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Best states for a teaching artist
Quoted expert
Rachel Blackburn Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for teaching artists? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for teaching artist jobs.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for teaching artists. We found that Alaska is the best state in the nation for teaching artists, and people in Long Beach earn the most in the field.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for teaching artists. Alaska is the best state for teaching artists, where the median salary is $84,819.We found that the South is best for teaching artists, and the Northeast is the worst. Santa Rosa, CA is the best city in the country for teaching artist jobs, where as Alaska is the best state in the country.
10 best states for teaching artists in 2026
1. Alaska
Total teaching artist jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $84,819 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 3.02
2. New York
Total teaching artist jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $88,317 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 1.49
3. California
Total teaching artist jobs: 371 Average annual salary: $87,631 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 2.13
4. Oregon
Total teaching artist jobs: 28 Average annual salary: $82,005 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
5. Washington
Total teaching artist jobs: 95 Average annual salary: $76,379 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 2.18
6. Pennsylvania
Total teaching artist jobs: 51 Average annual salary: $80,357 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
7. Massachusetts
Total teaching artist jobs: 36 Average annual salary: $84,307 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
8. Michigan
Total teaching artist jobs: 33 Average annual salary: $79,564 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
9. Connecticut
Total teaching artist jobs: 13 Average annual salary: $82,796 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
10. District of Columbia
Total teaching artist jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $90,243 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.4
Teaching artist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a teaching artist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a teaching artist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $84,819 | $45,000 | 739,795 | 15 |
| 2 | New York | $88,317 | $51,000 | 19,849,399 | 114 |
| 3 | California | $87,631 | $49,000 | 39,536,653 | 371 |
| 4 | Oregon | $82,005 | $46,000 | 4,142,776 | 28 |
| 5 | Washington | $76,379 | $43,000 | 7,405,743 | 95 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $80,357 | $46,000 | 12,805,537 | 51 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $84,307 | $47,000 | 6,859,819 | 36 |
| 8 | Michigan | $79,564 | $47,000 | 9,962,311 | 33 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $82,796 | $47,000 | 3,588,184 | 13 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $90,243 | $52,000 | 693,972 | 4 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $74,521 | $42,000 | 10,273,419 | 36 |
| 12 | Virginia | $72,699 | $41,000 | 8,470,020 | 74 |
| 13 | Maryland | $74,286 | $43,000 | 6,052,177 | 46 |
| 14 | Idaho | $69,978 | $40,000 | 1,716,943 | 6 |
| 15 | Ohio | $67,444 | $39,000 | 11,658,609 | 36 |
| 16 | Iowa | $64,715 | $38,000 | 3,145,711 | 21 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $62,968 | $37,000 | 5,795,483 | 63 |
| 18 | Alabama | $64,454 | $37,000 | 4,874,747 | 20 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $69,808 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 21 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $65,833 | $36,000 | 1,342,795 | 11 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $67,786 | $40,000 | 1,920,076 | 6 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $67,120 | $40,000 | 755,393 | 2 |
| 23 | Illinois | $63,044 | $37,000 | 12,802,023 | 98 |
| 24 | Delaware | $68,714 | $39,000 | 961,939 | 3 |
| 25 | Utah | $61,919 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 22 |
| 26 | Indiana | $64,030 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 18 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $68,432 | $39,000 | 9,005,644 | 23 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $67,350 | $38,000 | 1,059,639 | 2 |
| 29 | Georgia | $63,101 | $36,000 | 10,429,379 | 38 |
| 30 | Arizona | $59,446 | $34,000 | 7,016,270 | 55 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $62,041 | $36,000 | 3,004,279 | 6 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $59,409 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 5 |
| 33 | Florida | $63,418 | $34,000 | 20,984,400 | 53 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $59,108 | $34,000 | 4,454,189 | 16 |
| 35 | Vermont | $59,662 | $33,000 | 623,657 | 4 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $61,004 | $35,000 | 2,984,100 | 4 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $60,306 | $35,000 | 6,715,984 | 11 |
| 38 | Texas | $53,564 | $30,000 | 28,304,596 | 136 |
