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Elementary school teachers had median annual wage of $58,230 in 2018

September 04, 2019

In May 2018, the median annual wage of the nation's 1.4 million elementary school teachers (not including special education teachers) was $58,230. The lowest-paid 10 percent of elementary school teachers earned less than $37,780, while the highest-paid earned more than $95,270. The middle 50 percent of elementary school teachers earned between $46,120 and $75,330 per year.

 Employment and wages of preschool–high school teachers by occupation, May 2018

Occupation

Employment

Annual wages

10th percentile

25th percentile

50th percentile (median)

75th percentile

90th percentile

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

424,520 $20,610 $24,040 $29,780 $39,060 $55,350

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

131,160 35,680 44,310 55,470 69,420 86,310

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

1,410,970 37,780 46,120 58,230 75,330 95,270

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

609,970 39,090 46,840 58,600 74,600 93,180

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School

11,940 39,890 47,770 59,230 74,770 92,550

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

1,051,570 39,740 47,980 60,320 77,720 97,500

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School

77,460 41,250 49,220 60,250 74,930 91,190

Special Education Teachers, Preschool

23,480 34,300 44,020 55,840 72,570 100,160

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

185,190 38,980 47,520 59,390 75,940 95,730

Special Education Teachers, Middle School

87,870 40,690 48,820 60,250 77,080 97,290

Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

142,360 40,560 48,630 60,600 77,820 98,290

Special Education Teachers, All Other

36,800 34,580 44,030 56,680 76,110 98,730

The median wage for secondary school (high school) teachers, who numbered 1.1 million, was $60,320 in May 2018. The lowest-paid secondary school teachers had annual wages below $39,740 and the highest-paid earned more than $97,500. The middle 50 percent of secondary school teachers earned wages between $47,980 and $77,720 per year. (These estimates do not include special education or career/technical education teachers.)

Among metropolitan areas, median annual earnings of elementary school teachers were lowest, near $39,000, in metropolitan areas in Arizona, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Idaho, and Florida. Elementary school teachers had the highest median annual wages, over $80,000, in metropolitan areas in California, Oregon, Massachusetts, and New York.

Show employment map

Employment and median annual wages of elementary school teachers by metropolitan area, May 2018

