Maine: The Worst State for Teachers in 2024?

Teaching is one of those careers that should come with a huge “thank you” card every day, considering how essential teachers are in shaping the future of our kids.

Sadly, many educators are underpaid and overworked, especially here in Maine, which WalletHub just named the worst state for teachers in 2024.

Out of all states in the nation? Really?

Despite the fact that teaching requires a bachelor’s degree, it remains one of the lowest-paying jobs for degree holders.

To make matters worse, Wallethub stated that teacher salaries haven’t kept up with inflation.

In fact, they said when adjusted for inflation, teachers are making about 5% less than they did 10 years ago – and expectations for performance are only going up.

Not to mention, you may have heard that many teachers are being forced to shop and pay for their own classroom supplies.

It’s important to know that this article is not reflecting the quality of the teachers we have here in Maine.

WalletHub’s analysis compared all 50 states (plus D.C.) across 24 key factors, including income growth, class sizes, and how much states spend per student.

The findings? Maine, unfortunately, ranked dead last with a score of 34.39. Not far behind us in third place are our neighbors in New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, WalletHub says the best states for teachers include New York, Washington, and Virginia, where pay, benefits, and support systems appear to be much stronger.

Maine, it seems, still has some work to do in making teaching an attractive and sustainable career option for its educators.

The rankings state-by-state are below.