How much money does a teacher earn in the U.S.? Differences of more than $45,000 between states
Although some teachers in the US are seeing record pay increases, the national average salary has failed to keep up with inflation over the past decade.
The issue of better pay has prompted teachers across the US to go on strike in recent years. While some are now seeing record increases, the average pay across the nation is still lagging behind inflation over the past decade according to an analysis by the National Education Association.
Furthermore, there is a gaping difference in salary between one state and another of over $47,000 currently. Here’s a look at the state of teacher salaries in the United States.
The state of teacher pay across the US
The National Education Association (NEA), the largest labor union and professional organization for public school educators in the US, began tracking beginning teacher pay 15 years ago. According to their data, new teachers received “the most significant increase” in the 2023-2024 academic year of 4.4% rising to $46,526 on average nationwide.
However, when they took into account year-on-year inflation, the real salary growth was only 1.5%. Additionally, starting salaries are now over $3,700 below what they were 16 years ago when adjusted for inflation over that period.
On the other hand, the average teacher salary across the board in the US was $72,030 in the 2023-2024 academic year, up 3.8% from the previous year.
The NEA found that salaries jumped year-on-year the most in states like Oklahoma, up 10.5% to $61,330, Idaho, where salaries rose 9.1% to $61,516, and Utah, jumping 8.9% to $69,161, from 2022-23 to 2023-24.
Although these salaries are below the national average, they are substantially better than those in the states that pay the least. These include Missouri ($55,132), Florida ($54,875), and Mississippi ($53,704).
At the other end of the spectrum, you have states like California, which pays teachers on average $101,084, New York, where K-12 educators get $95,615 on average, and Massachusetts, where teachers have an average salary of $92,076.
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