Metropolitan area

50th percentile (median) annual wage

  Employment  

Abilene, TX

$47,430 630

Akron, OH

63,940 3,430

Albany, GA

59,120 820

Albany, OR

62,720 -

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

67,130 3,330

Albuquerque, NM

50,420 2,390

Alexandria, LA

43,110 930

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

76,030 4,600

Altoona, PA

53,780 510

Amarillo, TX

55,230 1,360

Ames, IA

51,640 430

Anchorage, AK

73,130 1,800

Ann Arbor, MI

63,590 1,720

Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL

50,260 570

Appleton, WI

60,030 1,340

Asheville, NC

45,210 1,540

Athens-Clarke County, GA

55,130 1,270

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

56,780 31,060

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

75,950 1,330

Auburn-Opelika, AL

50,270 800

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

59,760 3,410

Austin-Round Rock, TX

58,980 9,370

Bakersfield, CA

80,430 5,820

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

70,770 14,040

Bangor, ME

49,520 910

Barnstable Town, MA

76,810 1,010

Baton Rouge, LA

48,870 4,030

Battle Creek, MI

62,180 580

Bay City, MI

58,800 340

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

49,880 2,030

Bellingham, WA

62,260 840

Bend-Redmond, OR

84,780 830

Billings, MT

54,750 710

Binghamton, NY

60,350 1,110

Birmingham-Hoover, AL

53,190 7,210

Bismarck, ND

55,700 740

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

46,450 550

Bloomington, IL

58,910 920

Bloomington, IN

51,660 620

Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA

64,020 410

Boise City, ID

46,660 3,330

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH

79,010 22,490

Boulder, CO

64,830 1,710

Bowling Green, KY

51,880 770

Bremerton-Silverdale, WA

68,710 990

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT

78,830 4,460

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

51,740 2,450

Brunswick, GA

72,690 490

Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

68,630 5,210

Burlington, NC

45,100 1,080

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

59,580 790

Canton-Massillon, OH

57,950 1,110

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

64,660 2,370

Cape Girardeau, MO-IL

41,200 380

Carbondale-Marion, IL

53,580 430

Cedar Rapids, IA

54,870 1,350

Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA

60,100 630

Champaign-Urbana, IL

46,100 1,060

Charleston, WV

45,220 -

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

47,620 4,790

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

47,500 9,480

Charlottesville, VA

67,470 1,110

Chattanooga, TN-GA

60,790 2,700

Cheyenne, WY

62,890 470

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

62,590 47,500

Chico, CA

62,040 1,000

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

60,620 8,250

Clarksville, TN-KY

61,220 1,150

Cleveland, TN

49,420 400

Cleveland-Elyria, OH

68,020 6,800

Coeur d'Alene, ID

41,950 300

College Station-Bryan, TX

47,660 1,170

Colorado Springs, CO

46,480 3,550

Columbia, SC

50,380 3,360

Columbus, GA-AL

56,240 1,900

Columbus, IN

48,050 470

Columbus, OH

63,470 10,890

Corpus Christi, TX

65,250 1,900

Corvallis, OR

54,690 310

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL

51,350 850

Cumberland, MD-WV

61,830 -

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

58,660 37,210

Dalton, GA

58,890 550

Danbury, CT

78,620 880

Danville, IL

45,570 470

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL

49,300 640

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

57,730 2,560

Dayton, OH

64,660 4,300

Decatur, AL

50,780 1,050

Decatur, IL

42,210 490

Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL

44,890 1,980

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

54,370 11,850

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

58,580 3,160

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

70,840 16,990

Dothan, AL

47,660 620

Dover-Durham, NH-ME

60,660 650

Dubuque, IA

51,590 560

Duluth, MN-WI

67,610 970

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

46,270 2,260

East Stroudsburg, PA

72,840 620

Eau Claire, WI

52,200 880

El Centro, CA

86,790 1,270

El Paso, TX

64,830 3,470

Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY

53,330 560

Elkhart-Goshen, IN

50,070 1,050

Elmira, NY

52,130 -

Enid, OK

38,300 290

Erie, PA

56,980 1,430

Eugene, OR

67,130 1,200

Evansville, IN-KY

46,690 1,460

Fairbanks, AK

75,980 530

Fargo, ND-MN

62,440 930

Farmington, NM

56,570 640

Fayetteville, NC

42,130 1,970

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO

54,460 2,290

Flagstaff, AZ

46,570 560

Flint, MI

56,020 1,730

Florence, SC

52,240 1,120

Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL

52,120 910

Fond du Lac, WI

52,920 -

Fort Collins, CO

51,510 1,370

Fort Smith, AR-OK

45,930 1,230

Fort Wayne, IN

48,940 1,350

Fresno, CA

83,310 4,280

Gainesville, FL

42,120 310

Gainesville, GA

56,380 1,030

Gettysburg, PA

51,260 580

Glens Falls, NY

62,620 680

Grand Forks, ND-MN

51,780 660

Grand Island, NE

62,270 640

Grand Junction, CO

