Personal finance company WalletHub released a study of the best and worst states for teachers, including Washington DC. Hawaii ranked 49th out of 51. This is a slight improvement from last year, when Hawaii ranked last.

Most notably, Hawaii ranked dead last when it came to teacher salary when adjusted for cost of living.

The study used two primary criteria: Opportunity and Competition, and Academic and Work Environment. These categories were then broken down into more granular metrics.

Opportunity and Competition was composed of: average starting salary; average salary; income growth potential; 10-year change in salaries; average pension; share of new teachers with inadequate pensions; projected teacher competition in 2026; public-school enrollment growth; length of time before tenure is given; tenure protections; and share of uncertified teachers. These scores accounted for 70 percent of a state’s total rating. Hawaii ranked 49th in this category.

The Academic and Work Environment category, which comprised the remaining 30 percent of the overall ranking, was measured by: quality of school system; student-teacher ratio; spending per student; presence of annual teacher evaluations; presence of teacher-effectiveness requirements; projected share of teacher turnover; union strength; teacher safety; share of teachers who feel supported by their administrations; average commute time; prevalence of childhood disadvantages; working mom-friendliness. Hawaii ranked 40th in this category.

You can see the full study here.