How much do salaries of teachers in the United States vary between the 51 states? The answer is that the average salaries of teachers in the USA can differ as much as almost $40,000 per annum between states! This is the difference between New York with $87,738 and Mississippi with $47,655 for a national average of $65,090 (latest, 2021 figures). Here are some interesting findings on what USA teacher salaries are in 2022, by state.
The following links are to articles on the best websites to find teaching jobs in the USA, how to compare salaries, salaries in other parts of the world, and how to find jobs abroad.
Table of Contents
Most new Teachers Earn Under $50k pa
New teachers in all but Washington DC and New Jersey start with salaries below $50,000 per annum, with thirty of the 51 States starting at under $30,000 which is under the living wage (for families) in almost all states!
The livable or living wage, is the income required a single person would need to cover to make a basic living without assistance in a particular area. It must not be confused with a minimum hourly labor wage. The living wage is also calculated for a family of four, with two working adults and two school-going children.
District of Columbia (Washington DC) is the most expensive place in the USA with a living wage of $20.80 per hour ($43,258 per year) per person and $27.06 ($112,551 – 2019 figures) for a family of four. The minimum wage is $15.20. The starting salary for teachers is $55,209 per year (2019), the average salary is $80,659 (2021).
The comparable numbers for New York are a minimum wage of $13.20 per hour, a livable wage of $20.05 ($41,700) per individual, and $26.50 ($110,225 – 2019 figures) per family of four. According to the website, Salary.com, the median (50%) average public school teacher salary in New York in June 2022 is $66,153, ranging from a (25% median) low of $55,256 to above $80,661 for the top 75%. If the salaries for all educators (private schools, universities, and state departments are included) the average salary exceeds the $87,738 for public school teachers!
California’s minimum is $15.00, with a living wage of $19.41 ($40,371) per individual and $27.42 ($101,378) family, respectively (2020 figures). The latest average earnings for public teachers is $85,892 (2021). The median for San Francisco, CA is $68,737, but the range typically falls between $57,415 (25% median) and $83,812 (75% median). The comparable numbers for Miami, Floria is $53,533 with a range of $44,715 and $65,274. Dallas, Texas has a 50% median of $54,632 – also as of the end of June, 2022, with a range of $45,633 and $66,614.
Mississippi ranks as America’s poorest state with a minimum wage of $7.25, a living wage of $14.20 ($29,542) per individual, and $19.36 ($80,523 – 2019 figures) for a family of four. The average teacher salary is the lowest of the 51 states at $47,655 (2021). The latest comparable figures for Jackson, MS is $49,219 with the 25% and 75% range of $41,112 and $60,014.
The lowest teacher’s starting salary in the USA, however, belongs to Montana at $31,418 (2019), the average for Montana, however, is $52,894 (2021).
What is the average teacher salary in the US?
The national average public school teacher salary for 2018-2019 was $61,189 – 6,7% less than the national average salary. Worryingly, the average teacher salary has fallen 4.6% in the last 10 years. According to the World Population Review, the average for 2022 is $58,593. The worrisome tendency is that salaries are not rising with the sudden increase in inflation.
Keep in mind that these are ‘ballpark numbers,’ teacher salaries vary from state to state, within districts, schools and grades. In some cases, salaries are based on years of experience, qualifications, and specialist subjects (PE teachers don’t get the same as Math teachers).
Which US state has the highest teacher salary?
New York has the highest average salary for teachers in the US at $85,889 p.a. for 2022. The average teacher salary in New York is 11% higher than other full-time workers in the state. However, the cost of living in New York is high, with a liveable wage of $56,000, with new teachers on average starting at $51,443 p.a.
Which state has the lowest teacher salary in the US?
Mississippi has the lowest average teacher salary in the US at $45,105 (2019)/ $47,655 (2021).
Which states had the biggest salary increases?
Public teachers in six American states saw substantial salary increases between 2019 and 2021. They are:
- Washington $73,049 to $79,529
- Rhode Island $67,040 to $75,281
- Hawaii $63,201 to $70,922
- Colorado $54,935 to $60,611
- Virginia $53,267 to $59,267
- Utah $51,858 to $56,918
The above video shows the average US teacher salaries by state from lowest to highest for 2020.
This information was taken from the National Center for Education Statistics for 2021 and provides the average salaries of public elementary and secondary schools.
Official US Teacher Salary by State NCES 2021 figures
Comprehensive information on each of the 51 states comes from The World Population Review. The 50% median average for teacher salaries from other sites such as Salary.com and Salaryexplorer.com differs from these official NCES numbers. (See the link to NCES, this article is “under construction”.)
| State | Teacher Salary 2019/ 2021 |
|---|---|
| New York | $85,889/ 87,738 |
| California | $83,059 / 85,892 |
| Massachusetts | $82,042 / 86,315 |
| District Columbia DC Connecticut | $79,350 / 80,659 $76,465 / 79,742 |
| New Jersey | $74,760 / 77,489 |
| Washington | $73,049 / 79,529 |
| Maryland | $70,463 / 74,514 |
| Alaska | $70,277 / 72,861 |
| Pennsylvania | $68,930 / 71,281 |
| Illinois | $67,049 / 69,300 |
| Rhode Island | $67,040 / 75,281 |
| Oregon | $65,125 / 68,671 |
| Delaware | $63,662 / 65,798 |
| Hawaii | $63,201 / 70,922 |
| Michigan | $62,170 / 64,267 |
| Vermont | $60,672 / 61,547 |
| Ohio | $59,713 / 61,687 |
| New Hampshire | $59,182 / 61,789 |
| Wyoming | $58,861 / 60,357 |
| Wisconsin | $58,277 / 60,038 |
| Minnesota | $58,221 / 59,069 |
| Iowa | $57,489 / 58,911 |
| Georgia | $57,095 / 60,553 |
| Nevada | $55,950 / 58,167 |
| Colorado | $54,935 / 60,611 |
| Nebraska | $54,470 / 56,463 |
| Texas | $54,121 / 57,641 |
| Maine | $54,025 / 57,052 |
| North Carolina | $53,940 / 54,392 |
| Kentucky | $53,434 / 54,384 |
| North Dakota | $53,434 / 54,837 |
| Virginia | $53,267 / 59,267 |
| Oklahoma | $52,397 / 54,256 |
| Alabama | $52,009 / 54,271 |
| Utah | $51,858 / 56,918 |
| Tennessee | $51,349 / 52,380 |
| Indiana | $51,119 / 52,194 |
| Kansas | $51,082 / 53,932 |
| South Carolina | $50,882 / 53,361 |
| Idaho | $50,757 / 51,817 |
| Montana | $50,721 / 52,894 |
| Arizona | $50,353 / 52,157 |
| Louisiana | $50,288 / 51,851 |
| Missouri | $50,019 / 51,557 |
| Arkansas | $49,438 / 50,992 |
| Florida | $48,314 / 49,583 |
| South Dakota | $48,204 / 49,993 |
| New Mexico | $47,826 / 54,923 |
| West Virginia | $47,681 / 50,261 |
| Mississippi | $45,105 / 47,655 |
Pingback: Teacher Salaries around the World - English Teacher Resources