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Best states for a drama teacher
Quoted expert
Rachel Blackburn Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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Drama teacher opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for drama teachers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for drama teachers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for drama teachers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for drama teacher jobs.
The median salary for drama teachers in Maryland is $74,034. Compare that to the median salary in Arizona of $39,246, which ranked worst for drama teachers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.Maryland is the best state, and Bel Air South is the city with the highest pay for drama teachers.
10 best states for drama teachers in 2025
1. Maryland
Total drama teacher jobs: 720 Average annual salary: $74,034 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
2. New Jersey
Total drama teacher jobs: 961 Average annual salary: $67,370 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.64
3. Michigan
Total drama teacher jobs: 683 Average annual salary: $55,321 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
4. Massachusetts
Total drama teacher jobs: 677 Average annual salary: $59,784 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1
5. Washington
Total drama teacher jobs: 431 Average annual salary: $66,198 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
6. New York
Total drama teacher jobs: 974 Average annual salary: $59,472 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
7. Nebraska
Total drama teacher jobs: 169 Average annual salary: $55,270 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
8. Pennsylvania
Total drama teacher jobs: 846 Average annual salary: $55,684 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
9. Illinois
Total drama teacher jobs: 1,336 Average annual salary: $53,648 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 1.52
10. District of Columbia
Total drama teacher jobs: 116 Average annual salary: $64,901 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
Drama teacher jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a drama teacher
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a drama teacher
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $74,034 | $52,000 | 6,052,177 | 720 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $67,370 | $47,000 | 9,005,644 | 961 |
| 3 | Michigan | $55,321 | $38,000 | 9,962,311 | 683 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $59,784 | $43,000 | 6,859,819 | 677 |
| 5 | Washington | $66,198 | $43,000 | 7,405,743 | 431 |
| 6 | New York | $59,472 | $42,000 | 19,849,399 | 974 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $55,270 | $38,000 | 1,920,076 | 169 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $55,684 | $39,000 | 12,805,537 | 846 |
| 9 | Illinois | $53,648 | $37,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,336 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $64,901 | $45,000 | 693,972 | 116 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $52,710 | $36,000 | 579,315 | 54 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $51,676 | $37,000 | 1,342,795 | 209 |
| 13 | Virginia | $58,128 | $40,000 | 8,470,020 | 657 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $58,228 | $41,000 | 3,588,184 | 215 |
| 15 | Kansas | $51,273 | $36,000 | 2,913,123 | 246 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $57,235 | $41,000 | 1,059,639 | 66 |
| 17 | Ohio | $53,425 | $37,000 | 11,658,609 | 605 |
| 18 | Utah | $54,935 | $37,000 | 3,101,833 | 130 |
| 19 | Alaska | $58,411 | $46,000 | 739,795 | 31 |
| 20 | Montana | $50,101 | $34,000 | 1,050,493 | 108 |
| 21 | Vermont | $52,032 | $37,000 | 623,657 | 58 |
| 22 | California | $57,990 | $37,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,782 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $49,999 | $35,000 | 5,576,606 | 534 |
| 24 | Delaware | $49,604 | $34,000 | 961,939 | 115 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $50,965 | $35,000 | 4,454,189 | 150 |
| 26 | Oregon | $53,928 | $35,000 | 4,142,776 | 214 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $47,338 | $32,000 | 2,088,070 | 219 |
| 28 | Iowa | $48,150 | $34,000 | 3,145,711 | 252 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $48,163 | $34,000 | 6,715,984 | 377 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $48,761 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 340 |
| 31 | Florida | $46,249 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,344 |
| 32 | Georgia | $46,760 | $33,000 | 10,429,379 | 744 |
| 33 | Nevada | $42,984 | $28,000 | 2,998,039 | 271 |
| 34 | Idaho | $45,502 | $30,000 | 1,716,943 | 120 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $47,747 | $34,000 | 755,393 | 33 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $46,117 | $32,000 | 10,273,419 | 638 |
| 37 | Colorado | $44,709 | $31,000 | 5,607,154 | 655 |
| 38 | Alabama | $47,334 | $33,000 | 4,874,747 | 175 |
| 39 | Missouri | $46,364 | $32,000 | 6,113,532 | 383 |
