If you’re a teacher in the D.C. area, here’s some good news: You’re in the right place.
That’s at least according to a new study from personal finance firm SmartAsset, which ranked the D.C. area as the third best place for teachers in the U.S.
The rankings are based on a number of factors, including average income, housing costs, student-to-teacher ratio and the percentage of households with internet access.
The D.C. area — which includes the District, as well as all of the Maryland and Virginia suburbs stretching into West Virginia — earned good marks for teacher incomes. Teachers in the broader D.C. area earn an average $81,167, the third highest on the list of top 25, after the San Jose, California, area and the New York City area.
D.C. also earned high marks when it comes to the percent of households with internet access, which SmartAsset said “is especially important right now, while many students learn from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The teacher-student ratio in D.C. is about 14.64 students per teacher, which is the 20th best among the 132 largest metro areas across the U.S. to compile its rankings.
Overall, Rochester and Syracuse, both in New York, ranked higher on the list than D.C.
Though D.C. ranked highly overall, there was at least one trouble spot: Expensive housing costs. The study said median monthly housing costs in D.C. run more than $1,800 a month. On the top 25 list, only San Jose has more expensive housing costs.
Elsewhere in the rankings, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area tied California’s San Jose area for 12th place.
The Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware area ranked 25th.
See the full rankings below:
