While teachers likely have one of the most important jobs out there, it is often a thankless one, with many teachers being overworked and underpaid, and definitely underappreciated. And that’s even more so thanks to the coronavirus and many teachers having to adapt to remote teaching. But some states do a better job than others at treating their teachers fairly, and a new report reveals which ones they are.
- 24/7 Tempo just came out with their list of the best and worst states to be a teacher.
- They based their findings on things like average annual teacher pay, student-teacher ratio, percentage of new teachers expected to remain long enough to get a pension and more.
- With all that in mind, Rhode Island was named the Best State to be a Teacher.
- Teachers in Rhode Island earn the seventh-highest pay in the country at $74,414.
- They also have the 12th-lowest student-teacher radio, which just 12.2 students per teacher.
- The state also has one of the most generous retirement systems, with 59% of new teachers likely to stick around to get it.
Top Ten States To Be A Teacher
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New Jersey
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Illinois
- Tennessee
- Ohio
- Arkansas
- On the flipside, South Dakota is the worst state for teachers, with the lowest average pay of $44,472, about $20,000 lower than the national average. Plus, the average retirement benefit teachers in South Dakota earn is the third lowest in the country at just over $16,000 annually.
Ten Worst States to Be A Teacher
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Hawaii
- Colorado
- Oklahoma
- Arizona
- Mississippi
- Maine
- Oregon
- Nevada
Source:24/7 Wall Street