| 40 | Indiana | $42,420 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 488 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $42,467 | $30,000 | 5,024,369 | 327 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $39,029 | $27,000 | 3,930,864 | 264 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $43,966 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 40 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $43,875 | $30,000 | 869,666 | 32 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $43,519 | $30,000 | 4,684,333 | 183 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $41,152 | $29,000 | 3,004,279 | 156 |
| 47 | Texas | $40,415 | $28,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,428 |
| 48 | Maine | $42,757 | $31,000 | 1,335,907 | 65 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $43,195 | $33,000 | 1,427,538 | 24 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $39,846 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 114 |
| 51 | Arizona | $39,246 | $26,000 | 7,016,270 | 335 |
Highest paying states for drama teachers
| Rank | State | Avg. Drama Teacher Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $74,034 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $67,370 |
| 3 | Michigan | $55,321 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $59,784 |
| 5 | Washington | $66,198 |
| 6 | New York | $59,472 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $55,270 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $55,684 |
| 9 | Illinois | $53,648 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $64,901 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $52,710 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $51,676 |
| 13 | Virginia | $58,128 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $58,228 |
| 15 | Kansas | $51,273 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $57,235 |
| 17 | Ohio | $53,425 |
| 18 | Utah | $54,935 |
| 19 | Alaska | $58,411 |
| 20 | Montana | $50,101 |
| 21 | Vermont | $52,032 |
| 22 | California | $57,990 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $49,999 |
| 24 | Delaware | $49,604 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $50,965 |
| 26 | Oregon | $53,928 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $47,338 |
| 28 | Iowa | $48,150 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $48,163 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $48,761 |
| 31 | Florida | $46,249 |
| 32 | Georgia | $46,760 |
| 33 | Nevada | $42,984 |
| 34 | Idaho | $45,502 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $47,747 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $46,117 |
| 37 | Colorado | $44,709 |
| 38 | Alabama | $47,334 |
| 39 | Missouri | $46,364 |
| 40 | Indiana | $42,420 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $42,467 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $39,029 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $43,966 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $43,875 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $43,519 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $41,152 |
| 47 | Texas | $40,415 |
| 48 | Maine | $42,757 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $43,195 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $39,846 |
| 51 | Arizona | $39,246 |
Expert opinions on the best states for drama teachers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for drama teachers to find work opportunities?
Rachel Blackburn Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Columbus State University
Where to find opportunities: This is a bit of a loaded question because the most obvious place to become involved in theatre in the U.S. is New York City. However, that said, there are numerous reasons to go to other theatre markets, including outside of the U.S. So many local markets need practitioners to continue live performance in their city. I'd like to see theatre-makers move to the less obvious places that might desperately need community healing right now, such as Detroit or Flint, MI, Minneapolis, MN, St. Louis, MO, Phoenix, AZ, etc.
Those are places where communities have seen some rough patches, and I'd like to see how theatre might innovate by bringing people together to heal those communities. Otherwise, Seattle, Atlanta, LA, Houston, and some others are places that might surprise our graduates with the size and history of their theatre markets. For the intrepid explorer who is open to a little adventure, go abroad!
Your student loans will be deferred while you're out of the country, and if you have no spouse or kids, leap, it's a perfect time. London, Toronto, Dublin, Montreal, Paris, Edinburgh, Sydney - go to Auckland and see how you can support the theatre of the indigenous Maori peoples in New Zealand; why not? Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities, take the reins and enjoy this moment as a time when you can make the world your oyster, if you want. Sniff out places that have something to teach you besides just employing you.
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Updated January 8, 2025