Average Teacher Salary by State (2026)
By Wealthvieu
·
Updated
Teacher pay varies enormously by state and is a perennial policy debate. Here’s a comprehensive data breakdown.
Table of Contents
Average Teacher Salary by State
| Rank |
State |
Average Salary |
Starting Salary |
Cost-of-Living Adjusted |
| 1 |
New York |
$95,966 |
$48,000 |
$82,800 |
| 2 |
Massachusetts |
$92,307 |
$47,500 |
$82,560 |
| 3 |
California |
$90,531 |
$51,000 |
$79,832 |
| 4 |
Connecticut |
$89,000 |
$47,000 |
$82,791 |
| 5 |
New Jersey |
$88,500 |
$52,000 |
$81,944 |
| 6 |
Washington |
$85,350 |
$45,000 |
$80,519 |
| 7 |
Maryland |
$82,000 |
$46,000 |
$77,725 |
| 8 |
Oregon |
$81,200 |
$42,000 |
$78,454 |
| 9 |
Alaska |
$80,500 |
$49,000 |
$77,404 |
| 10 |
Rhode Island |
$79,800 |
$44,000 |
$78,621 |
| 11 |
Pennsylvania |
$78,500 |
$43,500 |
$82,632 |
| 12 |
Illinois |
$76,000 |
$41,000 |
$78,756 |
| 13 |
Hawaii |
$75,500 |
$46,500 |
$39,139 |
| 14 |
Minnesota |
$74,800 |
$41,500 |
$77,113 |
| 15 |
Delaware |
$74,000 |
$42,500 |
$74,747 |
| 16 |
Michigan |
$73,500 |
$39,500 |
$80,065 |
| 17 |
Vermont |
$73,000 |
$38,500 |
$71,569 |
| 18 |
Ohio |
$72,500 |
$38,000 |
$79,670 |
| 19 |
Virginia |
$72,000 |
$43,000 |
$73,096 |
| 20 |
New Hampshire |
$71,500 |
$38,500 |
$71,144 |
| 21 |
Colorado |
$71,000 |
$38,000 |
$67,619 |
| 22 |
Wisconsin |
$70,200 |
$38,000 |
$75,484 |
| 23 |
Georgia |
$69,500 |
$39,000 |
$78,266 |
| 24 |
North Carolina |
$69,000 |
$37,000 |
$74,595 |
| 25 |
Iowa |
$68,500 |
$37,500 |
$76,794 |
| — |
National Average |
$69,544 |
$42,845 |
$69,544 |
| 26 |
Nevada |
$68,000 |
$42,000 |
$71,204 |
| 27 |
Nebraska |
$67,500 |
$37,000 |
$75,000 |
| 28 |
Indiana |
$67,000 |
$36,500 |
$75,281 |
| 29 |
Wyoming |
$66,500 |
$44,000 |
$71,123 |
| 30 |
Texas |
$66,000 |
$38,500 |
$73,497 |
| 31 |
Tennessee |
$65,500 |
$37,000 |
$74,011 |
| 32 |
Montana |
$65,000 |
$33,500 |
$68,783 |
| 33 |
Kentucky |
$64,500 |
$36,000 |
$72,067 |
| 34 |
Maine |
$64,000 |
$35,500 |
$62,439 |
| 35 |
Kansas |
$63,500 |
$37,500 |
$72,571 |
| 36 |
Utah |
$63,000 |
$41,000 |
$64,286 |
| 37 |
North Dakota |
$62,500 |
$36,000 |
$68,833 |
| 38 |
Arizona |
$62,000 |
$38,500 |
$63,590 |
| 39 |
South Carolina |
$61,500 |
$36,500 |
$66,848 |
| 40 |
Missouri |
$61,000 |
$34,000 |
$69,476 |
| 41 |
Idaho |
$60,500 |
$38,000 |
$64,362 |
| 42 |
Louisiana |
$60,000 |
$38,500 |
$66,445 |
| 43 |
Alabama |
$59,500 |
$37,000 |
$68,786 |
| 44 |
New Mexico |
$59,000 |
$41,000 |
$64,481 |
| 45 |
South Dakota |
$58,500 |
$35,000 |
$64,641 |
| 46 |
Oklahoma |
$57,500 |
$36,500 |
$66,017 |
| 47 |
Arkansas |
$56,800 |
$36,000 |
$66,124 |
| 48 |
Florida |
$55,500 |
$40,000 |
$57,813 |
| 49 |
West Virginia |
$55,000 |
$34,500 |
$64,554 |
| 50 |
Colorado (rural) |
$52,000 |
$32,000 |
$49,524 |
| 51 |
Mississippi |
$46,843 |
$33,000 |
$55,240 |
Teacher Salary by Experience
| Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
vs. Starting (%) |
| Starting (0-3 years) |
$42,845 |
Baseline |
| 4-9 years |
$52,000 |
+21% |
| 10-14 years |
$62,000 |
+45% |
| 15-19 years |
$70,000 |
+63% |
| 20-24 years |
$76,000 |
+77% |
| 25+ years |
$82,000 |
+91% |
| Maximum (top of scale) |
$90,000-$120,000 |
+110-180% |
Most teacher pay scales take 25-30 years to reach the maximum. In contrast, many private-sector careers reach top pay within 10-15 years.
