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California
$92,960
New York
$91,290
Washington
$88,530
Massachusetts
$82,960
Connecticut
$80,230
Oregon
$79,780
New Jersey
$79,460
District of Columbia
$76,540
Alaska
$74,870
Rhode Island
$74,640
Virginia
$74,120
Pennsylvania
$73,810
Maryland
Illinois
$72,480
Ohio
$70,320
Delaware
$68,810
New Hampshire
$68,250
Georgia
$67,520
Michigan
$66,840
Nevada
$66,620
Utah
$66,290
Minnesota
$64,500
Wyoming
$63,730
Florida
$63,470
Colorado
$62,730
New Mexico
$62,500
Wisconsin
$62,500
Vermont
$62,320
Texas
$61,210
Iowa
$60,490
Nebraska
$60,250
Arizona
$59,490
Maine
$59,260
Indiana
$58,690
Kentucky
$58,160
Idaho
$57,780
Kansas
$56,590
North Dakota
$56,510
Missouri
$56,270
Tennessee
$55,920
South Carolina
$55,680
Alabama
$55,050
Oklahoma
$54,810
Montana
$54,630
Louisiana
$54,300
Arkansas
$53,080
North Carolina
$51,570
West Virginia
$50,770
Mississippi
$49,770
South Dakota
$49,190
Teacher Pay by State 2024
Many teachers are underpaid in the U.S. While the national average K-12 teacher salary is $66,397, this varies significantly by state. Unfortunately, many teachers are underpaid for taking on one of the most important tasks for a new generation: educating our youth.
Some of the best states for teachers are Washington, Utah, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Of these states, Washington, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are among the ten highest-paying states for teachers.
Like any other profession, the average salaries of teachers vary from state to state. This isn't just a small difference either. Average teacher salaries in the U.S. range from $47,162 in Mississippi to $92,222 in New York. Additionally, these salaries can be as much as 28% lower than the average salary of a full-time, year-round employee.
The highest pay in the nation for new teachers is in New York, where the average teacher salary is $92,222. New York's average teacher salary is about 11.5% higher than the average earnings of a full-time, year-round employee. Massachusetts and California follow, with $88,903 and $87,275 respectively.
Mississippi has the lowest average teacher salary of $47,162, followed by South Dakota with $49,761. These are the only states with average teacher salaries under $50,000 a year. Other states with lower average teacher salaries are West Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, and Arkansas.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| California | $92,960 |
| New York | $91,290 |
| Washington | $88,530 |
| Massachusetts | $82,960 |
| Connecticut | $80,230 |
| Oregon | $79,780 |
| New Jersey | $79,460 |
| District of Columbia | $76,540 |
| Alaska | $74,870 |
| Rhode Island | $74,640 |
It's crucial to note that these are overall average teacher salaries. Starting teacher salaries are much lower and are often far below the livable wage in many states. The District of Columbia and New Jersey are the only states with starting teacher salaries over $50,000, with $55,209 and $51,443. Unfortunately, the livable wage is $68,000 in D.C. and $56,000 in New Jersey. Montana has the lowest starting salary at $31,418, which is still below its livable wage of $47,000. Thirty-four U.S. states have starting teacher salaries below $40,000 a year.
Below is a table of each state's average teacher salary and its comparison to the average full-time, year-round worker's salary and past salaries, and the average starting teacher salaries.
Teacher Pay by State 2024
Notes:
- As of 2023, the US national average teacher pay was $69,480 and the median was $62,360.
