The 15 worst US states to be a teacher

chicago teacher protest — New Hampshire ranks as the worst state to be a teacher.

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images

New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Arizona topped WalletHub‘s annual ranking of the worst states for teachers.
Educators across the country have expressed their frustration over rushed district reopening plans, or inadequate resources to bring lessons online.
Many states on the list have held protests and strikes over the last few years calling for better education funding and higher pay.
Here are the 15 worst states to be a teacher.
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American teachers are struggling to adapt to virtual education amid the coronavirus pandemic — and some states have been less helpful than others.

The coronavirus has upended teaching in the US. Educators across the country are not only struggling to adapt to virtual learning, but say they’ve spent their own time and resources on online education tools without support from state and local districts.

But teaching has been in crisis before March. Since the Great Recession of 2008, the country has lost 60,000 jobs in education, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Not only that, but 247,000 more teaching jobs should have been created to keep up with growing student enrollment as the population increases. This has resulted in a shortfall of 307,000 teaching jobs — meaning over 300,000 educators are currently needed right now.

To determine which areas offer the least help to teachers, personal finance site WalletHub detailed the list of the worst states to teach in. WalletHub ranked the areas depending on how they scored in two categories:

“Opportunity and competition,” which includes how competitive salaries were, teacher pensions, and income growth.
“Academic and work environment,” which includes the quality of the school system, how many students per teacher, and the rate of turnover.

Many of the states on the list — including Arizona, Colorado, and West Virginia — held historic teacher strikes in the last two years calling for higher salaries.

While WalletHub included the District of Columbia on their ranking, Business Insider omitted the territory from the report below because DC is not a state. WalletHub ranked DC as the sixth worst area to teach in.

Here are the 15 worst states to be a teacher:

15. Colorado: Educators in the state led the nationwide teacher strike in 2018 alongside West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Arizona.

In this April 25, 2019, photo, science teacher Sarah Ott speaks to her class about climate literacy in Dalton, Ga. Teachers across the country describe struggles finding trustworthy materials to help them teach their students about climate change. (AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan)

Associated Press

Academic and work environment rank: 22

Opportunity and competition rank: 42

Source: Denver Post

14. Nevada: Teachers held a protest last year calling for better education funding.

Academic and work environment rank: 47

Opportunity and competition rank: 18

Source: Associated Press

13. Rhode Island: More than 100 teachers protested in front of the Rhode Island Department of Education over the state’s reopening protocol.

rhode island teachers — Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Academic and work environment rank: 25

Opportunity and competition rank: 41

Source: Providence Journal

12. Ohio: More than twice as many Ohio teachers submitted retirement applications this summer than during the same time last year.

coronavirus teacher — A teacher explains mathematics during a lesson with sixth graders, who are sitting at socially-distanced desks, on the second day back at class since March (during the novel coronavirus pandemic) on May 5, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.

Christian Ender/Getty Images

Academic and work environment rank: 34

Opportunity and competition rank: 40

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

11. South Carolina: Teachers held a protest last year calling for higher salaries.

South Carolina teacher strike — Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Academic and work environment rank: 49

Opportunity and competition rank: 38

Source: CNN

10. Montana: Small, rural schools in the state reported a “crisis” in having too few teachers available.

Academic and work environment rank: 28

Opportunity and competition rank: 46

Source: Great Falls Tribune

9. Hawaii: The state ranked among the worst to work from home due to factors like internet access and cybersecurity threats.

hawaii teacher outbreak coronavirus — AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher

Academic and work environment rank: 32

Opportunity and competition rank: 43

Source: WalletHub

8. Tennessee: One-third of teachers in the state would leave the profession for something with higher pay, a 2019 survey found.

Academic and work environment rank: 38

Opportunity and competition rank: 40

Source: Chalkbeat

7. Missouri: Teachers get paid less on average than those in eight neighboring states.

Academic and work environment rank: 39

Opportunity and competition rank: 42

Source: KY3

6. Arkansas: In early August, teachers in the state held a demonstration to protest reopening schools.

teacher coronavirus — George Frey/Getty Images

Academic and work environment rank: 23

Opportunity and competition rank: 51

Source: THV11

5. Louisiana: It has the second worst school systems in the country, according to WalletHub.

nola teacher — Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images

Academic and work environment rank: 27

Opportunity and competition rank: 49

Source: WalletHub

4. Maine: The state with the lowest annual average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living).

maine teacher — Brianna Soukup/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Academic and work environment rank: 18

Opportunity and competition rank: 50

Source: WalletHub

3. Arizona: It has the highest pupil-to-teacher ratio in the country.

arizona teacher strike — Ralph Freso/Getty Images

Academic and work environment rank: 46

Opportunity and competition rank: 48

Source: WalletHub

2. New Mexico: The report said it had the worst school systems in the country.

music teacher — Hill Street Studios/Getty Images

Academic and work environment rank: 50

Opportunity and competition rank: 47

Source: WalletHub

1. New Hampshire: Teachers in the state said people were sending them online messages threatening to stalk them to ensure they wear masks and stay at home prior to schools re-opening.