Best states for a Teacher

Q: What is the best state for teachers?

The best state to be a teacher is Maryland based on teacher salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for teachers?

The highest paying state for teachers is Montana based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for teachers?

The worst state for teachers is South Dakota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted Expert

Dr. Mark Williams Ph.D.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for teachers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for teacher jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Our research found that Maryland is the best state for teachers, while Maryland and Hawaii are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Maryland has a median salary of $61,254 and Maryland has the highest median salary among all 50 states for teachers.

Maryland is the best state for jobs for teachers, and South Dakota is the worst. The most common pay in Maryland is $61,254, while the median pay in South Dakota is $35,107.Maryland is the best state, and Salisbury is the city with the highest pay for teachers.

10 best states for teachers in 2025

1. Maryland
Total Teacher Jobs: 859
Average Annual Salary: $61,254
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $40,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.56
Teacher Jobs in Maryland
2. Connecticut
Total Teacher Jobs: 629
Average Annual Salary: $53,838
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
2.19
Teacher Jobs in Connecticut
3. New York
Total Teacher Jobs: 1,164
Average Annual Salary: $57,919
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $37,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $89,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Teacher Jobs in New York
4. District of Columbia
Total Teacher Jobs: 174
Average Annual Salary: $57,460
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $37,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $86,000
Location Quotient:
1.2
Teacher Jobs in District of Columbia
5. Illinois
Total Teacher Jobs: 1,620
Average Annual Salary: $48,469
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $68,000
Location Quotient:
1.57
Teacher Jobs in Illinois
6. Massachusetts
Total Teacher Jobs: 723
Average Annual Salary: $53,435
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Teacher Jobs in Massachusetts
7. Michigan
Total Teacher Jobs: 843
Average Annual Salary: $46,247
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $31,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $68,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Teacher Jobs in Michigan
8. New Jersey
Total Teacher Jobs: 1,156
Average Annual Salary: $50,693
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $32,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $78,000
Location Quotient:
1.68
Teacher Jobs in New Jersey
9. Texas
Total Teacher Jobs: 1,747
Average Annual Salary: $47,693
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $35,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $63,000
Location Quotient:
1
Teacher Jobs in Texas
10. Pennsylvania
Total Teacher Jobs: 926
Average Annual Salary: $47,859
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $31,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $73,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Teacher Jobs in Pennsylvania

How Zippia determines the best states to be a teacher

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a teacher

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	Maryland	$61,254	$40,000	6,052,177	859
2	Connecticut	$53,838	$34,000	3,588,184	629
3	New York	$57,919	$37,000	19,849,399	1,164
4	District of Columbia	$57,460	$37,000	693,972	174
5	Illinois	$48,469	$34,000	12,802,023	1,620
6	Massachusetts	$53,435	$34,000	6,859,819	723
7	Michigan	$46,247	$31,000	9,962,311	843
8	New Jersey	$50,693	$32,000	9,005,644	1,156
9	Texas	$47,693	$35,000	28,304,596	1,747
10	Pennsylvania	$47,859	$31,000	12,805,537	926
11	Washington	$53,255	$36,000	7,405,743	462
12	Virginia	$51,980	$34,000	8,470,020	716
13	California	$57,193	$39,000	39,536,653	1,815
14	Alaska	$54,655	$41,000	739,795	17
15	Rhode Island	$49,690	$31,000	1,059,639	60
16	Hawaii	$59,222	$36,000	1,427,538	10
17	Nevada	$42,775	$29,000	2,998,039	746
18	Ohio	$45,004	$30,000	11,658,609	684
19	Georgia	$45,908	$33,000	10,429,379	757
20	Oregon	$48,930	$33,000	4,142,776	241
21	New Mexico	$42,397	$31,000	2,088,070	236
22	Florida	$43,926	$31,000	20,984,400	1,305
23	Wyoming	$44,652	$32,000	579,315	37
24	Kentucky	$44,120	$31,000	4,454,189	134
25	Alabama	$44,472	$32,000	4,874,747	153
26	Nebraska	$42,129	$30,000	1,920,076	174
27	Tennessee	$41,591	$30,000	6,715,984	396
28	Delaware	$43,641	$28,000	961,939	99
29	Minnesota	$41,413	$29,000	5,576,606	625
30	Kansas	$40,196	$29,000	2,913,123	248
31	New Hampshire	$40,231	$25,000	1,342,795	216
32	Iowa	$40,723	$29,000	3,145,711	239
33	Arizona	$38,865	$28,000	7,016,270	1,095
34	West Virginia	$41,909	$28,000	1,815,857	23
35	Colorado	$39,734	$29,000	5,607,154	702
36	South Carolina	$40,110	$28,000	5,024,369	383
37	North Carolina	$39,642	$27,000	10,273,419	827
38	Utah	$41,116	$29,000	3,101,833	127
39	Wisconsin	$40,132	$27,000	5,795,483	344
40	Louisiana	$40,425	$30,000	4,684,333	180
41	Indiana	$37,673	$26,000	6,666,818	535
42	Mississippi	$39,537	$29,000	2,984,100	99
43	Oklahoma	$35,931	$26,000	3,930,864	292
44	Arkansas	$38,244	$28,000	3,004,279	141
45	Montana	$34,041	$24,000	1,050,493	133
46	Vermont	$38,680	$25,000	623,657	42
47	Idaho	$37,629	$26,000	1,716,943	98
48	North Dakota	$38,308	$27,000	755,393	21
49	Missouri	$36,768	$26,000	6,113,532	427
50	Maine	$35,260	$22,000	1,335,907	41
51	South Dakota	$35,107	$25,000	869,666	17

