Best states for a physical education teacher

Q: What is the best state for physical education teachers?

The best state to be a physical education teacher is Maryland based on physical education teacher salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for physical education teachers?

The highest paying state for physical education teachers is Kentucky based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for physical education teachers?

The worst state for physical education teachers is Kentucky, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for physical education teachers in the United States. Physical education 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 physical education teachers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for physical education teachers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for physical education teacher jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for physical education teachers. Maryland is the best state for physical education teachers, where the median salary is $61,322.If you are currently seeking employment as a physical education teacher, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for physical education teachers in 2026

1. Maryland
Total physical education teacher jobs: 1,204
Average annual salary: $61,322
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Physical education teacher jobs in Maryland
2. Illinois
Total physical education teacher jobs: 2,044
Average annual salary: $57,492
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
1.27
Physical education teacher jobs in Illinois
3. Delaware
Total physical education teacher jobs: 196
Average annual salary: $58,065
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Physical education teacher jobs in Delaware
4. Kansas
Total physical education teacher jobs: 463
Average annual salary: $55,306
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Physical education teacher jobs in Kansas
5. Indiana
Total physical education teacher jobs: 964
Average annual salary: $51,764
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Physical education teacher jobs in Indiana
6. Louisiana
Total physical education teacher jobs: 458
Average annual salary: $52,714
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Physical education teacher jobs in Louisiana
7. New York
Total physical education teacher jobs: 1,727
Average annual salary: $56,826
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Physical education teacher jobs in New York
8. New Jersey
Total physical education teacher jobs: 1,466
Average annual salary: $51,856
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
1.36
Physical education teacher jobs in New Jersey
9. New Mexico
Total physical education teacher jobs: 416
Average annual salary: $47,434
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Location Quotient:
1.57
Physical education teacher jobs in New Mexico
10. Virginia
Total physical education teacher jobs: 1,195
Average annual salary: $55,522
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Physical education teacher jobs in Virginia

Physical education teacher jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a physical education teacher

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a physical education teacher

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Maryland	$61,322	$41,000	6,052,177	1,204
2	Illinois	$57,492	$39,000	12,802,023	2,044
3	Delaware	$58,065	$39,000	961,939	196
4	Kansas	$55,306	$38,000	2,913,123	463
5	Indiana	$51,764	$35,000	6,666,818	964
6	Louisiana	$52,714	$37,000	4,684,333	458
7	New York	$56,826	$38,000	19,849,399	1,727
8	New Jersey	$51,856	$35,000	9,005,644	1,466
9	New Mexico	$47,434	$33,000	2,088,070	416
10	Virginia	$55,522	$37,000	8,470,020	1,195
11	Rhode Island	$49,418	$34,000	1,059,639	177
12	District of Columbia	$57,600	$38,000	693,972	223
13	Connecticut	$51,346	$35,000	3,588,184	471
14	Vermont	$47,940	$34,000	623,657	162
15	Massachusetts	$49,497	$34,000	6,859,819	1,556
16	Iowa	$48,129	$33,000	3,145,711	493
17	California	$56,190	$38,000	39,536,653	3,359
18	West Virginia	$45,723	$30,000	1,815,857	227
19	Nevada	$50,704	$35,000	2,998,039	151
20	Alaska	$49,996	$38,000	739,795	97
21	North Dakota	$48,491	$34,000	755,393	83
22	Washington	$50,973	$35,000	7,405,743	780
23	Pennsylvania	$45,471	$30,000	12,805,537	1,594
24	Ohio	$47,266	$32,000	11,658,609	1,095
25	Idaho	$47,666	$33,000	1,716,943	193
26	Wisconsin	$47,928	$32,000	5,795,483	530
27	Wyoming	$42,522	$30,000	579,315	110
28	Michigan	$43,634	$29,000	9,962,311	1,160
29	Nebraska	$41,919	$29,000	1,920,076	381
30	Texas	$43,905	$30,000	28,304,596	2,766
31	Mississippi	$43,319	$30,000	2,984,100	281
32	Florida	$42,929	$30,000	20,984,400	2,304
33	Arkansas	$43,987	$31,000	3,004,279	264
34	Minnesota	$43,680	$30,000	5,576,606	899
35	Arizona	$44,650	$31,000	7,016,270	718
36	Oregon	$46,455	$32,000	4,142,776	447
37	Maine	$41,266	$30,000	1,335,907	189
38	Missouri	$41,960	$29,000	6,113,532	822
39	Alabama	$42,834	$30,000	4,874,747	412
40	Tennessee	$41,300	$29,000	6,715,984	675
41	South Carolina	$36,339	$25,000	5,024,369	746
42	Colorado	$37,707	$26,000	5,607,154	975
43	Georgia	$41,464	$29,000	10,429,379	1,298
44	Oklahoma	$35,103	$24,000	3,930,864	467
45	Hawaii	$43,467	$33,000	1,427,538	73
46	North Carolina	$39,005	$26,000	10,273,419	1,262
47	Montana	$33,621	$23,000	1,050,493	176
48	New Hampshire	$39,942	$28,000	1,342,795	217
49	Utah	$41,030	$28,000	3,101,833	208
50	South Dakota	$34,680	$24,000	869,666	116
51	Kentucky	$32,551	$22,000	4,454,189	367

Highest paying states for physical education teachers

Rank	State	Avg. Physical Education Teacher Salary
1	Maryland	$61,322
2	Illinois	$57,492
3	Delaware	$58,065
4	Kansas	$55,306
5	Indiana	$51,764
6	Louisiana	$52,714
7	New York	$56,826
8	New Jersey	$51,856
9	New Mexico	$47,434
10	Virginia	$55,522
11	Rhode Island	$49,418
12	District of Columbia	$57,600
13	Connecticut	$51,346
14	Vermont	$47,940
15	Massachusetts	$49,497
16	Iowa	$48,129
17	California	$56,190
18	West Virginia	$45,723
19	Nevada	$50,704
20	Alaska	$49,996
21	North Dakota	$48,491
22	Washington	$50,973
23	Pennsylvania	$45,471
24	Ohio	$47,266
25	Idaho	$47,666
26	Wisconsin	$47,928
27	Wyoming	$42,522
28	Michigan	$43,634
29	Nebraska	$41,919
30	Texas	$43,905
31	Mississippi	$43,319
32	Florida	$42,929
33	Arkansas	$43,987
34	Minnesota	$43,680
35	Arizona	$44,650
36	Oregon	$46,455
37	Maine	$41,266
38	Missouri	$41,960
39	Alabama	$42,834
40	Tennessee	$41,300
41	South Carolina	$36,339
42	Colorado	$37,707
43	Georgia	$41,464
44	Oklahoma	$35,103
45	Hawaii	$43,467
46	North Carolina	$39,005
47	Montana	$33,621
48	New Hampshire	$39,942
49	Utah	$41,030
50	South Dakota	$34,680
51	Kentucky	$32,551

Physical education teacher best states FAQs

What is the best state for physical education teachers?

What is the highest paying state for physical education teachers?

What is the worst state for physical education teachers?

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Best states for Physical Education Teachers

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total physical education teacher jobs:	1,204
Average annual salary:	$61,322
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$41,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$90,000
Location Quotient:	1.4

Best states for a physical education teacher

10 best states for physical education teachers in 2026

1. Maryland

2. Illinois

3. Delaware

4. Kansas

5. Indiana

6. Louisiana

7. New York

8. New Jersey

9. New Mexico

10. Virginia