State | Annual Mean Salary (USD) | Annual Median (USD) | 10th Percentile Wage (USD) | 25th Percentile Wage (USD) | 75th Percentile Wage (USD) | 90th Percentile Wage (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $92,960 | $95,260 | $60,640 | $74,390 | $103,880 | $128,680 |
| New York | $91,290 | $84,070 | $48,570 | $62,890 | $126,440 | $129,880 |
| Washington | $88,530 | $93,810 | $61,760 | $77,990 | $103,860 | $111,580 |
| Massachusetts | $82,960 | $79,460 | $49,820 | $62,310 | $100,150 | $111,040 |
| Connecticut | $80,230 | $78,860 | $48,470 | $60,950 | $99,800 | $106,620 |
| Oregon | $79,780 | $78,920 | $47,980 | $61,660 | $100,860 | $117,320 |
| New Jersey | $79,460 | $77,960 | $60,150 | $62,390 | $97,650 | $103,490 |
| District of Columbia | $76,540 | $76,800 | $48,180 | $61,210 | $99,860 | $103,160 |
| Alaska | $74,870 | $77,790 | $49,260 | $61,600 | $81,090 | $99,480 |
| Rhode Island | $74,640 | $80,790 | $47,540 | $61,290 | $85,770 | $96,750 |
| Virginia | $74,120 | $61,630 | $47,230 | $50,040 | $84,460 | $131,920 |
| Pennsylvania | $73,810 | $75,940 | $48,930 | $60,260 | $81,520 | $101,220 |
| Maryland | $73,730 | $75,670 | $49,230 | $59,340 | $83,880 | $102,030 |
| Illinois | $72,480 | $63,050 | $46,550 | $50,840 | $82,260 | $102,270 |
| Ohio | $70,320 | $73,520 | $45,920 | $51,590 | $80,450 | $100,650 |
| Delaware | $68,810 | $74,160 | $48,410 | $59,770 | $79,090 | $82,540 |
| New Hampshire | $68,250 | $64,440 | $47,290 | $53,680 | $79,490 | $93,030 |
| Georgia | $67,520 | $61,790 | $45,760 | $51,060 | $77,910 | $88,380 |
| Michigan | $66,840 | $62,990 | $40,980 | $49,030 | $79,250 | $93,840 |
| Nevada | $66,620 | $67,540 | $48,510 | $51,490 | $78,730 | $84,800 |
| Utah | $66,290 | $62,370 | $48,000 | $52,140 | $77,710 | $93,420 |
| Minnesota | $64,500 | $62,770 | $46,400 | $49,490 | $77,830 | $80,460 |
| Wyoming | $63,730 | $61,780 | $49,940 | $59,400 | $74,530 | $77,640 |
| Florida | $63,470 | $61,930 | $47,600 | $49,820 | $74,670 | $82,530 |
| Colorado | $62,730 | $61,320 | $44,710 | $48,820 | $79,110 | $82,710 |
| New Mexico | $62,500 | $61,140 | $46,910 | $49,750 | $70,530 | $81,150 |
| Wisconsin | $62,500 | $61,550 | $46,810 | $49,340 | $74,980 | $79,100 |
| Vermont | $62,320 | $61,380 | $46,630 | $49,030 | $75,250 | $79,060 |
| Texas | $61,210 | $61,600 | $48,280 | $56,600 | $63,470 | $76,970 |
| Hawaii | $60,790 | $60,560 | $47,000 | $53,350 | $63,580 | $78,170 |
| Iowa | $60,490 | $60,480 | $39,800 | $48,690 | $73,200 | $79,850 |
| Nebraska | $60,250 | $60,800 | $47,560 | $49,850 | $64,460 | $77,010 |
| Arizona | $59,490 | $56,880 | $39,930 | $47,930 | $65,290 | $82,340 |
| Maine | $59,260 | $60,880 | $39,640 | $47,650 | $72,090 | $77,100 |
| Indiana | $58,690 | $58,200 | $40,020 | $47,330 | $64,390 | $78,770 |
| Kentucky | $58,160 | $59,600 | $40,650 | $48,220 | $63,300 | $79,040 |
| Idaho | $57,780 | $59,390 | $41,420 | $46,910 | $65,620 | $77,440 |
| Kansas | $56,590 | $58,060 | $45,880 | $48,110 | $61,930 | $74,000 |
| North Dakota | $56,510 | $51,290 | $46,530 | $47,890 | $61,510 | $77,570 |
| Missouri | $56,270 | $49,410 | $37,880 | $44,720 | $61,850 | $78,330 |
| Tennessee | $55,920 | $53,000 | $45,360 | $48,420 | $62,430 | $73,100 |
| South Carolina | $55,680 | $58,090 | $39,040 | $46,880 | $61,630 | $75,200 |
| Alabama | $55,050 | $57,930 | $46,710 | $48,430 | $60,640 | $63,200 |
| Oklahoma | $54,810 | $49,510 | $39,620 | $46,670 | $62,150 | $78,490 |
| Montana | $54,630 | $49,650 | $28,970 | $38,250 | $64,280 | $80,090 |
| Louisiana | $54,300 | $51,130 | $46,440 | $48,300 | $60,390 | $62,930 |
| Arkansas | $53,080 | $49,260 | $39,060 | $47,010 | $60,860 | $64,080 |
| North Carolina | $51,570 | $48,980 | $38,650 | $46,440 | $59,250 | $62,000 |
| West Virginia | $50,770 | $48,170 | $37,590 | $43,900 | $57,460 | $62,710 |
| Mississippi | $49,770 | $47,690 | $38,420 | $40,170 | $59,010 | $62,020 |
| South Dakota | $49,190 | $48,010 | $38,620 | $46,500 | $52,100 | $59,840 |
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