The Best—And Worst—States for Teachers in 2026

Teaching can be a tough job, and it may be made tougher depending on which state you live in.It's not just the average teacher salary by state that shapes whether it's a good place for teachers to work. Working conditions can vary from state to state, with factors like student-teacher ratio, projected turnover, and school system rankings playing a role in how good or bad a state can be for teachers.WalletHub took a look at the different factors affecting teachers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine which states are the best—and toughest—places to be a teacher. Is your state one of the best or the worst?Map: Best & Worst U.S. States for Teachers | WalletHubWashington Leads All StatesWashington has seen tremendous changes in the teaching profession in recent years, boosting it past all other states to become the best state for teachers. One of the biggest issues was a dramatic increase in teacher pay over the past decade due to a state Supreme Court ruling that led to school reforms and higher pay. Today, the state has the second-highest average annual pay for teachers in the country and the fourth-highest average starting pay.New York came in second place for the best state for teachers. It beat Washington for the best state for average annual teacher salaries, with a cost-of-living-adjusted salary of $87,670. The state also has the highest per-student funding for public school students.Third-place Virginia does have some low scores for pay, ranking only 12th for average starting salary and 18th for average teacher salary. But it makes up for those rankings with fast-paced growth that increases demand for teachers and has the sixth-best school systems in the country.The top 10 best states for teachers in the U.S. include:1. Washington 2. New York 3. Virginia 4. Illinois 5. Utah 6. Georgia 7. Maryland 8. New Jersey 9. California 10. ConnecticutNew Hampshire Teachers Have It the WorstGoodboy Picture Company/GettyImagesWalletHub ranked New Hampshire as the worst state for teachers based on its survey criteria. The state performed well and ended up in the top 10 states for academic and work environment issues like quality of school systems, student-teacher ratio, and how friendly it was for working moms. But New Hampshire was sunk by ranking last among all states in opportunity and competition. That topic includes issues like salaries, pensions, potential for income growth, or teacher tenure.Second-lowest, Hawaii had low scores in opportunity and competition, as well as academic and work environment. The biggest factor for the state was that it came in last place for annual salary adjusted for cost of living.Montana was the third-lowest ranking state for teachers. Fourth-place Maine, like Hawaii, was sunk by a low annual salary for teachers when adjusted for inflation. The state has the second-worst showing in that category, which lowered its overall ranking even though it did have the third-best student-teacher ratio.The top 10 worst states for teachers include:1. New Hampshire2. Hawaii3. Montana 4. Maine 5. New Mexico 6. Rhode Island 7. Alaska 8. North Carolina 9. Wyoming 10. MissouriMore State-By-State Data: