While there are disparities from one state and region to the next, several analyses in recent years suggest increasing numbers of teachers based in the U.S. are leaving behind the profession in search of other career opportunities in different fields.

Trying to pin down apples-to-apples comparisons throughout the country, however, is challenging. As an analysis in Chalkbeat points out, the federal government historically has not tracked or reported on the rates of teachers quitting the profession altogether. State-level reporting of teacher turnover rates is also mixed.

But in general terms, there have been reports within the last half-decade of teacher attrition gaining momentum. The reports have increased since the pandemic prompted school closures nearly four years ago.

Where teacher turnover is occurring

In general terms, a report from the Learning Policy Institute indicates teacher turnover could be highest in the southern region of the U.S., followed by the West, Midwest and Northeast. The report cited 16.7% teacher turnover rates in the South, compared to 10.3% in the Northeast.

The organization’s analysis also indicated general disparities based on the type of community. Turnover rates tended to be higher in urban and, in some instances, rural school districts. Suburban school districts, by contrast, have traditionally been faring better.

While concrete, state-by-state numbers of teacher attrition are not easy to come by, organizations such as the Education Commission of the States have issued general reports on the teacher labor market. According to the organization, 40 states have indicated there are teacher shortages taking place.

Why teachers are leaving the profession

There have been a number of broad reasons cited for teacher exoduses in the past — most notably, salary demands. But the pandemic has added a number of additional reasons into the mix as well.

The Chalkbeat analysis delved into post-pandemic teacher turnover trends. In general, stress and workloads were among the reasons teachers indicated they were leaving the profession. The politics surrounding the in-person vs. virtual instructional debate was a reason cited for the turnover, as were increased student behavior concerns.

The report from the Education Commission indicated a number of states are working to stem the turnover tide, with increased emphasis on mentor support between veteran and new teachers, among other strategies to increase employee engagement.