Teacher pay varies enormously across the United States — by more than $45,000 between the lowest and highest-paying states. This guide provides a comprehensive look at teacher compensation, including salaries, benefits, pensions, and cost-of-living adjustments.
Teacher Salaries by State (2026)
All 50 States Ranked
Rank
State
Average Salary
vs. National Avg
Starting Salary
1
New York
$95,000
+$25,500
$52,000
2
California
$93,000
+$23,500
$51,000
3
Massachusetts
$92,000
+$22,500
$50,000
4
Connecticut
$84,000
+$14,500
$48,000
5
New Jersey
$82,000
+$12,500
$47,000
6
Washington
$80,000
+$10,500
$46,000
7
Maryland
$78,000
+$8,500
$45,000
8
Alaska
$77,000
+$7,500
$49,000
9
Oregon
$76,000
+$6,500
$43,000
10
Pennsylvania
$75,000
+$5,500
$44,000
11
Rhode Island
$74,500
+$5,000
$43,000
12
Illinois
$74,000
+$4,500
$42,000
13
Michigan
$73,000
+$3,500
$41,000
14
Hawaii
$72,000
+$2,500
$47,000
15
Delaware
$71,500
+$2,000
$42,000
16
Vermont
$71,000
+$1,500
$41,000
17
Minnesota
$70,500
+$1,000
$41,000
18
Ohio
$70,000
+$500
$40,000
19
Wyoming
$69,500
$0
$45,000
20
Virginia
$69,000
-$500
$41,000
21
Nevada
$68,500
-$1,000
$42,000
22
New Hampshire
$68,000
-$1,500
$40,000
23
Wisconsin
$67,000
-$2,500
$39,000
24
Colorado
$66,500
-$3,000
$40,000
25
Georgia
$66,000
-$3,500
$40,000
26
Indiana
$65,000
-$4,500
$38,000
27
Iowa
$64,500
-$5,000
$38,000
28
Nebraska
$64,000
-$5,500
$36,000
29
Maine
$63,500
-$6,000
$37,000
30
North Carolina
$63,000
-$6,500
$38,000
31
Kentucky
$62,500
-$7,000
$36,000
32
Tennessee
$62,000
-$7,500
$38,000
33
Kansas
$61,000
-$8,500
$36,000
34
Texas
$60,500
-$9,000
$38,000
35
Utah
$60,000
-$9,500
$40,000
36
Montana
$59,500
-$10,000
$35,000
37
North Dakota
$59,000
-$10,500
$38,000
38
Alabama
$58,500
-$11,000
$36,000
39
South Carolina
$58,000
-$11,500
$36,000
40
Idaho
$57,500
-$12,000
$35,000
41
Missouri
$57,000
-$12,500
$34,000
42
Louisiana
$56,000
-$13,500
$35,000
43
Arizona
$55,500
-$14,000
$36,000
44
New Mexico
$55,000
-$14,500
$36,000
45
Arkansas
$54,500
-$15,000
$34,000
46
Florida
$54,000
-$15,500
$35,000
47
South Dakota
$53,000
-$16,500
$35,000
48
Oklahoma
$52,500
-$17,000
$34,000
49
West Virginia
$52,000
-$17,500
$34,000
50
Mississippi
$50,000
-$19,500
$33,000
Cost-of-Living Adjusted Salaries
Raw salary doesn’t tell the whole story. Here’s what teacher pay looks like adjusted for cost of living:
Adjusted Salary Rankings (Top 15)
Rank
State
Nominal Salary
COL Index
Adjusted Salary
1
Wyoming
$69,500
92
$75,500
2
Texas
$60,500
92
$65,800
3
Pennsylvania
$75,000
95
$78,900
4
Ohio
$70,000
90
$77,800
5
Michigan
$73,000
93
$78,500
6
Georgia
$66,000
92
$71,700
7
Indiana
$65,000
90
$72,200
8
Iowa
$64,500
89
$72,500
9
Nebraska
$64,000
90
$71,100
10
North Dakota
$59,000
92
$64,100
11
Tennessee
$62,000
92
$67,400
12
Missouri
$57,000
88
$64,800
13
Wisconsin
$67,000
94
$71,300
14
Minnesota
