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Best states for an esl instructor
Quoted expert
Alvin Daniels
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Are you thinking of becoming an esl instructor and really want to work at ESL Federal Credit Union? Turns out, your chances to become an esl instructor are better in some states than others.Although there are abundant esl instructor jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. Nevada is the best state in the country for esl instructor jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for esl instructors. Nevada is the best state for esl instructors, where the median salary is $70,032.If you are currently seeking employment as an esl instructor, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for esl instructors in 2026
1. Nevada
Total esl instructor jobs: 581 Average annual salary: $70,032 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 2.73
2. New Hampshire
Total esl instructor jobs: 242 Average annual salary: $70,244 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
3. California
Total esl instructor jobs: 2,976 Average annual salary: $84,730 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1
4. Rhode Island
Total esl instructor jobs: 122 Average annual salary: $70,643 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
5. Vermont
Total esl instructor jobs: 111 Average annual salary: $63,639 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
6. Montana
Total esl instructor jobs: 187 Average annual salary: $61,146 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
7. Connecticut
Total esl instructor jobs: 434 Average annual salary: $64,175 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
8. New York
Total esl instructor jobs: 1,272 Average annual salary: $70,039 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
9. New Jersey
Total esl instructor jobs: 1,008 Average annual salary: $63,456 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
10. North Dakota
Total esl instructor jobs: 87 Average annual salary: $61,983 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
Esl instructor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an esl instructor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an esl instructor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $70,032 | $46,000 | 2,998,039 | 581 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $70,244 | $48,000 | 1,342,795 | 242 |
| 3 | California | $84,730 | $56,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,976 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $70,643 | $47,000 | 1,059,639 | 122 |
| 5 | Vermont | $63,639 | $44,000 | 623,657 | 111 |
| 6 | Montana | $61,146 | $43,000 | 1,050,493 | 187 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $64,175 | $43,000 | 3,588,184 | 434 |
| 8 | New York | $70,039 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,272 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $63,456 | $42,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,008 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $61,983 | $46,000 | 755,393 | 87 |
| 11 | Utah | $66,023 | $45,000 | 3,101,833 | 268 |
| 12 | Idaho | $56,696 | $39,000 | 1,716,943 | 212 |
| 13 | Maryland | $62,071 | $41,000 | 6,052,177 | 758 |
| 14 | Delaware | $68,757 | $46,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $57,203 | $41,000 | 869,666 | 107 |
| 16 | Maine | $56,997 | $39,000 | 1,335,907 | 143 |
| 17 | Colorado | $55,878 | $39,000 | 5,607,154 | 935 |
| 18 | Oregon | $56,702 | $39,000 | 4,142,776 | 458 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $56,645 | $39,000 | 6,715,984 | 533 |
| 20 | Alaska | $56,221 | $49,000 | 739,795 | 109 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $60,519 | $53,000 | 1,427,538 | 112 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $54,388 | $37,000 | 4,684,333 | 327 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $67,399 | $45,000 | 693,972 | 101 |
| 24 | Arizona | $52,086 | $35,000 | 7,016,270 | 741 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $56,369 | $40,000 | 5,795,483 | 383 |
| 26 | Michigan | $48,886 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,029 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $52,933 | $37,000 | 1,920,076 | 216 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $50,960 | $35,000 | 1,815,857 | 123 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $46,788 | $33,000 | 579,315 | 104 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $48,906 | $35,000 | 5,576,606 | 780 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $50,601 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 167 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $47,801 | $33,000 | 2,984,100 | 219 |
| 33 | Kansas | $48,878 | $34,000 | 2,913,123 | 295 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $50,005 | $33,000 | 12,805,537 | 939 |
| 35 | Ohio | $48,518 | $33,000 | 11,658,609 | 846 |
| 36 | Massachusetts | $52,058 | $35,000 | 6,859,819 | 692 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $48,795 | $34,000 | 4,454,189 | 296 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $46,251 | $31,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,131 |
| 39 | Washington | $51,017 | $35,000 | 7,405,743 | 551 |
| 40 | Iowa | $47,874 | $34,000 | 3,145,711 | 338 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $44,310 | $30,000 | 5,024,369 | 641 |
| 42 | Virginia | $46,604 | $31,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,037 |
| 43 | Florida | $45,967 | $31,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,735 |
| 44 | Illinois | $48,342 | $34,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,077 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $41,559 | $29,000 | 2,088,070 | 254 |
| 46 | Alabama | $46,370 | $32,000 | 4,874,747 | 328 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $43,525 | $30,000 | 3,930,864 | 308 |
| 48 | Georgia | $40,790 | $28,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,046 |
| 49 | Texas | $40,920 | $28,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,874 |
| 50 | Missouri | $42,565 | $30,000 | 6,113,532 | 425 |
| 51 | Indiana | $32,248 | $22,000 | 6,666,818 | 450 |
Highest paying states for esl instructors
| Rank | State | Avg. ESL Instructor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $70,032 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $70,244 |
| 3 | California | $84,730 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $70,643 |
| 5 | Vermont | $63,639 |
| 6 | Montana | $61,146 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $64,175 |
| 8 | New York | $70,039 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $63,456 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $61,983 |
| 11 | Utah | $66,023 |
| 12 | Idaho | $56,696 |
| 13 | Maryland | $62,071 |
| 14 | Delaware | $68,757 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $57,203 |
| 16 | Maine | $56,997 |
| 17 | Colorado | $55,878 |
| 18 | Oregon | $56,702 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $56,645 |
| 20 | Alaska | $56,221 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $60,519 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $54,388 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $67,399 |
| 24 | Arizona | $52,086 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $56,369 |
| 26 | Michigan | $48,886 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $52,933 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $50,960 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $46,788 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $48,906 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $50,601 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $47,801 |
| 33 | Kansas | $48,878 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $50,005 |
| 35 | Ohio | $48,518 |
| 36 | Massachusetts | $52,058 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $48,795 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $46,251 |
| 39 | Washington | $51,017 |
| 40 | Iowa | $47,874 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $44,310 |
| 42 | Virginia | $46,604 |
| 43 | Florida | $45,967 |
| 44 | Illinois | $48,342 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $41,559 |
| 46 | Alabama | $46,370 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $43,525 |
| 48 | Georgia | $40,790 |
| 49 | Texas | $40,920 |
| 50 | Missouri | $42,565 |
| 51 | Indiana | $32,248 |
Expert opinions on the best states for esl instructors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for esl instructors to find work opportunities?
Alvin Daniels
Lecturer, Chicago State University
Because of the World Wide Web, everywhere is a great place for an opportunity to find you. Many companies will have their workers working from home for a while, so if you have talent, you can be found and work from anywhere.
Esl instructor best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025