Highest paying states for teachers

Rank	State	Avg. Teacher Salary
1	Maryland	$61,254
2	Connecticut	$53,838
3	New York	$57,919
4	District of Columbia	$57,460
5	Illinois	$48,469
6	Massachusetts	$53,435
7	Michigan	$46,247
8	New Jersey	$50,693
9	Texas	$47,693
10	Pennsylvania	$47,859
11	Washington	$53,255
12	Virginia	$51,980
13	California	$57,193
14	Alaska	$54,655
15	Rhode Island	$49,690
16	Hawaii	$59,222
17	Nevada	$42,775
18	Ohio	$45,004
19	Georgia	$45,908
20	Oregon	$48,930
21	New Mexico	$42,397
22	Florida	$43,926
23	Wyoming	$44,652
24	Kentucky	$44,120
25	Alabama	$44,472
26	Nebraska	$42,129
27	Tennessee	$41,591
28	Delaware	$43,641
29	Minnesota	$41,413
30	Kansas	$40,196
31	New Hampshire	$40,231
32	Iowa	$40,723
33	Arizona	$38,865
34	West Virginia	$41,909
35	Colorado	$39,734
36	South Carolina	$40,110
37	North Carolina	$39,642
38	Utah	$41,116
39	Wisconsin	$40,132
40	Louisiana	$40,425
41	Indiana	$37,673
42	Mississippi	$39,537
43	Oklahoma	$35,931
44	Arkansas	$38,244
45	Montana	$34,041
46	Vermont	$38,680
47	Idaho	$37,629
48	North Dakota	$38,308
49	Missouri	$36,768
50	Maine	$35,260
51	South Dakota	$35,107

Expert opinions on the best states for teachers

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Teachers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Mark Williams Ph.D.
Professor, Calvin University
If you mean in the field(s) of classics, some private schools and academies are hiring (still) Latin and Greek teachers, especially in the South and Southwest. In the upper Midwest and Northeast, not so much.

Teacher best states FAQs

What is the best state for teachers?

What is the highest paying state for teachers?

What is the worst state for teachers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.

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Best states for Teachers

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total Teacher Jobs:	859
Average Annual Salary:	$61,254
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$40,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$93,000
Location Quotient:	1.56

Best states for a Teacher

10 best states for teachers in 2025

1. Maryland

2. Connecticut

3. New York

4. District of Columbia

5. Illinois

6. Massachusetts

7. Michigan

8. New Jersey

9. Texas

10. Pennsylvania