PA Is Nation's Third-Best State For Teachers: Study

PENNSYLVANIA - Teaching can be a difficult profession, with job pressure, inadequate pay and lack of mobility prompting about a fifth of all public school teachers to leave their positions within three years, according to the National Education Association. But teachers in Pennsylvania have it better than their peers in most other states, a new study has determined.

Financial data site WalletHub ranks Pennsylvania as the nation's third-best state overall for teachers. The Keystone State ranked second in opportunity and competition for teachers, and 10th for academic and work environment.

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 23 indicators of teacher-friendliness, ranging from teachers’ income growth potential to pupil-teacher ratio to teacher
safety. Here's how Pennsylvania fared in some key metrics:

• 2nd: Average salary for teachers, adjusted for cost of living.

• 4th: Average starting salary for teachers, adjusted for cost of living.

• 8th: Public school spending per student.

• 15th: Teachers' income growth potential.

• 16th: 10-year change in teacher salaries.

• 27th: Quality of school system.

• 30th: Projected competition in 2026.

According to Edward Fuller, an associate professor at Penn State's College of Education, the top five state-level indicators are beginning or average teacher salaries adjusted for cost of living, overall teacher attrition rates, education funding levels, state effort in funding education and the general public climate regarding education in general and teachers in particular.

Young prospective teachers "should focus on a few key features when looking for their first position," Fuller said. "First, they should look at beginning salaries, the annual increase in salaries, benefits as well as the cost of housing. Second, they should attempt to gather information on the working conditions of schools."

WalletHub's top 10 states for teachers in 2019:

1. North Dakota

2. New Jersey

3. Pennsylvania

4. Wyoming

5. Connecticut

6. Illinois

7. Minnesota

8. Massachusetts

9. Utah

10. New York.

You can see the entire study by clicking on the link.