Teacher Shortage Areas by State
There will always be a need for great teachers. Regardless of temporary economic conditions, hiring practices, budget cuts or any other factors that impact the education system, the need for teachers is timeless and universal. Society will always need educators, and in that respect, teaching is one career in which you can be confident you will always have a purpose.
A teacher shortage occurs when there are not enough teachers in key subject areas, which has been partly caused by years of teacher layoffs during the Great Recession, a growing student population and fewer people entering teacher preparation programs, according to the Learning Policy Institute.
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- Choose from two teaching credential specializations: Elementary Teaching (Multiple Subject) or Secondary Teaching (Single Subject).
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The need for teachers is quite real. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011, employment of teachers is expected to grow by 13% between 2008 and 2018. In 2008, there were about 3.5 million kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school teachers in the country, so we can expect almost another 500,000 to be hired by 2018. Also indicative of the high demand for teachers is the large volume of grants available for teachers.
The specific needs of schools vary from district to district. Some areas, particularly in high-needs schools in the south and west, have higher needs for teachers. There is also a demand for teachers by subject, with certain academic areas needing teachers more than others. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education is a great example of an area where there is a high demand for great teachers.
Teacher Shortage information was provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listings for 2016–2017, and was determined by examining the most recent data about unfilled teaching positions; positions filled by teachers certified by irregular, provisional, temporary, or emergency certification; and teachers teaching in subject areas other than their area of preparation.
Click on your state below to find out more information about teacher shortage areas:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Alternative Careers in Education Shortage Areas
Education careers outside the classroom are also in demand. Here are the states reporting shortages in non-teaching roles. Click to learn more about each career path:
School Counselor
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- Oklahoma
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
School Librarian
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Iowa
- Maine
- Michigan
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
School Behavior Analyst
- None reported
School Administrator
- Connecticut
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
School Social Worker
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
School Speech-Language Pathologist
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Kansas
- Maine
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Utah
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
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The Higher Education Teaching Certificate online short course aims to give you the opportunity to engage deeply with and reflect on your teaching practices, portfolio, and journey in the higher education (HE) field. Loosely based on the in-person seminar program currently offered by Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and in association with HarvardX, this course gives you the opportunity to explore the focus areas of pedagogy, course and assessment design, professional communication, language and culture of the classroom, and reflections on teaching – entirely online, from anywhere in the world.
Information last updated: July 2026