Teacher Salary By State: Highest-Paid Teachers By State (2024)

Today we'll breakdown a teacher's salary by state, as well as the highest-paid teachers by state.

Teacher Salary By State Key Facts

  1. Maryland has the highest teacher salary of $61,254.
  2. Montana has the lowest teacher salary of $34,041.
  3. The average salary for teachers across the U.S. is $47,989.
  4. The national hourly rate for teachers is $23.07.

Here's a quick overview of the top ten states for teacher salaries:

  1. Maryland
  2. Hawaii
  3. New York
  4. California
  5. Alaska
  6. Connecticut
  7. Massachusetts
  8. Washington
  9. Virginia
  10. New Jersey

Highest-Paid Teachers By State

RankStateAverage Teacher Salary10th Percentile90th Percentile
1Maryland$61,254$40,000$93,000
2Hawaii$59,222$36,000$97,000
3New York$57,919$37,000$89,000
4California$57,193$39,000$83,000
5Alaska$54,655$41,000$71,000
6Connecticut$53,838$34,000$84,000
7Massachusetts$53,435$34,000$83,000
8Washington$53,255$36,000$77,000
9Virginia$51,980$34,000$77,000
10New Jersey$50,693$32,000$78,000
11Rhode Island$49,690$31,000$77,000
12Oregon$48,930$33,000$71,000
13Illinois$48,469$34,000$68,000
14Pennsylvania$47,859$31,000$73,000
15Texas$47,693$35,000$63,000
16Michigan$46,247$31,000$68,000
17Georgia$45,908$33,000$62,000
18Ohio$45,004$30,000$65,000
19Wyoming$44,652$32,000$60,000
20Alabama$44,472$32,000$60,000
21Kentucky$44,120$31,000$61,000
22Florida$43,926$31,000$61,000
23Delaware$43,641$28,000$66,000
24Nevada$42,775$29,000$61,000
25New Mexico$42,397$31,000$57,000
26Nebraska$42,129$30,000$57,000
27West Virginia$41,909$28,000$61,000
28Tennessee$41,591$30,000$56,000
29Minnesota$41,413$29,000$58,000
30Utah$41,116$29,000$57,000
31Iowa$40,723$29,000$56,000
32Louisiana$40,425$30,000$53,000
33New Hampshire$40,231$25,000$62,000
34Kansas$40,196$29,000$54,000
35Wisconsin$40,132$27,000$57,000
36South Carolina$40,110$28,000$55,000
37Colorado$39,734$29,000$53,000
38North Carolina$39,642$27,000$56,000
39Mississippi$39,537$29,000$52,000
40Arizona$38,865$28,000$53,000
41Vermont$38,680$25,000$59,000
42North Dakota$38,308$27,000$53,000
43Arkansas$38,244$28,000$51,000
44Indiana$37,673$26,000$53,000
45Idaho$37,629$26,000$53,000
46Missouri$36,768$26,000$50,000
47Oklahoma$35,931$26,000$47,000
48Maine$35,260$22,000$54,000
49South Dakota$35,107$25,000$48,000
50Montana$34,041$24,000$47,000

Lowest-Paid States for Teachers

How much do teachers make a year in states that are less affluent? Teachers may find that they need to be more creative when it comes to developing effective instructional methods in the absence of adequate support and funding.

Low wages can be challenging for teachers who are trying to launch their careers. Below are the five lowest-paying states based on starting salary:

  1. Montana ($32,871)
  2. Missouri ($32,970)
  3. Arkansas ($35,201)
  4. Colorado ($35,292)
  5. Nebraska ($35,820)

References

  1. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/teacher-pay-by-state
  2. https://www.zippia.com/advice/teacher-salary-by-state/
Teacher Salary By State: Highest-Paid Teachers By State (2024)

FAQs

Teacher Salary By State: Highest-Paid Teachers By State? ›

1. New York. New York is among the best-paying states for teachers. Reasons include an average annual salary of $92,222 that, although below the state's average income of $107,000, is still more than the salaries paid in other states.

In what state are teachers paid the highest? ›

1. New York. New York is among the best-paying states for teachers. Reasons include an average annual salary of $92,222 that, although below the state's average income of $107,000, is still more than the salaries paid in other states.