45,270 670

Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

56,510 4,140

Grants Pass, OR

47,090 -

Great Falls, MT

48,620 290

Greeley, CO

46,240 1,290

Green Bay, WI

51,340 2,280

Greensboro-High Point, NC

47,350 3,060

Greenville, NC

40,010 560

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC

46,290 4,370

Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS

45,700 1,340

Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV

54,530 1,290

Hammond, LA

49,080 970

Hanford-Corcoran, CA

81,310 1,150

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA

60,920 2,560

Harrisonburg, VA

48,090 770

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

75,850 4,870

Hattiesburg, MS

41,840 710

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

45,710 1,070

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC

67,020 790

Hinesville, GA

54,910 410

Hot Springs, AR

48,430 320

Houma-Thibodaux, LA

48,550 1,340

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

58,170 30,650

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

47,930 1,520

Huntsville, AL

51,980 2,300

Idaho Falls, ID

39,100 800

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

52,150 8,190

Iowa City, IA

58,280 480

Ithaca, NY

55,300 420

Jackson, MI

- 750

Jackson, MS

41,430 2,620

Jackson, TN

47,030 530

Jacksonville, FL

57,740 6,240

Janesville-Beloit, WI

65,040 800

Jefferson City, MO

45,870 490

Johnson City, TN

46,780 590

Johnstown, PA

56,190 740

Jonesboro, AR

45,460 620

Joplin, MO

44,800 670

Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI

59,010 530

Kalamazoo-Portage, MI

62,170 1,220

Kankakee, IL

48,490 420

Kansas City, MO-KS

50,950 10,770

Kennewick-Richland, WA

61,010 1,320

Killeen-Temple, TX

48,010 2,600

Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA

48,280 1,290

Kingston, NY

93,990 680

Knoxville, TN

49,490 3,550

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

56,150 660

Lafayette, LA

47,580 2,420

Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN

47,100 610

Lake Charles, LA

48,520 1,200

Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ

39,860 490

Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL

47,870 2,710

Lancaster, PA

63,070 1,910

Lansing-East Lansing, MI

58,480 1,640

Laredo, TX

61,870 1,550

Las Cruces, NM

74,190 730

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

54,650 7,470

Lawrence, KS

47,650 530

Lawton, OK

38,570 490

Lebanon, PA

63,230 590

Leominster-Gardner, MA

88,750 510

Lewiston, ID-WA

51,160 340

Lewiston-Auburn, ME

46,980 330

Lexington-Fayette, KY

56,090 2,170

Lima, OH

58,060 770

Lincoln, NE

53,600 1,500

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

51,890 2,690

Logan, UT-ID

45,940 910

Longview, TX

47,010 970

Longview, WA

65,420 470

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

85,710 46,870

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

58,260 5,100

Lubbock, TX

46,010 1,600

Lynchburg, VA

49,250 870

Macon, GA

51,450 1,300

Madera, CA

82,950 1,010

Madison, WI

56,030 3,280

Manchester, NH

56,750 920

Manhattan, KS

55,170 390

Mankato-North Mankato, MN

46,520 360

Mansfield, OH

56,540 -

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

54,510 5,860

Medford, OR

65,190 860

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

56,360 5,690

Merced, CA

76,450 1,640

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

44,920 19,840

Michigan City-La Porte, IN

47,240 420

Midland, MI

54,930 220

Midland, TX

50,360 -

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

57,550 7,950

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

67,690 14,490

Missoula, MT

51,200 420

Mobile, AL

47,100 -

Modesto, CA

86,460 2,460

Monroe, LA

49,230 1,010

Monroe, MI

59,740 490

Montgomery, AL

50,310 1,420

Morristown, TN

49,870 290

Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA

66,570 360

Muncie, IN

45,570 340

Muskegon, MI

64,130 670

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

48,090 1,000

Napa, CA

76,330 460

Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL

51,410 1,220

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

51,150 8,340

New Bedford, MA

88,510 580

New Bern, NC

45,520 310

New Haven, CT

75,750 2,800

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

49,320 5,310

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

80,130 86,140

Niles-Benton Harbor, MI

52,110 610

North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL

49,290 2,260

Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI

71,000 1,110

Ocean City, NJ

69,360 330

Odessa, TX

52,800 570

Ogden-Clearfield, UT

62,140 2,450

Oklahoma City, OK

39,780 5,880

Olympia-Tumwater, WA

63,850 780

Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA

58,240 4,380

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

47,060 10,820

Oshkosh-Neenah, WI

53,530 860

Owensboro, KY

53,290 510

Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA

71,260 3,640

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

42,370 2,410

Panama City, FL

40,670 750

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL

