What is the best U.S. state to live in as a teacher? Florida ranks in top 10 on this list

Teachers have a crucial job, but are often overworked and underpaid. According to the National Education Association (NEA) average pay for a teacher in the U.S. has failed to keep up with inflation over the past decade.

“Adjusted for inflation, on average, teachers are making 5% less than they did 10 years ago,”  the NEA’s 2024 update on educator pay data said.

Today, WalletHub released its 2024 rankings of the best states for teachers, based on which states most fairly compensate its teachers, pupil-to-teacher ratios and more. And Florida ranked in the top 10 on this “best” list.

“Despite having one of the most crucial jobs in America – educating the next generation – teachers are often underpaid and underappreciated,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the study.

“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 where Florida ranked in WalletHub’s 2024 list of the top 10 best states for teachers and why.

What is the best U.S. state to live in as a teacher?

To find the best states for teachers, WalletHub compared each state across 24 metrics in two categories: opportunity and competition and academic and work environment.

New York ranks as WalletHub’s best 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’s WalletHub’s 2024 list of the top 10 best states for teachers:

1. New York
2. Washington
3. Virginia
4. Utah
5. Maryland
6. Illinois
7. Georgia
8. Florida
9. California
10. Indiana

Is Florida a good place to be a teacher?

According to WalletHub’s study, Florida is the eighth-best state for teachers in the U.S.

Florida ranked in the top 10 states with the highest average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living), and first for the best digital learning plan.

Here’s how Florida ranked in some of WalletHub’s key metrics for this study:

• Overall rank: 8th
• 9th – Average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for cost of living)
• 11th – Quality of school system
• 20th – Teachers’ income growth potential
• 6th – Projected competition in year 2030
• 1st – Existence of digital learning plan

Where Florida ranks in early education: What U.S. state has the best early childhood education? Where Florida ranks on this list

Florida’s school system in US's top 15. Here's why this list ranks it there

Which U.S. state is best for early childhood education?

Although Florida ranked high on WalletHub’s “best” list for teachers and also placed on WalletHub’s top 15 list of states with the best school systems, it also recently placed low on the personal finance company’s list of the states with the best and worst early childhood education systems.

“Children enrolled in early education programs are more likely to be academically prepared for future grades, as well as have higher graduation rates and higher earning potential than those who are not enrolled,” the early childhood education study says.

“One estimate shows that every dollar invested in early education programs for disadvantaged families may generate $7.30 in economic benefits due to its impact on helping children grow up to be healthier, higher-earning adults.”

To find the states with the best early childhood education systems, WalletHub compared each state across 12 metrics that fell into three categories: access, quality and resources and economic support.

Arkansas ranked as the state with the best early education system in the U.S., according to those metrics.

Here are the top 10 states with the best early childhood education systems, according to WalletHub’s rankings list:

1. Arkansas
2. District of Columbia
3. Nebraska
4. Maryland
5. Oregon
6. West Virginia
7. South Carolina
8. New Jersey
9. Vermont
10. Connecticut

Florida ranked low on WalletHub’s early childhood education rankings  list, in 37th place. Although that’s a low ranking, it’s still an improvement from Florida’s 40th place ranking on the 2023 list.

Here’s a look at how Florida ranked in some of the metrics on WalletHub’s 2024 study:

• 17th – Share of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-K, pre-K special education and head start
• 29th – Income requirement for state pre-K eligibility
• 45th – Total reported spending per child enrolled in preschool
• 14th – Total state head start program spending per child enrolled in preschool
• 43rd – Monthly child care co-payment fees as a percent of family income

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: What is the best U.S. state to live in as a teacher? Florida ranks in top 10 on this list