Here's How Much the Average Teacher Earns in Each State

The United States is short on educators. According to estimates from Brown University, there are roughly 55,000 vacant K-12 teacher positions in the country. In Arizona, there are just 43.8 teachers for every 1000 students.

One key reason for these unfilled positions: dissatisfaction over pay. Teachers earn an average of $68,000, which is 8 percent less than the national average for any type of job.

Recently, the National Education Association (NEA) compiled a list of the average public school teacher salary by state. The statistics reveal a fairly significant regional gap—sometimes as much as a 100 percent difference.

1. Alabama // $60,441
2. Alaska // $76,371
3. Arizona // $60,275
4. Arkansas // $54,309
5. California // $95,160
6. Colorado // $60,775
7. Connecticut // $83,400
8. Delaware // $68,787
9. District of Columbia // $84,882
10. Florida // $53,098
11. Georgia // $64,461
12. Hawaii // $70,947
13. Idaho // $56,365
14. Illinois // $73,916
15. Indiana // $57,015
16. Iowa // $61,231
17. Kansas // $56,481
18. Kentucky // $56,296
19. Louisiana // $54,248
20. Maine // $59,964
21. Maryland // $79,420
22. Massachusetts // $92,307
23. Michigan // $67,011
24. Minnesota // $70,005
25. Mississippi // $53,354
26. Missouri // $53,999
27. Montana // $55,909
28. Nebraska // $58,763
29. Nevada // $61,719
30. New Hampshire // $64,169
31. New Jersey // $81,102
32. New Mexico // $63,580
33. New York // $92,696
34. North Carolina // $56,559
35. North Dakota // $56,792
36. Ohio // $66,390
37. Oklahoma // $55,505
38. Oregon // $72,476
39. Pennsylvania // $74,945
40. Rhode Island // $79,289
41. South Carolina // $57,778
42. South Dakota // $53,153
43. Tennessee // $55,369
44. Texas // $60,176
45. Utah // $63,481
46. Vermont // $66,536
47. Virginia // $63,103
48. Washington // $86,104
49. West Virginia // $52,870
50. Wisconsin // $62,524
51. Wyoming // $61,979

California tops teacher pay, with educators earning an average of $95,160 annually. (Massachusetts also ranks highly, at $92,307.)  That’s virtually double that of classroom leaders in Florida ($53,098).

These numbers differ from average starting salaries. According to the NEA, the national average for new teachers is $44,530.

Wages only tell part of the story. Staffing shortages are due in some measure to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw teachers nearing retirement opting to exit early over health concerns. But because salaries are stagnant, fewer graduates are looking to enter the field.

With few or no applicants, some districts are opting to fill positions with workers who lack the experience or credentials that would have been required in the past. Recruiting foreign nationals for jobs and increasing class sizes are two of the ways districts are coping; on the state level, legislation to bump up pay is being introduced. Whether that will be enough to close the gap in the coming years remains to be seen.

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[h/t National Education Association]