NEW JERSEY — New Jersey ranks as the eighth-best state for teachers in 2026, according to a WalletHub study released Monday.
The personal-finance company compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 24 metrics, including teachers’ income growth potential, pupil-teacher ratios and public-school spending per student.
New Jersey ranked third for quality of its school system, fourth for public-school spending per student and eighth for pupil-teacher ratio.
The state also ranked 16th for average starting teacher salary when adjusted for cost of living and 13th for average teacher salary when adjusted for cost of living. New Jersey ranked 20th for teachers’ income growth potential.
New Jersey placed first for the existence of a digital learning plan.
WalletHub released the study ahead of World Teachers’ Day, noting that teachers nationally make an average of 5% less per year than they did 10 years ago after adjusting for inflation.
To view the full report, visit WalletHub’s Best & Worst States for Teachers in 2026.
