I think we can all agree that the people helping to shape the future doctors, scientists, parents and even presidents of our country should be treated like rock stars. Unfortunately, this is not even remotely the case in over half of the states in the U.S.

WalletHub's latest report on the Best & Worst States for Teachers sadly bears out the fact that many teachers simply stop teaching due to the circumstances affecting their profession. "Education jobs are among the lowest-paying occupations requiring a bachelor's degree and salaries consistently fail to keep up with inflation."

According to the National Education Association (NEA) statistics, one-fifth of all public school teachers quit their jobs within 3 years. Job pressures, low pay and lack of mobility lead many teachers to simply leave the profession entirely not long after their first teaching position.

With all of this in mind, WalletHub attempted to find the best opportunities and environments for teachers who are still dedicated to what they do. They considered average salaries, income growth potential, teacher pensions, public school enrollment growth, quality of school systems, teacher safety and more.

After all the statistics were in, South Dakota came in 27th overall, this year, which means we've definitely improved over years past, but still have a ways to go.

These are the 5 best states for teachers:

  1. North Dakota
  2. New Jersy
  3. Pennsylvania
  4. Wyoming
  5. Connecticut

These are the 5 worst states for teachers:

  1. Arizona
  2. New Hampshire
  3. Hawaii
  4. Louisiana
  5. West Virginia

To see the full report, go to WalletHub.


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