New York and New Jersey are among the 10 best states for teachers, according to a new analysis that ranks states in terms of teacher friendliness.
The new ranking from WalletHub reveals that teachers in some states face tougher battles when it comes to salary, class size and per-pupil spending.
Teaching isn’t an easy job–the nation’s classroom teachers are often overworked, left without important resources and funding, and dip into their own pockets to purchase necessary items for their classrooms.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about a fifth of all newly minted public-school teachers leave their positions before the end of their first year, and nearly half never last more than five.
(Next page: The best and worst states for educators)
Many teachers, especially novices, transfer to other schools or abandon the profession altogether “as the result of feeling overwhelmed, ineffective, and unsupported,” according to ASCD, a nonprofit focused on improving the education community.
WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 21 key indicators of teacher-friendliness.
After New York (No. 1) and New Jersey (No. 2), Illinois, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Wyoming, Ohio and Oregon round out the top 10.
The worst 10 states for teachers are Oklahoma, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Hawaii and Arizona.
Wyoming has the highest average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $47,185, which is 1.9 times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest at $24,508.
Michigan has the highest average annual salary for public-school teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $70,327, which is two times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest at $34,308.
Arizona has the lowest projected number of teachers per 1,000 students by year 2024 (indicating the size of competition), 26.59, which is 3.5 times lower than in Maryland, the state with the highest at 93.32.
Vermont has the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, 10.55, which is 2.2 times lower than in California, the state with the highest at 23.58.
Vermont has the highest public-school spending per student, $24,421, which is 3.7 times higher than in Idaho, the state with the lowest at $6,515.
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