Study: Hawaii is the worst state for teachers

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Teachers have the profound role of shaping young minds and are critical to preparing students for the real world. Unfortunately, many teachers find themselves overworked and underpaid, earning an average of $2,150 less per year compared to 10 years ago when adjusted for inflation.

Teachers are among the lowest-paying occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree, and their salaries consistently fail to keep up with inflation. Still, there are some states where they are more fairly compensated than others. Can you guess where Hawaii ranks on the list?

In order to help educators find the best opportunities, personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2022’s Best & Worst States for Teachers which analyzes 24 key metrics ranging from income growth potential to whether the state has a digital learning plan.

According to WalletHub, New York has the highest average annual salary for public school teachers at $80,286 (adjusted for cost of living), which is 1.7 times higher than Hawaii.

Hawaii ranks last on the list of best states for teachers, making it the worst state in the U.S. It’s the state with the lowest salary at $47,156 on average for public school teachers. The average starting salary for teachers in Hawaii is $33,327, according to WalletHub.

On top of that, teachers have to deal with COVID-19 related issues and the learning loss that comes with it. At the start of this year, more than a thousand Hawaii public school teachers were out. There were also hundreds of unfilled substitute teacher positions.

Staffing shortages have contributed to the learning loss with data showing Hawaii students falling behind in English, math and science. Click here to learn more.

In order to determine the best states for teachers, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions: “Opportunity & Competition” and “Academic & Work Environment.” The former has heavier weight since competitive salaries and job security are important to a well-balanced personal and professional life.

Best States for Teachers

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Opportunity & Competition	Academic & Work Environment
1	New York	59.33	5	3
2	Utah	57.38	2	12
3	Virginia	56.13	4	8
4	Florida	55.92	6	10
5	Washington	55.71	3	15
6	New Jersey	54.07	16	6
7	Pennsylvania	53.80	8	11
8	Massachusetts	53.21	18	4
9	Maryland	52.43	30	2
10	Connecticut	52.03	24	5
11	North Dakota	50.97	32	7
12	Delaware	50.42	43	1
13	Minnesota	49.99	13	20
14	Georgia	49.73	7	30
15	California	49.53	1	49
16	Illinois	49.28	10	25
17	Indiana	48.64	22	16
18	Alabama	48.28	11	31
19	Mississippi	47.40	12	34
20	Idaho	46.32	9	40
21	Kentucky	45.96	26	24
22	Wyoming	45.76	29	21
23	Texas	45.66	27	23
24	Iowa	45.11	33	22
25	Kansas	44.88	17	38
26	Ohio	44.67	19	35
27	Vermont	44.15	41	14
28	North Carolina	44.10	21	37
29	West Virginia	43.81	37	19
30	Oregon	43.76	20	39
31	Rhode Island	43.32	38	18
32	Nebraska	42.86	45	17
33	Wisconsin	42.76	35	27
34	Oklahoma	42.70	14	48
35	Arkansas	41.76	25	43
36	Colorado	41.64	39	26
37	Alaska	41.63	15	50
38	South Carolina	41.57	23	45
39	South Dakota	41.51	34	36
40	Michigan	41.25	40	28
41	Tennessee	41.15	36	33
42	Nevada	39.92	31	46
43	Montana	39.56	46	32
44	Maine	39.47	50	13
45	Louisiana	39.02	47	29
46	Missouri	37.59	44	41
47	New Mexico	37.41	28	51
48	Arizona	36.17	42	47
49	District of Columbia	35.94	48	42
50	New Hampshire	34.39	51	9
51	Hawaii	33.36	49	44

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, National Education Association, National Center for Education Statistics, Council for Community and Economic Research, TeacherPensions.org, ProCon.org, National Council on Teacher Quality, Projections Central – State Occupational Projections, Learning Policy Institute, Education Commission of the States, State Educational Technology Directors Association and WalletHub research.