State rankings

Best States for Teachers

Virginia has the highest Best States for Teachers Total Score in 2025 (59.97), followed by Utah (59.66) and Washington (59.35). Hawaii has the lowest (33.21).

Education51 states · 4 metricsUpdated Jun 6, 2025Original page
2 sources
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Best States for Teachers Total Score, 2025

Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
45.29
Middle half 41.84 – 50.28
Average
45.9
51 states
Highest
59.97
Virginia
Lowest
33.21
Hawaii

Biggest changes · 2024 → 2025

51 states have a value in both years.

Improved most

Declined most

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Best States for Teachers Total Score
#
1Virginia59.973rd8th$69,254
2Utah59.661st11th$72,882
3Washington59.354th9th$96,589
4New York57.5113th2nd$98,655
5Illinois55.256th19th$78,495
6Maryland54.3522nd3rd$87,409
7Georgia52.688th28th$71,524
8Minnesota52.517th29th$76,234
9Massachusetts51.7428th5th$93,554
10California51.542nd45th$103,552
11New Jersey51.4825th6th$84,974
12Connecticut51.2931st4th$89,593
13Indiana51.1317th15th$61,661
14Florida49.4318th20th$56,663
15Arizona49.085th46th$64,291
16Pennsylvania48.9619th16th$79,078
17Delaware48.8741st1st$76,570
18Mississippi47.0810th40th$54,975
19Idaho46.6216th37th$62,786
20Kentucky46.4729th21st$60,594
21Arkansas46.389th48th$59,193
22Michigan46.1330th23rd$71,023
23Texas45.6832nd22nd$63,749
24Wisconsin45.6327th26th$67,794
25Alabama45.3220th31st$62,985
26South Carolina45.2923rd30th$64,050
27Oklahoma44.4914th47th$61,931
28Oregon44.1211th49th$81,657
29Vermont43.9140th12th$71,871
30Colorado43.724th35th$72,781
31North Carolina43.5421st38th$60,323
32North Dakota43.3445th13th$60,704
33Nevada4315th50th$74,812
34District of Columbia42.2926th39th$95,077
35Kansas42.2634th34th$61,470
36West Virginia42.1844th14th$58,099
37New Mexico42.1412th51st$69,736
38Louisiana41.9238th27th$56,785
39Tennessee41.7537th32nd$61,222
40Nebraska41.6643rd17th$63,326
41Ohio41.0636th36th$70,586
42Rhode Island40.7647th10th$85,772
43Iowa40.642nd24th$65,312
44Missouri40.4433rd42nd$57,366
45Alaska39.6835th44th$81,450
46Wyoming39.2946th25th$65,668
47South Dakota38.2439th41st$58,486
48New Hampshire36.9851st7th$69,432
49Maine36.6550th18th$65,621
50Montana34.2749th33rd$59,305
51Hawaii33.2148th43rd$75,860

What correlates with Best States for Teachers Total Score (2025)?

Pearson r against 2,096 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Best States for Teachers Total Score tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Chat GPT Messages per Capita RankChatGPT Usage by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.60 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Muslim Population RateMuslim Population by State
    r = +0.60 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Total RankBicycle Laws by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.58 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. BikeabilityMountain Biking by State
    r = +0.58 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Transgender Population Age 18-24 (2016-2021)What Percentage of the Population is Transgender?
    r = +0.54 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. 90th Percentile WageTeacher Pay by State
    r = +0.54 · strong · n = 51
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Best States for Teachers Total Score tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Beer ConsumptionAlcohol Consumption by State
    r = −0.64 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Beer Consumption per CapitaBeer Consumption by State
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Ethanol Consumption via Beer per CapitaBeer Consumption by State
    r = −0.62 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Year JoinedMega Millions States
    r = −0.57 · strong · n = 46
    Plot
  5. % VeteransVeterans Unemployment Benefits by State
    r = −0.50 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Federal Share of State RevenueFederal Aid by State
    r = −0.50 · strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Best States for Teachers Total Score?
Virginia has the highest Best States for Teachers Total Score in 2025, at 59.97, followed by Utah (59.66) and Washington (59.35).
Which state has the lowest Best States for Teachers Total Score?
Hawaii has the lowest Best States for Teachers Total Score in 2025, at 33.21.
What is the median Best States for Teachers Total Score across US states?
The median is 45.29 across the 51 US states with data in 2025.
Where does this best states for teachers data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: 2023's Best & Worst States for Teachers - Wallet Hub; Teacher Pay & Per Student Spending - NEA.

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