Respect for Illinois TeachersAs the daughter of a retired Illinois teacher, I know firsthand how much passion, energy, and sacrifice goes into education. To put it simply, teaching is so much harder these days, but apparently, it's a little easier if you're a teacher in Illinois. WalletHub recently published a survey that listed Illinois as one of the top five states for teachers in 2025. These states earned their recognition thanks to strong teacher compensation, tenure protections, investments in schools, and policies that support teachers and reduce turnover. LOOK: Counties with the lowest cost of living in Illinois Stacker compiled a list of counties with the lowest cost of living in Illinois using data from Niche.