41 | New Mexico | 47.60 | 33 | 41 |
42 | West Virginia | 47.16 | 42 | 32 |
43 | District of Columbia | 46.32 | 44 | 37 |
44 | Oklahoma | 46.15 | 38 | 45 |
45 | South Carolina | 45.56 | 37 | 49 |
46 | Mississippi | 45.10 | 40 | 48 |
47 | Florida | 44.21 | 48 | 33 |
48 | Louisiana | 44.08 | 43 | 44 |
49 | North Carolina | 42.16 | 47 | 43 |
50 | Arizona | 37.58 | 50 | 51 |
51 | Hawaii | 35.18 | 51 | 42 |
You can see the full report on WalletHub’s website here.