What state has the lowest teacher pay? ›

Montana has the lowest starting salary at $31,418, which is still below its livable wage of $47,000. Thirty-four U.S. states have starting teacher salaries below $40,000 a year.

What is the highest paid school district in the US? ›

#1. Scarsdale Public Schools, Scarsdale, NY ($107,100)

This small district recognizes the value of their teachers which is evidenced by the average salaries landing at the top of any district in the country.

Where do US teacher salaries really go the furthest? ›

This data estimates the average salary of public school educators in all 50 states. According to this information, New York, Massachusetts and California—all places that are more expensive to live in—float to the top. Source: National Center for Education Statistics.

What is the best state to be a teacher? ›

2023's Best & Worst States for Teachers, WalletHub Study
Best States for TeachersWorst States for Teachers
1. Virginia42. Tennessee
2. New York43. Rhode Island
3. Utah44. New Mexico
4. Washington45. Missouri
6 more rows
Sep 25, 2023

Where is the best place to live as a teacher? ›

10 best states to be a teacher
  1. District of Columbia. The average salary for a teacher in the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) is $65,428 per year . ...
  2. Alaska. The average salary for a teacher in Alaska is $64,175 per year . ...
  3. Rhode Island. ...
  4. Maryland. ...
  5. New York. ...
  6. New Mexico. ...
  7. Virginia. ...
  8. Texas.
Aug 3, 2023

What state has the most underpaid teachers? ›

The national average public school teacher salary for 2021-22 was $66,745. State average teacher salaries ranged from those in New York ($91, 097), Massachusetts ($89, 538), and California ($88, 508) at the high end to Mississippi ($47, 902), West Virginia ($50, 315), and South Dakota ($50, 592) at the low end.

What is the best state to teach in cost of living? ›

When considering cost of living adjustments, New York and Massachusetts K-12 teachers are compensated more than teachers in the rest of the country. Adjusted teacher pay is the lowest in Florida.

What state has the highest teacher shortage? ›

  • Nevada, Utah, and California are the states with the most severe teacher shortages, while Vermont has the least.
  • New report highlights states with critical levels of teacher shortages, with an estimated 200,000 public school teachers in demand by the 2025-26 school year.
Jan 26, 2024

What is the richest high school in the world? ›

As of 2020, the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland is the most expensive school in the world, reaching an annual fee of $133,992 per student. Switzerland's St. George's International School costs about $92,680 per student per year. Leysin American School in Switzerland charges up to $96,160 per student annually.

What school teacher gets paid the most? ›

Professor. University and college professors are among the best paid teaching staff in the education sector. A large part of the role involves teaching, grading papers and advising students.

What is the richest school? ›

Harvard University, with a $49.495 billion endowment as of FY2023, is the wealthiest university in the world.

What state has the happiest teachers? ›

Virginia, New York and Utah are the best states for teachers, according to a new WalletHub survey. The personal finance website ranked all 50 states and Washington D.C. from most teacher friendly to least.

What states are paying teachers to move there? ›

States may offer incentives for those willing to relocate and offer teaching services, including monetary bonuses and child care reimbursem*nt. California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Indiana are all states with high demand for teachers.

What percentage of teachers have master's degrees? ›

Percentage distribution of public school teachers, by highest degree earned and state: 2017–18
StateLess than a bachelor's degreeMaster's degree
Alaska3.747.5
Arizona4.539.2
Arkansas3.843.9
California2.343.2
64 more rows

What is the highest paid high school teacher? ›

Best-Paying States for High School Teachers
California, CA$92,960
New York, NY$91,290
Washington, WA$88,530
Massachusetts, MA$82,960
Connecticut, CT$80,230
2 more rows

What states pay the most to their teachers why is there a huge variance is the cost of living a factor? ›

New York

Whereas New York has the highest cost of living in the continental U.S., the state pays teachers the most overall and ranks high in terms of teacher-friendliness. Not only does New York pay teachers better than any other state, but the state emphasizes education in other ways.

Where does Texas rank in teacher pay? ›

Texas has best teacher starting salary in nation but ranks 49th in income growth potential, study shows. Texas is overall the 14th best state for teachers when comparing salary, student-teacher ratio, quality of schools systems and more.

How much do teachers get paid in New York? ›

As of Apr 16, 2024, the average annual pay for a Teacher in New York is $47,209 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $22.70 an hour. This is the equivalent of $907/week or $3,934/month.

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