Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a literacy teacher
Quoted expert
Dr. Mark Williams Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for literacy teachers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for literacy teacher jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.In fact, our research shows that Maryland is the best state for literacy teachers in America. The best city in America for literacy teachers with the highest pay is San Francisco, CA.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for literacy teachers. Maryland is the best state for literacy teachers, where the median salary is $75,147.We found that Maryland is the best state for literacy teacher jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.
10 best states for literacy teachers in 2025
1. Maryland
Total literacy teacher jobs: 774 Average annual salary: $75,147 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.52
2. New Jersey
Total literacy teacher jobs: 1,099 Average annual salary: $69,645 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 1.73
3. Minnesota
Total literacy teacher jobs: 986 Average annual salary: $62,955 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 1.85
4. Washington
Total literacy teacher jobs: 408 Average annual salary: $67,595 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
5. Connecticut
Total literacy teacher jobs: 336 Average annual salary: $60,754 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
6. New York
Total literacy teacher jobs: 1,028 Average annual salary: $64,428 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1
7. District of Columbia
Total literacy teacher jobs: 165 Average annual salary: $65,689 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
8. Nebraska
Total literacy teacher jobs: 171 Average annual salary: $57,895 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
9. Pennsylvania
Total literacy teacher jobs: 891 Average annual salary: $58,447 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
10. Massachusetts
Total literacy teacher jobs: 678 Average annual salary: $63,048 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
Literacy teacher jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a literacy teacher
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a literacy teacher
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $75,147 | $59,000 | 6,052,177 | 774 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $69,645 | $54,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,099 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $62,955 | $53,000 | 5,576,606 | 986 |
| 4 | Washington | $67,595 | $57,000 | 7,405,743 | 408 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $60,754 | $47,000 | 3,588,184 | 336 |
| 6 | New York | $64,428 | $50,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,028 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $65,689 | $51,000 | 693,972 | 165 |
| 8 | Nebraska | $57,895 | $48,000 | 1,920,076 | 171 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $58,447 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 891 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $63,048 | $50,000 | 6,859,819 | 678 |
| 11 | California | $68,562 | $55,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,720 |
| 12 | Michigan | $55,557 | $45,000 | 9,962,311 | 743 |
| 13 | Oregon | $61,588 | $51,000 | 4,142,776 | 230 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $54,755 | $43,000 | 1,342,795 | 209 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $60,130 | $47,000 | 1,059,639 | 55 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $56,409 | $47,000 | 579,315 | 36 |
| 17 | Virginia | $59,239 | $47,000 | 8,470,020 | 659 |
| 18 | Alaska | $62,742 | $56,000 | 739,795 | 17 |
| 19 | Kansas | $54,559 | $45,000 | 2,913,123 | 239 |
| 20 | Illinois | $54,121 | $44,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,446 |
| 21 | Montana | $52,772 | $45,000 | 1,050,493 | 118 |
| 22 | Utah | $56,743 | $47,000 | 3,101,833 | 139 |
| 23 | Ohio | $53,733 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 645 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $50,903 | $42,000 | 2,088,070 | 227 |
| 25 | Florida | $52,903 | $44,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,284 |
| 26 | Vermont | $55,416 | $45,000 | 623,657 | 40 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $51,240 | $42,000 | 6,715,984 | 384 |
| 28 | Colorado | $50,429 | $42,000 | 5,607,154 | 643 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $52,381 | $42,000 | 4,454,189 | 127 |
| 30 | Alabama | $51,316 | $42,000 | 4,874,747 | 152 |
| 31 | Delaware | $50,806 | $39,000 | 961,939 | 94 |
| 32 | Georgia | $50,740 | $41,000 | 10,429,379 | 710 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $48,225 | $39,000 | 10,273,419 | 769 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $49,310 | $40,000 | 5,795,483 | 316 |
| 35 | Missouri | $48,672 | $40,000 | 6,113,532 | 409 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $49,613 | $42,000 | 755,393 | 20 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $45,933 | $37,000 | 5,024,369 | 359 |
| 38 | Nevada | $43,386 | $35,000 | 2,998,039 | 570 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $47,734 | $39,000 | 4,684,333 | 178 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $53,431 | $47,000 | 1,427,538 | 10 |
| 41 | Texas | $44,164 | $36,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,682 |
| 42 | Idaho | $46,453 | $39,000 | 1,716,943 | 94 |
| 43 | Indiana | $43,085 | $35,000 | 6,666,818 | 534 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $42,352 | $35,000 | 3,930,864 | 291 |
| 45 | Arizona | $42,084 | $34,000 | 7,016,270 | 658 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $44,391 | $36,000 | 3,004,279 | 132 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $45,604 | $38,000 | 869,666 | 16 |
| 48 | Maine | $45,797 | $37,000 | 1,335,907 | 41 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $44,381 | $35,000 | 1,815,857 | 22 |
| 50 | Iowa | $42,836 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 227 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $43,450 | $35,000 | 2,984,100 | 99 |
Highest paying states for literacy teachers
| Rank | State | Avg. Literacy Teacher Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $75,147 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $69,645 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $62,955 |
| 4 | Washington | $67,595 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $60,754 |
| 6 | New York | $64,428 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $65,689 |
| 8 | Nebraska | $57,895 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $58,447 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $63,048 |
| 11 | California | $68,562 |
| 12 | Michigan | $55,557 |
| 13 | Oregon | $61,588 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $54,755 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $60,130 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $56,409 |
| 17 | Virginia | $59,239 |
| 18 | Alaska | $62,742 |
| 19 | Kansas | $54,559 |
| 20 | Illinois | $54,121 |
| 21 | Montana | $52,772 |
| 22 | Utah | $56,743 |
| 23 | Ohio | $53,733 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $50,903 |
| 25 | Florida | $52,903 |
| 26 | Vermont | $55,416 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $51,240 |
| 28 | Colorado | $50,429 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $52,381 |
| 30 | Alabama | $51,316 |
| 31 | Delaware | $50,806 |
| 32 | Georgia | $50,740 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $48,225 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $49,310 |
| 35 | Missouri | $48,672 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $49,613 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $45,933 |
| 38 | Nevada | $43,386 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $47,734 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $53,431 |
| 41 | Texas | $44,164 |
| 42 | Idaho | $46,453 |
| 43 | Indiana | $43,085 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $42,352 |
| 45 | Arizona | $42,084 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $44,391 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $45,604 |
| 48 | Maine | $45,797 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $44,381 |
| 50 | Iowa | $42,836 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $43,450 |
Expert opinions on the best states for literacy teachers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for literacy teachers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Mark Williams Ph.D.
Professor, Calvin University
If you mean in the field(s) of classics, some private schools and academies are hiring (still) Latin and Greek teachers, especially in the South and Southwest. In the upper Midwest and Northeast, not so much.
Literacy teacher best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
Search for literacy teacher jobs
Updated January 8, 2025