Teachers play a fundamental role in the lives of all young, growing minds. As such, it is a rewarding career, though many teachers tend to find themselves underpaid and often overworked.
According to WalletHub, education jobs are among the lowest-paying occupations that require a Bachelor’s degree. On average, teachers earn over $3,000 less per year than they did 10 years ago when adjusted for inflation. With this in mind, there are some states that fairly compensate their educators more than others.
Through a study of metrics such as teachers’ income growth potential, public school spending per student and more, the personal finance website determined the best and worst states for teachers. In the end, Utah was found as the third-best state for educators.
Utah came in just under Virginia and New York, landing in third with a score of 57.19. Utah boasts third place for the average starting salary for teachers and 26th for the average salary for teachers.
Furthermore, the state of Utah was 12th in the quality of school systems, 15th in teachers’ income growth potential and ninth in projected competition in the year 2030. Utah really shined in the 10-year change in teacher salaries and the existence of a digital learning plan, coming in first place in both categories.
The two areas that Utah ranked low were the pupil-teacher ratio, coming in at the highest, and public school spending per students, where the Beehive State was 49th.