Teacher Pay Penalty
The “teacher pay penalty” measures how much less teachers earn compared to other college-educated workers:
| Year |
Average Teacher Pay |
Comparable Private-Sector Pay |
Pay Penalty |
| 1996 |
$52,000 |
$54,000 |
-3.7% |
| 2000 |
$56,000 |
$62,000 |
-9.7% |
| 2005 |
$60,000 |
$70,000 |
-14.3% |
| 2010 |
$63,000 |
$76,000 |
-17.1% |
| 2015 |
$65,000 |
$82,000 |
-20.7% |
| 2020 |
$67,000 |
$88,000 |
-23.9% |
| 2024 |
$69,544 |
$94,500 |
-26.4% |
The pay penalty has worsened from 3.7% in 1996 to 26.4% today.
States With Largest Pay Penalty
| State |
Teacher Avg. |
Comparable Worker Avg. |
Pay Penalty |
| Colorado |
$71,000 |
$105,000 |
-32.4% |
| Arizona |
$62,000 |
$91,000 |
-31.9% |
| Virginia |
$72,000 |
$104,000 |
-30.8% |
| Oklahoma |
$57,500 |
$82,000 |
-29.9% |
| Florida |
$55,500 |
$78,000 |
-28.8% |
Teacher Benefits: The Full Picture
| Benefit |
Teachers |
Private Sector (Avg.) |
| Pension/retirement |
Defined benefit (most states) |
401(k) with match |
| Healthcare premium (employee share) |
$1,800/month family (employee pays ~$400-$600) |
~$6,200/year employee share |
| Summer break |
10-12 weeks (unpaid in most states) |
2-3 weeks PTO |
| Sick days |
10-15/year |
8-10/year |
| Job security (tenure) |
After 3-5 years |
At-will employment |
| Student loan forgiveness |
PSLF eligible (after 10 years) |
Usually not eligible |
| Pension value |
~$25,000-$45,000/year in retirement |
Depends on savings |
When benefits are included, the total compensation gap narrows to about -10% to -15%.
Teacher Shortage Data
| Metric |
Value |
| Unfilled teaching positions (2024-25) |
~55,000 |
| Positions filled by underqualified teachers |
~270,000 |
| Annual teacher attrition rate |
8% |
| Teachers who leave within first 5 years |
44% |
| States with emergency certifications |
36 states |
| Subject areas with worst shortages |
Math, science, special education, ESL |
Why Teachers Leave
| Reason |
% Citing |
| Low pay |
65% |
| Stressful work conditions |
55% |
| Lack of administrative support |
45% |
| Student behavior issues |
40% |
| Too many working hours (avg. 54 hrs/week) |
38% |
| Better opportunities elsewhere |
35% |
| Political interference in curriculum |
28% |
| Lack of autonomy |
25% |
Related: Average Income | Average Income by Occupation | Average Income by Education | Cost of Living by State
