Rentberry’s Picks: US Cities to Pursue a Career as a Teacher

If there were the rating of the most important professions, which ones do you believe would top the list? Chances are you’re now thinking of doctors, engineers, policemen, firefighters, and teachers. Of course, this rating should absolutely include teachers. It’s hardly possible to underestimate the importance of the role teachers play for the future of kids and society as a whole. Teachers are those kids spend the most of their time with, so it wouldn’t be smart to argue on the tremendous influence they may have on the younger generation.

But for some weird and unfair reason, teachers, as a rule, don’t get reasonable financial compensation for what they do. Well, at least, in the majority of cases. While we obviously cannot increase teacher salaries simply because we feel it would be the right thing to do, we can use the information we have to help teachers choose the best location for their career. They say less is more, so let’s do it.

Factors We Considered

As you may have noticed, this article is a part of our ‘Best Places to Live’ project. Previously, we’ve already talked about the cities to live in for software engineers, musicians, entrepreneurs, and tech professionals, to name a few. While factors and numbers we take into account differ depending on which profession we discuss, we always take into account rental prices, cost of living, as well as employment opportunities. So this time is no different. While working on the list of best cities for teachers, we’ve considered housing prices, average teacher’s salary, local cost of living, and best schools to work for. Ready to see which cities are ranking the highest for all of these factors? Keep reading to find out.

Pittsburgh, PA

Median rental price: $1,496/mo
Average teacher’s salary: $53,490
Cost of living: 88.0 (100 is the national average)
Best Public Schools: North Allegheny High School, Fox Chapel Area High School, Mt. Lebanon Senior High School

No matter if you call Pittsburgh the city of bridges or the city of steel, it still remains one of the best American cities to work as a teacher. Local teacher’s salary is 14 percent higher compared to the national average, while the cost of living in the city is relatively low. Housing prices are stable and mostly reasonable, which makes Pittsburgh a good city to relocate to.

Little Rock, AR

Median rental price: $1,526/mo
Average teacher’s salary: $40,890
Cost of living: 88.8 (100 is the national average)
Best Public Schools: Central High School, Parkview Magnet High School, Benton High School

Although the average teacher’s salary in Little Rock is the lowest mentioned in this article, so is the local cost of living. You can rent a nice place for less than $1,000 per month, which is not a common practice for the majority of American cities. Little Rock is relatively small (if that was not true, they’d call it Huge Rock), but it has got some big city vibes to keep you inspired and motivated.

Phoenix, AZ

Median rental price: 1,883/mo
Average teacher’s salary: $42,509
Cost of living: 99.4 (100 is the national average)
Best Public Schools: Basis Phoenix, Chaparral High School, University High School

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If you’re a bit surprised to see Phoenix on the list, don’t be. In fact, we’re now talking about one of the most up-and-coming cities in the country. Believe it or not, but local job growth rates are projected to double the national average this year, which means less competition and even more employment opportunities. Given this, it comes as no surprise that the state of Arizona is expected to have the 2nd lowest competition for teacher job positions in the years to come.

Omaha, NE

Median rental price: $1,051/mo
Average teacher’s salary: $46,383
Cost of living: 88.0 (100 is the national average)
Best Public Schools: Millard North High School, Elkhorn South High School, Westside High School

If you’re looking for the city of low rental prices, affordable cost of living and relatively high teacher salaries take a look at Omaha. Although it doesn’t look like an obvious choice to make, Omaha is a good destination for talented teachers. To begin with, the state of Nebraska is considered the 7th best in terms of academic work and environment. Apart from it, local salaries meet the national average, while the cost of living here is significantly lower. Not even to mention the high-quality apartments a $1,000 per month can buy here with ease.

Atlanta, GA

Median rental price: $2,485/mo
Average teacher’s salary: $52,733
Cost of living: 101.8 (100 is the national average)
Best Public Schools: Grady High School, North Atlanta High School, Early College High School at Carver

When they say that teachers are paid way better in some parts of the US, chances are good they have Atlanta, GA on their minds. The local average salary of a teacher is 13 percent higher compared to the national average. Although the cost of living in general and rental prices, in particular, are not as low as in the cities listed above, Atlanta is sure a good place to consider relocating too.

Summing Up

While it’s true that people who decide to build a career of a teacher rarely do so for money, it is just as true that they deserve to be paid at least twice as much as they’re now. We’ve discovered that although large metropolitan areas seem to shell out the biggest amounts of money for education, cost of living in these areas makes it hardly possible for teachers to make ends meet. With this in mind, we’ve rounded up this list of excellent cities to pursue a career as a teacher. Hopefully, our list will help you choose the right location for settling down and doing the job you love. Emotions Spillover Alert: On behalf of our entire team, we want to thank you for dedicating your life to such a meaningful and worthy work. What you do means the world, for real.

Atlanta, GALittle Rock AROmaha NEPhoenix, AZPittsburgh, PA