48,610 2,230

Peoria, IL

46,430 2,450

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

67,000 27,560

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

44,800 15,360

Pine Bluff, AR

46,560 320

Pittsburgh, PA

59,870 8,870

Pittsfield, MA

76,950 490

Pocatello, ID

41,560 -

Port St. Lucie, FL

54,990 1,400

Portland-South Portland, ME

60,930 1,240

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

68,990 9,030

Portsmouth, NH-ME

64,100 500

Prescott, AZ

42,360 560

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

73,470 4,570

Provo-Orem, UT

66,070 2,590

Pueblo, CO

46,840 730

Racine, WI

58,080 830

Raleigh, NC

46,240 5,890

Rapid City, SD

43,390 550

Reading, PA

63,520 1,840

Redding, CA

64,970 760

Reno, NV

59,370 1,750

Richmond, VA

56,600 5,330

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

89,500 22,000

Roanoke, VA

49,870 1,460

Rochester, MN

53,580 800

Rochester, NY

62,820 4,770

Rockford, IL

59,270 1,690

Rocky Mount, NC

38,410 520

Rome, GA

58,420 610

Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA

69,400 8,760

Saginaw, MI

62,810 960

Salem, OR

66,590 1,960

Salinas, CA

64,400 2,320

Salisbury, MD-DE

66,690 1,050

Salt Lake City, UT

55,930 4,250

San Angelo, TX

46,880 660

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

57,630 11,570

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

68,000 11,880

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

80,890 17,260

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

76,880 9,970

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA

71,680 610

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

79,010 -

Santa Fe, NM

63,100 830

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

76,030 2,940

Santa Rosa, CA

73,910 2,030

Savannah, GA

52,260 1,450

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA

57,580 2,820

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

67,400 13,450

Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL

58,500 610

Sebring, FL

44,720 580

Sheboygan, WI

59,860 -

Sherman-Denison, TX

64,700 790

Shreveport-Bossier City, LA

51,350 2,450

Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ

36,540 520

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

57,790 990

Sioux Falls, SD

45,420 1,150

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

49,030 1,300

Spartanburg, SC

53,450 1,420

Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA

65,940 1,930

Springfield, IL

52,990 880

Springfield, MA-CT

74,360 3,620

Springfield, MO

46,690 2,460

Springfield, OH

66,660 -

St. Cloud, MN

58,130 860

St. Joseph, MO-KS

41,680 540

St. Louis, MO-IL

50,730 11,560

State College, PA

60,460 570

Staunton-Waynesboro, VA

48,590 480

Stockton-Lodi, CA

73,510 2,840

Sumter, SC

50,870 -

Syracuse, NY

64,470 2,730

Tallahassee, FL

45,470 1,360

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

58,430 12,800

Terre Haute, IN

46,180 610

Texarkana, TX-AR

46,770 770

Toledo, OH

61,050 2,600

Topeka, KS

46,470 1,140

Trenton, NJ

68,430 1,810

Tucson, AZ

40,180 2,880

Tulsa, OK

38,690 4,240

Tuscaloosa, AL

48,180 1,360

Tyler, TX

48,200 1,070

Urban Honolulu, HI

61,520 4,660

Utica-Rome, NY

62,410 1,210

Valdosta, GA

49,300 -

Vallejo-Fairfield, CA

68,330 2,160

Victoria, TX

47,740 510

Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ

64,580 700

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC

69,710 6,840

Visalia-Porterville, CA

74,010 2,160

Waco, TX

48,520 1,140

Walla Walla, WA

65,830 220

Warner Robins, GA

54,570 -

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

74,660 28,490

Waterbury, CT

64,640 890

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

57,260 1,210

Watertown-Fort Drum, NY

59,540 340

Wausau, WI

57,060 670

Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH

56,000 610

Wenatchee, WA

65,140 290

Wheeling, WV-OH

56,730 600

Wichita Falls, TX

48,220 890

Wichita, KS

49,730 3,850

Williamsport, PA

66,920 -

Wilmington, NC

44,570 1,240

Winchester, VA-WV

51,500 -

Winston-Salem, NC

46,750 2,590

Worcester, MA-CT

73,830 2,260

Yakima, WA

62,380 1,380

York-Hanover, PA

69,740 2,870

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA

56,300 2,890

Yuba City, CA

78,400 960

Yuma, AZ

37,900 690

Note: Dash indicates data not available.

These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. See "Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2018" to learn more. The median wage, or the 50th percentile wage, is the midpoint of a wage distribution from lowest to highest; half of the employees in a given occupation earn less, and half earn more, than the median wage. Similarly, 25 percent of employees earn less, and the remaining 75 percent earn more, than the 25th percentile wage.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Elementary school teachers had median annual wage of $58,230 in 2018 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/elementary-school-teachers-had-median-annual-wage-of-58230-in-2018.htm (visited March 28, 2024).

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