Iowa ranks high on the list of Best States for Teachers, which was recently released by the personal finance site WalletHub.

With Oct. 5 being International World Teachers Day and the Every Student Succeeds Act soon to go in effect, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s Best & Worst States for Teachers.

In order to help educators find the best teaching opportunities in the country and draw attention to the states needing improvement in this regard, WalletHub analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 16 key metrics, ranging from “average starting salary” to “pupil-teacher ratio” to “school safety.”

Best States for Teachers 

  1. New Jersey
  2. Massachusetts
  3. Illinois
  4. Minnesota
  5. Wyoming
  6. Virginia
  7. New York
  8. Texas
  9. Utah
  10. Connecticut
  11. Pennsylvania
  12. Iowa

The worst state for Teachers is Hawaii. Followed by West Virginia, Arizona, Oregon and Mississippi.

Best vs. Worst

  • Wyoming has the highest average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $46,626, which is 1.9 times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest, $24,334.
  • Michigan has the highest median annual salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living), $70,042, which is two times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest, $34,063.
  • Nevada has the lowest projected number of teachers per 1,000 students by year 2022 (indicating competition), 26.83, which is 3.3 times lower than in North Dakota, the state with the highest, 87.59.
  • Vermont has the lowest pupil-teacher ratio, 10.6, which is 2.3 times lower than in California, the state with the highest, 24.3.
  • Vermont has the highest public-school spending per student, $25,286, which is 3.4 times higher than in Indiana, the state with the lowest, $7,538.

(Source: WalletHub)

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