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Best states for a middle school principal
Quoted expert
Nathan Boles
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Middle school principal opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for middle school principals, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for middle school principals.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of middle school principals in America is $137,000.
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 middle school principals.We found that Vermont is the best state for middle school principal jobs, whereas Wyoming is the worst.
10 best states for middle school principals in 2026
1. Vermont
Total middle school principal jobs: 125 Average annual salary: $104,256 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 1.96
2. Connecticut
Total middle school principal jobs: 486 Average annual salary: $109,477 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $185,000 Location Quotient: 1.76
3. New Hampshire
Total middle school principal jobs: 263 Average annual salary: $98,721 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000 Location Quotient: 1.81
4. New York
Total middle school principal jobs: 1,322 Average annual salary: $103,201 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
5. Washington
Total middle school principal jobs: 1,043 Average annual salary: $95,689 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.71
6. Oregon
Total middle school principal jobs: 576 Average annual salary: $95,962 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 1.67
7. Delaware
Total middle school principal jobs: 99 Average annual salary: $101,243 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
8. New Jersey
Total middle school principal jobs: 1,295 Average annual salary: $87,014 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 1.96
9. Alaska
Total middle school principal jobs: 65 Average annual salary: $94,226 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
10. Pennsylvania
Total middle school principal jobs: 1,139 Average annual salary: $82,228 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
Middle school principal jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a middle school principal
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a middle school principal
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $104,256 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 125 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $109,477 | $64,000 | 3,588,184 | 486 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $98,721 | $57,000 | 1,342,795 | 263 |
| 4 | New York | $103,201 | $60,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,322 |
| 5 | Washington | $95,689 | $54,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,043 |
| 6 | Oregon | $95,962 | $55,000 | 4,142,776 | 576 |
| 7 | Delaware | $101,243 | $58,000 | 961,939 | 99 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $87,014 | $49,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,295 |
| 9 | Alaska | $94,226 | $60,000 | 739,795 | 65 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $82,228 | $46,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,139 |
| 11 | Michigan | $85,905 | $47,000 | 9,962,311 | 573 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $100,829 | $59,000 | 6,859,819 | 292 |
| 13 | Nevada | $78,697 | $45,000 | 2,998,039 | 232 |
| 14 | Maryland | $81,555 | $45,000 | 6,052,177 | 664 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $83,784 | $48,000 | 1,059,639 | 77 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $82,478 | $45,000 | 1,815,857 | 73 |
| 17 | California | $101,177 | $61,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,035 |
| 18 | Arizona | $71,050 | $42,000 | 7,016,270 | 817 |
| 19 | Virginia | $76,630 | $42,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,014 |
| 20 | Maine | $79,965 | $45,000 | 1,335,907 | 81 |
| 21 | Ohio | $77,349 | $42,000 | 11,658,609 | 621 |
| 22 | Idaho | $65,808 | $35,000 | 1,716,943 | 209 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $66,950 | $37,000 | 2,088,070 | 196 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $69,437 | $37,000 | 5,795,483 | 408 |
| 25 | Montana | $60,230 | $32,000 | 1,050,493 | 200 |
| 26 | Indiana | $67,995 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 404 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $69,962 | $38,000 | 755,393 | 41 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $78,036 | $43,000 | 693,972 | 80 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $62,413 | $34,000 | 10,273,419 | 845 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $59,925 | $32,000 | 5,576,606 | 795 |
| 31 | Illinois | $57,772 | $31,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,802 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $65,476 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 166 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $65,374 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 39 |
| 34 | Florida | $60,066 | $34,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,343 |
| 35 | Texas | $58,317 | $32,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,505 |
| 36 | Utah | $61,919 | $34,000 | 3,101,833 | 63 |
| 37 | Georgia | $57,932 | $32,000 | 10,429,379 | 561 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $59,002 | $32,000 | 6,715,984 | 232 |
| 39 | Colorado | $50,453 | $28,000 | 5,607,154 | 715 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $51,984 | $28,000 | 3,004,279 | 207 |
| 41 | Missouri | $50,485 | $28,000 | 6,113,532 | 526 |
| 42 | Kansas | $49,415 | $27,000 | 2,913,123 | 287 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $52,117 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 221 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $59,423 | $51,000 | 1,427,538 | 30 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $53,522 | $29,000 | 2,984,100 | 86 |
| 46 | Iowa | $49,514 | $27,000 | 3,145,711 | 164 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $46,179 | $25,000 | 1,920,076 | 193 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $50,056 | $27,000 | 5,024,369 | 225 |
| 49 | Alabama | $47,383 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 188 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $46,213 | $25,000 | 3,930,864 | 165 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $48,001 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
Highest paying states for middle school principals
| Rank | State | Avg. Middle School Principal Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $104,256 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $109,477 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $98,721 |
| 4 | New York | $103,201 |
| 5 | Washington | $95,689 |
| 6 | Oregon | $95,962 |
| 7 | Delaware | $101,243 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $87,014 |
| 9 | Alaska | $94,226 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $82,228 |
| 11 | Michigan | $85,905 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $100,829 |
| 13 | Nevada | $78,697 |
| 14 | Maryland | $81,555 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $83,784 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $82,478 |
| 17 | California | $101,177 |
| 18 | Arizona | $71,050 |
| 19 | Virginia | $76,630 |
| 20 | Maine | $79,965 |
| 21 | Ohio | $77,349 |
| 22 | Idaho | $65,808 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $66,950 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $69,437 |
| 25 | Montana | $60,230 |
| 26 | Indiana | $67,995 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $69,962 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $78,036 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $62,413 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $59,925 |
| 31 | Illinois | $57,772 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $65,476 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $65,374 |
| 34 | Florida | $60,066 |
| 35 | Texas | $58,317 |
| 36 | Utah | $61,919 |
| 37 | Georgia | $57,932 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $59,002 |
| 39 | Colorado | $50,453 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $51,984 |
| 41 | Missouri | $50,485 |
| 42 | Kansas | $49,415 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $52,117 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $59,423 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $53,522 |
| 46 | Iowa | $49,514 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $46,179 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $50,056 |
| 49 | Alabama | $47,383 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $46,213 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $48,001 |
Expert opinions on the best states for middle school principals
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for middle school principals to find work opportunities?
Nathan Boles
Assistant Professor of INS (Intervention Specialist) Program, Central State University
Graduates looking for their first teaching opportunity in the field of teaching will find many available in the majority of states. COVID has caused many educators to take early retirement and has caused the teacher to student ratio to decrease, leaving school districts desperately looking for new teachers. Many school districts are hiring students for January 2021, providing them with the opportunity to get an alternate license for teaching while still taking their student teaching and passing their required licensure tests. It is a crucial time in our country; this is an opportunity for educator-practitioners to get their foot in the door early. At current, I have personally seen four student teachers get hired in one school district in two weeks. The need is great, and providing free and appropriate education for all students is vital!
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Updated January 8, 2025