S.C. ranks 45th in nationwide teacher survey

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South Carolina ranked 45th in a recent WalletHub.com survey of the best states for teachers.

The study considered 22 metrics in 50 states and the District of Columbia in evaluating competitive salaries and job security. Those metrics factored in to an overall score as well as rankings in two categories: opportunity and competition, which included average salaries, income growth potential and average teacher pension; and academic and work environment, which measured things such as school system quality, pupil-teacher ratio and public-school spending per student.

S.C., with an overall score of 45.56, ranked 37th in opportunity and competition and 49th in academic and work environment. The state ranked 42nd in average starting salary, 38th in average salary and 18th in income growth potential. S.C. school systems ranked 40th, while the state ranked 42nd in teacher safety.

New York ranked No. 1 in the survey with an overall score of 64.55, followed by Connecticut and Minnesota. Hawaii ranked last with a total score of 35.18, with Arizona 50th and North Carolina 49th.