$70,500
98
$71,900
15
Illinois
$74,000
97
$76,300
States Where COL Changes the Picture
State
Nominal Rank
Adjusted Rank
Change
New York
1
20
↓ 19
California
2
25
↓ 23
Hawaii
14
45
↓ 31
Texas
34
2
↑ 32
Ohio
18
4
↑ 14
Teacher Salary by Experience
Typical Salary Schedule Progression
Years Experience
BA Degree
MA Degree
MA+30 Credits
Starting
$42,000
$45,000
$48,000
5 years
$48,000
$52,000
$56,000
10 years
$54,000
$60,000
$65,000
15 years
$60,000
$68,000
$74,000
20 years
$65,000
$74,000
$82,000
Maximum (25-30 yrs)
$70,000
$82,000
$92,000
Salary Growth Over Career
Factor
Impact on Salary
Each year of experience
+1-3% (varies by district)
Bachelor’s to Master’s
+$3,000-$10,000
Master’s + additional credits
+$2,000-$5,000 per tier
National Board Certification
+$2,000-$10,000 (varies by state)
Doctorate
+$5,000-$15,000
Teacher Benefits Value
Beyond the Base Salary
Benefit
Typical Value
Annual Worth
Health insurance
District paid
$8,000-$20,000
Pension contribution
8-15% of salary
$5,000-$12,000
Summer off
10-12 weeks
Varies
Sick days
10-15/year
$2,000-$4,000
Personal days
3-5/year
$500-$800
Professional development
Paid
$500-$2,000
Loan forgiveness (PSLF)
After 10 years
$50,000+
Total Compensation Estimate
Component
Low
Average
High
Base salary
$50,000
$69,500
$95,000
Health benefits
$8,000
$15,000
$22,000
Pension value
$5,000
$9,000
$14,000
Other benefits
$2,000
$4,000
$6,000
Total compensation
$65,000
$97,500
$137,000
Teacher Pension Values by State
Best Teacher Pension Systems
State
Years to Vest
Benefit Formula
Example (30 yrs, $70k final)
California (CalSTRS)
5
2% × years × final salary
$42,000/year
Illinois (TRS)
10
2.2% × years × final salary
$46,200/year
Texas (TRS)
5
2.3% × years × final salary
$48,300/year
New York (TRS)
5-10
1.67-2% × years × final salary
$35,000-42,000/year
Ohio (STRS)
5
2.2% × years × final salary
$46,200/year
Pennsylvania
10
2.5% × years × final salary
$52,500/year
Pension vs. Social Security
Factor
Teacher Pension
Social Security
States where teachers don’t get Social Security
15 states
N/A
Average monthly benefit
$3,500-4,500
$1,900 (avg retiree)
COLA adjustments
Varies (often 0-3%)
Based on CPI
Survivor benefits
Varies
Yes
Portable?
Limited
Fully portable
Teacher Salaries by School Type
School Type
Average Salary
vs. Public School
Public school
$69,500
Baseline
Charter school
$54,000
-22%
Private school
$48,000
-31%
Catholic school
$45,000
-35%
Online school
$55,000
-21%
Private school salaries are lower but may offer other benefits like tuition discounts, smaller classes, or values alignment.
Teacher Salaries by Subject/Level
By Grade Level
Level
Average Salary
Notes
Elementary (K-5)
$67,000
Largest group
Middle school (6-8)
$69,000
Often same as elementary
High school (9-12)
$72,000
Slightly higher
By Subject (High School)
Subject
Average Salary
Shortage?
