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Best states for a high school science teacher
Quoted expert
Joshua French Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for high school science teachers in the United States. High school science teacher positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for high school science teachers.As high school science teachers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for high school science teachers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a high school science teacher, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for high school science teachers.If you are currently seeking employment as a high school science teacher, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for high school science teachers in 2026
1. Rhode Island
Total high school science teacher jobs: 155 Average annual salary: $73,250 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
2. New York
Total high school science teacher jobs: 1,595 Average annual salary: $76,988 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
3. New Jersey
Total high school science teacher jobs: 1,455 Average annual salary: $68,525 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
4. Vermont
Total high school science teacher jobs: 95 Average annual salary: $72,522 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
5. Maryland
Total high school science teacher jobs: 1,004 Average annual salary: $69,943 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
6. Delaware
Total high school science teacher jobs: 168 Average annual salary: $66,116 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
7. Connecticut
Total high school science teacher jobs: 458 Average annual salary: $65,924 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 1.2
8. Wyoming
Total high school science teacher jobs: 80 Average annual salary: $61,276 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
9. Massachusetts
Total high school science teacher jobs: 1,079 Average annual salary: $67,304 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
10. Pennsylvania
Total high school science teacher jobs: 1,438 Average annual salary: $62,987 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
High school science teacher jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a high school science teacher
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a high school science teacher
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $73,250 | $54,000 | 1,059,639 | 155 |
| 2 | New York | $76,988 | $56,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,595 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $68,525 | $50,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,455 |
| 4 | Vermont | $72,522 | $53,000 | 623,657 | 95 |
| 5 | Maryland | $69,943 | $51,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,004 |
| 6 | Delaware | $66,116 | $48,000 | 961,939 | 168 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $65,924 | $48,000 | 3,588,184 | 458 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $61,276 | $45,000 | 579,315 | 80 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $67,304 | $49,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,079 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $62,987 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,438 |
| 11 | Illinois | $57,692 | $41,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,471 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $56,068 | $41,000 | 1,342,795 | 317 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $57,127 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 867 |
| 14 | Alaska | $63,194 | $53,000 | 739,795 | 79 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $60,043 | $43,000 | 5,795,483 | 493 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $65,085 | $47,000 | 693,972 | 188 |
| 17 | Georgia | $59,679 | $44,000 | 10,429,379 | 945 |
| 18 | Michigan | $53,326 | $38,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,073 |
| 19 | Maine | $57,854 | $43,000 | 1,335,907 | 120 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $54,826 | $40,000 | 1,920,076 | 248 |
| 21 | Ohio | $55,467 | $40,000 | 11,658,609 | 914 |
| 22 | Virginia | $57,238 | $41,000 | 8,470,020 | 965 |
| 23 | Florida | $56,395 | $43,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,633 |
| 24 | Washington | $56,636 | $41,000 | 7,405,743 | 718 |
| 25 | Nevada | $50,776 | $36,000 | 2,998,039 | 348 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $55,467 | $41,000 | 755,393 | 53 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $52,299 | $39,000 | 5,024,369 | 522 |
| 28 | Indiana | $52,274 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 708 |
| 29 | Oregon | $51,762 | $37,000 | 4,142,776 | 570 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $52,583 | $38,000 | 4,454,189 | 252 |
| 31 | Idaho | $49,798 | $36,000 | 1,716,943 | 200 |
| 32 | California | $54,175 | $39,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,838 |
| 33 | Texas | $49,924 | $37,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,256 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $51,160 | $37,000 | 1,815,857 | 67 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $47,393 | $34,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,121 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $55,639 | $42,000 | 1,427,538 | 42 |
| 37 | Kansas | $46,046 | $34,000 | 2,913,123 | 357 |
| 38 | Iowa | $48,273 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 339 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $42,855 | $32,000 | 2,088,070 | 302 |
| 40 | Colorado | $44,067 | $32,000 | 5,607,154 | 885 |
| 41 | Montana | $40,997 | $30,000 | 1,050,493 | 216 |
| 42 | Utah | $48,681 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 219 |
| 43 | Missouri | $44,407 | $32,000 | 6,113,532 | 678 |
| 44 | Alabama | $47,912 | $35,000 | 4,874,747 | 218 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $45,248 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 300 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $45,214 | $33,000 | 3,004,279 | 198 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $39,019 | $29,000 | 3,930,864 | 385 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $44,322 | $32,000 | 6,715,984 | 511 |
| 49 | Arizona | $41,430 | $30,000 | 7,016,270 | 648 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $43,867 | $32,000 | 2,984,100 | 154 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $37,532 | $27,000 | 869,666 | 58 |
Highest paying states for high school science teachers
| Rank | State | Avg. High School Science Teacher Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $73,250 |
| 2 | New York | $76,988 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $68,525 |
| 4 | Vermont | $72,522 |
| 5 | Maryland | $69,943 |
| 6 | Delaware | $66,116 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $65,924 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $61,276 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $67,304 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $62,987 |
| 11 | Illinois | $57,692 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $56,068 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $57,127 |
| 14 | Alaska | $63,194 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $60,043 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $65,085 |
| 17 | Georgia | $59,679 |
| 18 | Michigan | $53,326 |
| 19 | Maine | $57,854 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $54,826 |
| 21 | Ohio | $55,467 |
| 22 | Virginia | $57,238 |
| 23 | Florida | $56,395 |
| 24 | Washington | $56,636 |
| 25 | Nevada | $50,776 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $55,467 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $52,299 |
| 28 | Indiana | $52,274 |
| 29 | Oregon | $51,762 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $52,583 |
| 31 | Idaho | $49,798 |
| 32 | California | $54,175 |
| 33 | Texas | $49,924 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $51,160 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $47,393 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $55,639 |
| 37 | Kansas | $46,046 |
| 38 | Iowa | $48,273 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $42,855 |
| 40 | Colorado | $44,067 |
| 41 | Montana | $40,997 |
| 42 | Utah | $48,681 |
| 43 | Missouri | $44,407 |
| 44 | Alabama | $47,912 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $45,248 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $45,214 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $39,019 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $44,322 |
| 49 | Arizona | $41,430 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $43,867 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $37,532 |
Expert opinions on the best states for high school science teachers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for high school science teachers to find work opportunities?
Joshua French Ph.D.
Associate Professor Director of Statistical Programs, University of Colorado Denver
With employers increasingly allowing their employees to work from him, particularly in knowledge-driven jobs such as statistics, the physical location of a job won't be as important in the future. However, you can expect that the majority of jobs will still be in larger cities with large tech and corporate presence. In the immediate future, states allowing companies more flexibility in operating normally will see a relative increase in the number of statistics jobs, as companies will be able to increase the amount of business performed in those areas.
High school science teacher best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025