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May 8 is National Teacher Appreciation Day, a day set aside to thank the educators who support, nurture, and inspire students across the United States. In May 2017, there were nearly 4.2 million preschool, primary, secondary, and special education teachers in the United States. Their average annual wage was $58,780. Among these, there were about 1 million secondary school teachers with an average annual wage of $62,860.
State | Average annual wage |
---|---|
Alaska |
$85,420 |
New York |
83,360 |
Connecticut |
78,810 |
California |
77,390 |
New Jersey |
76,430 |
Massachusetts |
76,170 |
Virginia |
69,890 |
Oregon |
69,660 |
Maryland |
69,070 |
Illinois |
68,380 |
Rhode Island |
67,620 |
Pennsylvania |
66,020 |
Minnesota |
65,290 |
Washington |
64,760 |
District of Columbia |
64,420 |
Delaware |
63,640 |
Michigan |
62,910 |
Vermont |
61,590 |
Ohio |
60,810 |
New Hampshire |
60,070 |
Wyoming |
59,780 |
Hawaii |
59,250 |
Texas |
57,830 |
Wisconsin |
57,320 |
Nevada |
57,210 |
Georgia |
56,850 |
New Mexico |
56,060 |
Nebraska |
55,870 |
Utah |
55,540 |
Kentucky |
55,300 |
Iowa |
54,490 |
Colorado |
54,460 |
South Carolina |
53,960 |
Maine |
52,940 |
Indiana |
52,670 |
Florida |
51,800 |
Missouri |
51,720 |
North Dakota |
51,400 |
Tennessee |
51,390 |
Montana |
51,290 |
Arkansas |
50,990 |
Louisiana |
50,700 |
Kansas |
50,470 |
Alabama |
49,790 |
Idaho |
48,540 |
Arizona |
48,050 |
West Virginia |
46,560 |
Mississippi |
46,370 |
North Carolina |
46,370 |
South Dakota |
41,980 |
Oklahoma |
41,880 |
By state, average annual wages of secondary school teachers ranged from around $42,000 in Oklahoma and South Dakota to over $80,000 in Alaska and New York.
Of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more, the highest paid area for secondary school teachers was New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, with an average annual wage of $87,260. The lowest paid area for secondary school teachers was Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with an average annual wage of $42,970.
Metropolitan area | Average annual wage |
---|---|
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
$87,260 |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
79,760 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
79,450 |
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
77,720 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
77,660 |
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
76,370 |
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH NECTA |
76,090 |
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
74,580 |
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
74,550 |
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT |
74,060 |
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
72,910 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
72,080 |
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY |
71,960 |
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
69,750 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
68,760 |
Rochester, NY |
68,370 |
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC |
68,200 |
Pittsburgh, PA |
68,060 |
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
68,010 |
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA |
67,840 |
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
67,710 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
66,290 |
Cleveland-Elyria, OH |
64,550 |
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI |
63,830 |
Columbus, OH |
63,100 |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
62,120 |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
61,650 |
St. Louis, MO-IL |
60,350 |
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN |
60,050 |
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN |
59,640 |
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
58,650 |
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX |
57,500 |
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
57,470 |
Richmond, VA |
57,340 |
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
56,350 |
Salt Lake City, UT |
55,400 |
Austin-Round Rock, TX |
55,340 |
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN |
55,100 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
54,480 |
Memphis, TN-MS-AR |
53,820 |
Kansas City, MO-KS |
53,630 |
Birmingham-Hoover, AL |
51,570 |
New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
51,230 |
Jacksonville, FL |
50,910 |
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
50,810 |
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
50,510 |
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN |
50,060 |
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC |
48,920 |
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL |
48,610 |
Raleigh, NC |
47,100 |
Oklahoma City, OK |
42,970 |
These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. To learn more about teachers, see Education, Training, and Library Occupation Profiles. The data in this article do not include secondary school teachers who teach special education or career/technical education.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, A look at teacher pay across the United States in 2017 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/a-look-at-teacher-pay-across-the-united-states-in-2017.htm (visited October 31, 2024).