Which U.S. state is best for teachers? Florida is in the top 10.
Teachers have a critical role, yet they are frequently overworked and underpaid. According to the National Education Association (NEA), the average salary for a teacher in the United States has failed to keep up with inflation over the last decade.
“Adjusted for inflation, teachers are making 5% less than they did ten years ago,” according to the National Education Association’s 2024 update on educator pay data.
WalletHub today announced their 2024 rankings of the best states for teachers, which are based on factors like as teacher pay equity, pupil-to-teacher ratios, and more. And Florida was among the top ten on this “best” list, according to a recent article by Lianna Norman of Naples Daily News.
“Despite having one of the most important jobs in America – educating the next generation – teachers are frequently underpaid and underappreciated,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote in the report.
“The states that make a teaching career the most rewarding are those that compensate educators well, invest heavily in educational resources, pass laws that improve school-system quality, and provide supportive conditions that lead to low turnover.”
Here’s how Florida scored on WalletHub’s 2024 list of the top ten best states for teachers, and why.
Which is the finest state in the United States to live as a teacher?
To determine the best states for teachers, WalletHub examined each state on 24 variables divided into two categories: opportunity and competition, and academic and work environment.
New York is WalletHub’s top state for teachers in 2024 because it has “the highest average annual salary for public school teachers after adjusting for the cost of living, at $82,571.”
Here is WalletHub’s 2024 list of the top ten best states for teachers.
- New York
- Washington
- Virginia
- Utah
- Maryland
- Illinois
- Georgia
- Florida
- California
- Indiana
Is Florida a good area to teach?
According to a WalletHub analysis, Florida is the eighth-best state for teachers in the United States.
Florida was listed in the top ten states for the highest average beginning wage for teachers (adjusted for cost of living) and first for the finest digital learning strategy.
Here’s how Florida performed in some of WalletHub’s major measures for this study:
Overall Rank: 8th
9th: Average starting wage for teachers (adjusted for cost of living)
11th – Quality of educational system
20th – Teachers’ earnings potential
6th – Projected competition in 2030
1st: Existence of a digital learning plan
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News