New Study Ranks Which States Are Best for Teachers in the United States

New Study Ranks Which States Are Best for Teachers in the United States

How does Rhode Island stack up against the rest of the country when it comes to teachers?

According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Rhode Island is the 29th best state in the country for teachers.

“Teaching can be a profoundly rewarding career, considering the critical role educators play in shaping young minds. But many teachers find themselves overworked and underpaid. Education jobs are among the lowest-paying occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree, and teacher salaries consistently fail to keep up with inflation. Meanwhile, the Every Student Succeeds Act demands growth in student performance,” said WalletHub.

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RI’s Rankings

• 31st Best - Opportunity & Competiton
• 17th Best - Academic & Work Environment

 

The Rankings

Rhode Island is ranked behind Vermont and Colorado, who rank 27th and 28th respectively.

RI is ranked ahead of Georgia and California, who rank 30th and 31st respectively.

The best state in the country for teachers is New York, while the worst state in the country for teachers is Hawaii.

See the full rankings in the map below

The Method

In order to determine the teacher-friendliest states in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions, “Opportunity & Competition” and “Academic & Work Environment.”

They evaluated the two dimensions using 22 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for living and working as a teacher.

Finally, WalletHub determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Opportunity & Competition - Total Points: 70

• Average Starting Salary for Teachers: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Average Salary for Teachers: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Teachers’ Income Growth Potential: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• 10-Year Change in Teacher Salaries: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Average Teacher Pension: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Share of New Teachers with Inadequate Pensions: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Projected Teacher Competition in Year 2026: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Public-School Enrollment Growth: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Teacher Tenure Protections: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
• Share of Uncertified Teachers: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)

 

Academic & Work Environment - Total Points: 30

• Quality of School System: Triple Weight (~7.20 Points)
• Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
• Public-School Spending per Student: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
• Presence of Annual Teacher-Evaluation Requirement: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
• Presence of Teacher-Effectiveness Requirement: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
• Projected Share of Teacher Turnover: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
• Teacher Union Strength: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
• Teacher Safety: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
• Share of Teachers Who Feel Supported by Their Administrator: Full Weight (~2.40 Points)
• Average Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.20 Points)
• Prevalence of Childhood Disadvantage: Half Weight (~1.20 Points)
• Working Mom-Friendliness: Half Weight (~1.20 Points)