Best and (worst) states to pursue a teaching career

If you want to pursue a career as a teacher or perhaps you already are a teacher you may want to know where the best (and worst) place to teach might be, keep reading.

With World Teachers’ Day on Oct. 5 and teaching among the lowest-paid professions that require a Bachelor’s Degree, WalletHub.com recently released its report on 2018’s Best & Worst States for Teachers.

Hoping to shed light and help educators find the best opportunities and teaching environments in the U.S., the report shows the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 22 key metrics, ranging from teachers’ income growth potential to pupil-teacher ratio to teacher safety.

So, if you want to make it a go as a teacher or seek a better teaching gig, you might want to check out the report to see where your state ranks. If it isn’t at the top, it might be time to consider selling your home, and relocating you and/or your family to a city where you can rise like the star you are or could be.

According to the website: “The National Center for Education Statistics, about a fifth of all public-school teachers leave their positions before the end of their first year. Nearly half last fewer than five. 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.

In some states, however, teachers are more fairly paid and treated than in others. Those states are less likely to face a revolving door of teacher turnover.

Here is a snapshot of the website’s findings:

Overall Rank (1 = Best)	State	Total Score	‘Opportunity & Competition’ Rank	‘Academic & Work Environment’ Rank
1	New York	64.55	4	6
2	Connecticut	63.72	21	2
3	Minnesota	63.26	5	8
4	Illinois	62.83	2	21
5	North Dakota	62.32	17	3
6	Pennsylvania	61.85	7	11
7	Wyoming	61.24	22	4
8	New Jersey	61.23	29	1
9	Maryland	60.81	13	9
10	Ohio	60.30	9	18
11	Utah	59.85	6	22
12	Virginia	58.54	10	24
13	Massachusetts	58.00	28	5
14	Alaska	57.95	1	50
15	Missouri	57.79	8	31
16	Wisconsin	57.59	19	19
17	Montana	56.93	23	20
18	Kentucky	56.52	18	23
19	Texas	56.47	3	46
20	Iowa	56.45	14	26
21	Washington	55.80	27	12
22	Michigan	55.62	12	36
23	Nebraska	55.48	24	25
24	Oregon	55.34	15	34
25	Delaware	55.33	30	10
26	Idaho	55.29	20	28
27	Vermont	54.54	32	14
28	Colorado	54.33	39	7
29	Rhode Island	54.29	31	17
30	Georgia	54.12	16	38
31	California	53.14	11	47
32	Nevada	51.09	25	40
33	Alabama	50.80	26	39
34	Kansas	50.66	45	15
35	South Dakota	50.53	35	27
36	Indiana	50.24	36	30
37	Arkansas	49.85	34	35
38	New Hampshire	49.48	46	16
39	Tennessee	48.71	41	29
40	Maine	47.77	49	13
41	New Mexico	47.60	33	41
42	West Virginia	47.16	42	32
43	District of Columbia	46.32	44	37
44	Oklahoma	46.15	38	45
45	South Carolina	45.56	37	49
46	Mississippi	45.10	40	48
47	Florida	44.21	48	33
48	Louisiana	44.08	43	44
49	North Carolina	42.16	47	43
50	Arizona	37.58	50	51
51	Hawaii	35.18	51	42