Florida is among the worst states for teachers, study says

The Sunshine State is anything but sunny when it comes to the attractiveness of the critical profession of teaching, according to a new study by WalletHub, which released a new report featuring the best and worst states for teachers in 2017.

Florida ranked an abysmal 47th overall, faring better than any only Mississippi, South Carolina, Hawaii, and Arizona. The five best states for teachers came mostly from the northeast, with New York leading the nation. New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania rounded out the top five.

The report compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 21 key indicators, which were filed into two broader categories. Florida ranked 50th in the Opportunity and Competition category, which factors in things like salary and pension, and 25th in Academic and Work Environment, which considered things like pupil-teacher ratios and union strength.

Each subcategory was weighted and contributed to each state’s overall score. For the full methodology, head over here. The Top 10: