Best States for Secondary School Teachers in 2026: California Leads as Washington Tops Pay

Across LaborCove’s 2026 rankings, the top 10 states for secondary school teachers combine high LaborCove Geography Scores with varied mixes of salary and employment size. Most of these states post median salaries above the national figure of $72,040, but Texas illustrates that a state can still earn a high overall rank without exceeding the national median on pay. Employment counts in the top 10 also span from fewer than 5,000 jobs in Rhode Island to more than 100,000 in Texas, underscoring that LaborCove’s rankings reflect more than just sheer job volume. Nationally, the median annual salary for this occupation is $72,040, and employment stands at 1,065,210 in 2026. The national projected employment growth rate of -1.6% signals an expected decline for secondary school teachers overall, but this projection is national context only and does not indicate how any specific state’s employment is expected to change. Within the top 10, California leads the list with the highest LaborCove Geography Score of 83.24, a median salary of $101,370, and 99,230 employed secondary school teachers. Washington has the highest median salary in the top 10 at $102,670 but ranks fifth overall, confirming that the LaborCove Geography Score is not simply a salary ranking. Meanwhile, Texas holds the largest employment count among these states at 111,660 but offers a median salary of $63,590, which is below the national median, showing that higher employment counts do not always coincide with higher pay.

For secondary school teachers (except special and career/technical education), LaborCove’s national data for 2026 show a median annual salary of $72,040. National employment in this occupation is 1,065,210. The national projected employment growth rate is -1.6%, indicating an expected decline in total secondary school teacher employment across the United States. This national projection does not describe how employment may change in any individual state or metro area, and no state‑level or metro‑level growth projections are supplied in this dataset. When comparing states, the national figures serve as a reference point: several of the top‑ranked states have median salaries above the national median, while others—such as Texas—fall below it despite strong rankings on LaborCove’s list.

Among LaborCove’s top 10 states for secondary school teachers in 2026, median annual salaries span from the mid‑$60,000s to just over $100,000. Washington has the highest median salary in the group at $102,670, while Texas posts the lowest at $63,590. California’s median salary of $101,370 is also well above the national median of $72,040 and places it among the higher‑paying states in the top 10. New York ($97,070), Massachusetts ($95,260), and Rhode Island ($92,610) likewise exceed the national benchmark. Not all top‑ranked states sit far above the national pay level. Pennsylvania and Ohio both have median salaries of $78,800, and New Jersey’s median salary is $82,200, each above the national median but below the highest‑paying states in the group. Texas stands out as the only top‑10 state with a median salary that is below the national median, underscoring that a state can earn a strong overall rank without leading on pay.

Employment counts among the top 10 states vary widely. Texas has the largest employment count in this group at 111,660 secondary school teachers, which is higher than any other state listed. California follows with 99,230 employed teachers, giving it the second‑largest employment count among the top‑ranked states. New York has 70,660 secondary school teachers, while Pennsylvania (52,240), Ohio (49,540), and Illinois (44,670) form a cluster of mid‑sized employment markets within the top 10. New Jersey has 38,140 employed teachers, and Massachusetts has 28,460. Washington and Rhode Island represent the smaller employment counts in the top 10, with 14,880 and 4,910 secondary school teachers, respectively. These figures highlight that the LaborCove Geography Score and rank do not simply mirror employment size: some states with relatively modest employment counts still appear high on the list, while the single largest employment count belongs to Texas, which ranks third overall rather than first.

LaborCove’s Geography Score summarizes each state’s position for secondary school teachers into a single number that underpins the rankings. Within the top 10, California holds the highest Geography Score at 83.24 and ranks #1 overall. New York ranks #2 with a Geography Score of 71.60. Texas ranks #3 with a Geography Score of 59.14, followed closely by Massachusetts at #4 with a score of 58.96 and Washington at #5 with 58.44. Pennsylvania (#6, 52.53), New Jersey (#7, 51.84), and Ohio (#8, 51.20) occupy the middle of the top‑10 pack in terms of scores. Illinois and Rhode Island round out the list, with Geography Scores of 48.75 and 46.86 respectively, ranking #9 and #10. Washington provides a clear example that having the highest median salary in the group does not automatically produce the top LaborCove Geography Score or ranking, while California’s #1 rank shows how a high score can align with strong—but not necessarily highest—pay and large employment.

The top 10 states for secondary school teachers in 2026 display distinct combinations of salary, employment, and Geography Score. California, for example, pairs a high median salary of $101,370 and a large employment count of 99,230 with the highest Geography Score of 83.24, placing it first in LaborCove’s rankings. Texas shows a different profile: it ranks #3 with a Geography Score of 59.14 and the largest employment count in the group at 111,660, yet its median salary of $63,590 is below the national figure of $72,040 and is the lowest among the top‑10 states. Washington illustrates another pattern, posting the highest median salary at $102,670 and a Geography Score of 58.44, which corresponds to a #5 ranking rather than the top spot. Mid‑ranking states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, each with median salaries of $78,800 and Geography Scores just above 51, sit between the highest‑ and lowest‑scoring states. Together, these contrasts show that state rankings for secondary school teachers in LaborCove’s 2026 data reflect a blend of factors, with salary and employment both important but not individually determinative of the final Geography Score or rank.

LaborCove’s Best States rankings are built from authoritative labor‑market data combined into a single LaborCove Geography Score for each state. For secondary school teachers in 2026, the scoring incorporates state‑level median annual salary, employment, and other internal factors to produce the Geography Scores and resulting ranks shown here. The national figures for median annual salary, total employment, and projected employment growth describe the occupation’s situation across the entire United States. The national projected growth rate of -1.6% is a national occupational projection only and should not be interpreted as a state‑level or metro‑level growth estimate. Because the LaborCove Geography Score is a composite measure, higher salaries or larger employment counts do not automatically translate into a higher overall ranking. Teachers should treat these rankings as one structured input into career and relocation decisions, to be weighed alongside their own preferences and circumstances.