Prescott, AZ has recently been ranked as a prime area in the U.S. for teachers to live and work in the 3rd Annual “Best Cities for K-12 Teachers” report by consumer research website, GoodCall.com.
Analysts ranked cities based on eight metrics that identify places that are affordable and pay teachers well, safe, have jobs available, have a populace that values education, and are nice places to live with abundant amenities.
Takeaways
- Top cities tended to be smaller cities. The top 10% averaged around 91,000 residents, while the bottom 10% averaged more than 138,000.
- Many of the top cities are suburbs of larger cities. More than half of the top 20 sit outside cities such as Chicago and Detroit.
- The top cities tend to be places that value education; in 6 of the top 10, more than half the population has at least a bachelor’s degree and all 10 have at least 91% of residents with a high school diploma.
- Despite the fact that many of the top places are outside large cities, they tend to have low violent crime rates. The average across all cities is 4.3 crimes per 1,000 residents, but cities in the top 10% average just 2.6.
- Top cities tended to fall more near the center of the country, especially in the Midwest, while the lowest-ranked cities fell on the coasts.
Bentonville, Arkansas, was the top rated city, with teachers making 68% above the median income level.
GoodCall reviewed data from 689 cities nationwide. Prescott, AZ was ranked the #82 in the U.S. It was featured for its strong educational values, favorable teacher salaries, healthy job market, plentiful amenities, affordability, and low unemployment and crime rates.