Teacher earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level teacher earnings begin at:

$42.19 per hour

$91,332 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level teacher earnings begin at:

$34.66 per hour

$72,266 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level teacher earnings begin at:

$20.20 per hour

$53,674 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level teacher earnings begin at:

$21.20 per hour

$44,091 per year

10th percentile

Starting level teacher earnings begin at:

$9.96 per hour

$35,742 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Teacher salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Oregon $71,224
Connecticut $71,018
New Jersey $70,726
Rhode Island $70,559
Massachusetts $69,278
Maryland $67,745
Virginia $67,304
District of Columbia $66,911
Washington $65,392
Minnesota $64,318
Alaska $62,380
Delaware $60,357
Vermont $60,151
Ohio $60,078
California $60,000
New Hampshire $58,465
Michigan $58,165
Kentucky $57,902
Colorado $57,841
Hawaii $57,672
New York $57,000
Texas $57,000
Wisconsin $56,880
Utah $56,415
Wyoming $56,301
Illinois $56,078
South Carolina $55,204
North Dakota $55,186
Maine $55,141
Iowa $55,072
Nevada $55,044
Nebraska $54,849
Alabama $53,966
Tennessee $53,674
New Mexico $53,259
Indiana $53,199
Oklahoma $52,394
Arizona $51,814
Missouri $50,951
Kansas $50,576
Arkansas $50,044
Florida $50,000
Idaho $49,416
Montana $49,041
South Dakota $49,006
Louisiana $48,791
Mississippi $48,211
Georgia $47,000
North Carolina $47,000
Pennsylvania $45,000
Virgin Islands, U.S. $44,580
West Virginia $44,252
Guam $42,040
Puerto Rico $36,878

How do teacher salaries compare to similar careers?

Teachers earn 7% less than similar careers in Tennessee. On average, they make less than school principals but more than kindergarten teachers.

Career Median Salary
School principal salary $77K
Professor salary $74K
Music teacher salary $62K
Physical education teacher salary $61K
Teacher salary $54K
High school teacher salary $50K
Elementary school teacher salary $50K
School counselor salary $50K
Kindergarten teacher salary $48K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)