Math
$73,000
Yes
Science
$73,500
Yes
Special Education
$71,000
Severe
English/Language Arts
$70,000
No
Social Studies
$69,000
No
Foreign Language
$69,500
Some
Physical Education
$68,000
No
Art/Music
$67,000
No
Supplemental Pay Opportunities
Activity
Typical Stipend
Time Commitment
Department head
$2,000-5,000/year
5-10 hrs/week
Coaching (head coach)
$3,000-8,000/season
15-25 hrs/week
Coaching (assistant)
$1,500-4,000/season
10-15 hrs/week
Club advisor
$500-2,000/year
Varies
Curriculum development
$25-50/hour
Summer work
Summer school
$30-50/hour
4-6 weeks
Tutoring
$40-100/hour
Flexible
Teaching extra period
$5,000-10,000/year
Daily
Total with Supplements
Scenario
Base
Supplements
Total
No extras
$65,000
$0
$65,000
One sport + club
$65,000
$5,000
$70,000
Department head + coaching
$65,000
$10,000
$75,000
Multiple supplements
$65,000
$15,000+
$80,000+
Teacher Loan Forgiveness
Federal Programs
Program
Forgiveness Amount
Requirements
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Remaining balance after 120 payments
10 years, qualifying payments
Teacher Loan Forgiveness
$5,000-$17,500
5 years at low-income school
State Programs
State
Program
Forgiveness
Texas
TEXAS Grant forgiveness
Up to $20,000
New York
Teachers of Tomorrow
Up to $24,000
California
Teacher shortage areas
Up to $20,000
Illinois
Teachers Home Program
Down payment assistance
Is Teaching Worth It?
Financial Comparison: Teacher vs. Other Bachelor’s Degrees
Career
Average Salary
Job Security
Pension
Work-Life
Teacher
$69,500
Very high
Yes (most)
Good
Accountant
$78,000
High
Some
Moderate
Marketing Manager
$83,000
Moderate
No
Variable
Software Developer
$127,000
High
No
Good
Registered Nurse
$86,000
Very high
Some
Variable
Teacher Lifetime Earnings
Scenario
Age 25-60 Career
Pension (to age 85)
Total Lifetime
Low-pay state
$1.8 million
$900,000
$2.7 million
Average
$2.4 million
$1.2 million
$3.6 million
High-pay state
$3.2 million
$1.6 million
$4.8 million
How to Maximize Your Teaching Salary
The National Board Certification Boost
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) offers a rigorous certification that 44 states and hundreds of districts recognize with a pay increase. The process takes 1-3 years and costs approximately $1,900 in fees, but many states and districts reimburse candidates who pass. The annual salary premium ($2,000-$10,000 depending on state) typically recoups the investment in the first year.
Steps That Move You Up the Salary Schedule
Most public school districts use a “lane and step” salary schedule. “Lanes” are determined by your education level, “steps” by years of experience. Advancing on both axes is how teachers earn significantly more.
Action
Timeline
Salary Impact
Complete master’s degree
1-3 years part-time
+$3,000-$10,000/year
Earn National Board Certification
1-2 years
+$2,000-$10,000/year
Move to a high-paying district
Any time
+$10,000-$30,000/year
Move to a high-paying state
Any time
+$15,000-$40,000/year
Add supplemental duties
Immediately
+$2,000-$15,000/year
Negotiate (when changing districts)
At hiring
Often possible for experienced teachers
States With No Salary Ceiling
A few states and large urban districts have removed the traditional salary cap, allowing teachers with advanced credentials and many years of experience to earn $100,000+:
District/State
Path to $100,000+
New York City
22+ years with master’s+30 credits
Los Angeles Unified
25+ years with doctorate
Boston Public Schools
20+ years with master’s
Washington DC Public Schools
Performance-based system; top performers earn $130,000+
PSLF: The Hidden Salary Boost
Public school teachers working for a government school qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). After 120 qualifying payments (10 years), remaining federal student loan balances are forgiven tax-free. For a teacher with $50,000 in student loans, this is effectively a $5,000/year bonus — a significant factor when comparing teaching to other professions.
WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.
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