| 39 | Missouri | $61,576 | $36,000 | 6,113,532 | 8 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $50,673 | $32,000 | 1,427,538 | 6 |
| 41 | Montana | $58,573 | $35,000 | 1,050,493 | 3 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $59,249 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 6 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $57,794 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 10 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $46,475 | $28,000 | 579,315 | 4 |
| 45 | Kansas | $50,050 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 13 |
| 46 | Colorado | $45,001 | $26,000 | 5,607,154 | 38 |
| 47 | Nevada | $50,859 | $28,000 | 2,998,039 | 6 |
| 48 | Maine | $54,833 | $30,000 | 1,335,907 | 2 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $50,493 | $29,000 | 3,930,864 | 6 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $50,980 | $29,000 | 2,088,070 | 3 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $43,645 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
Highest paying states for teaching artists
| Rank | State | Avg. Teaching Artist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $84,819 |
| 2 | New York | $88,317 |
| 3 | California | $87,631 |
| 4 | Oregon | $82,005 |
| 5 | Washington | $76,379 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $80,357 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $84,307 |
| 8 | Michigan | $79,564 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $82,796 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $90,243 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $74,521 |
| 12 | Virginia | $72,699 |
| 13 | Maryland | $74,286 |
| 14 | Idaho | $69,978 |
| 15 | Ohio | $67,444 |
| 16 | Iowa | $64,715 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $62,968 |
| 18 | Alabama | $64,454 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $69,808 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $65,833 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $67,786 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $67,120 |
| 23 | Illinois | $63,044 |
| 24 | Delaware | $68,714 |
| 25 | Utah | $61,919 |
| 26 | Indiana | $64,030 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $68,432 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $67,350 |
| 29 | Georgia | $63,101 |
| 30 | Arizona | $59,446 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $62,041 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $59,409 |
| 33 | Florida | $63,418 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $59,108 |
| 35 | Vermont | $59,662 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $61,004 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $60,306 |
| 38 | Texas | $53,564 |
| 39 | Missouri | $61,576 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $50,673 |
| 41 | Montana | $58,573 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $59,249 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $57,794 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $46,475 |
| 45 | Kansas | $50,050 |
| 46 | Colorado | $45,001 |
| 47 | Nevada | $50,859 |
| 48 | Maine | $54,833 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $50,493 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $50,980 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $43,645 |
Expert opinions on the best states for teaching artists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for teaching artists to find work opportunities?
Rachel Blackburn Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Columbus State University
Where to find opportunities: This is a bit of a loaded question because the most obvious place to become involved in theatre in the U.S. is New York City. However, that said, there are numerous reasons to go to other theatre markets, including outside of the U.S. So many local markets need practitioners to continue live performance in their city. I'd like to see theatre-makers move to the less obvious places that might desperately need community healing right now, such as Detroit or Flint, MI, Minneapolis, MN, St. Louis, MO, Phoenix, AZ, etc.
Those are places where communities have seen some rough patches, and I'd like to see how theatre might innovate by bringing people together to heal those communities. Otherwise, Seattle, Atlanta, LA, Houston, and some others are places that might surprise our graduates with the size and history of their theatre markets. For the intrepid explorer who is open to a little adventure, go abroad!
Your student loans will be deferred while you're out of the country, and if you have no spouse or kids, leap, it's a perfect time. London, Toronto, Dublin, Montreal, Paris, Edinburgh, Sydney - go to Auckland and see how you can support the theatre of the indigenous Maori peoples in New Zealand; why not? Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities, take the reins and enjoy this moment as a time when you can make the world your oyster, if you want. Sniff out places that have something to teach you besides just employing you.
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Updated January 8, 2025