The 10 best states to be a teacher

Teachers educate the world's future leaders, and they often come up against a number of challenges in the process.

For one thing, politicians don't always have the nicest things to say about our country's educators, including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who told CNN he wanted to punch the national teacher's union in the face in August, and Ohio Governor John Kasich, who said if he were "king of America," he "would abolish all teachers lounges where they sit together and worry about 'woe is us.'" 

Thankfully, some educators stick it out in spite of low average starting salaries and a high turnover rate - according to the National Education Associate, nearly half of the country's educators don't last beyond their fifth year of teaching. 

The best prospects for becoming a teacher and sticking it out are in Massachusetts, according to personal finance site WalletHub. 

WalletHub analyzed and ranked all 50 US states and DC based on 13 metrics pertaining to job opportunity, competition, and academic and work environment.

Metrics included the average starting salary and median annual salary for teachers, average class size, school safety and spending, income growth potential, and school systems ranking.

To read more about the study's methodology, check out the full report here.

Here's an interactive map showing how each state ranks:

Keep reading to see how the 10 best states to be a teacher stack up: