A recent comparison of data about states, conducted by Wallet Hub, ranked states based on a number of factors. The factors compare data on two category subsets that include: Job Opportunities and Competition and Academic and Work Environment.
This study looks at subset factors that examine:
- Average Starting Salary for Teachers (adjusted for cost of living)
- Median Annual Salary for Teachers (adjusted for cost of living)
- Teachers’ Income Growth Potential
- Projected Number of Teachers per 1,000 Students by Year 2022
- Unemployment Rate
- 10-Year Change in Teacher Salaries (measures change in constant dollars for teacher salaries between the 2003–2004 and the 2013–2014 academic years)
Other factors examined were school climate, overall student body in poverty, and other factors from in-house studies done by Wallet Hub.
The top five states for teachers are:
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Minnesota
- Wyoming
- New Jersey
Full results show that the top 20 schools are mostly in the Northeastern US, with a few states in the Western US cracking the top 20.
For more information, see Wallet Hub’s Best and Worst States for Teachers (2015)
