Teacher earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level teacher earnings begin at:

$34.52 per hour

$71,809 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level teacher earnings begin at:

$24.90 per hour

$51,799 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level teacher earnings begin at:

$19.71 per hour

$41,007 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level teacher earnings begin at:

$17.02 per hour

$35,400 per year

10th percentile

Starting level teacher earnings begin at:

$15.95 per hour

$33,184 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Teacher salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Alaska $62,554
Rhode Island $61,821
Delaware $54,159
Wyoming $51,496
North Dakota $48,615
Vermont $47,801
Connecticut $46,082
Arkansas $44,509
South Dakota $44,223
Hawaii $43,825
Idaho $43,606
District of Columbia $43,502
West Virginia $43,279
Iowa $43,205
New Jersey $43,006
Louisiana $41,447
New York $41,007
Nevada $40,305
Guam $40,155
Maine $40,041
Kansas $40,000
Montana $39,638
Massachusetts $38,986
Maryland $38,962
New Hampshire $38,756
California $38,228
Texas $37,701
New Mexico $37,394
Oregon $37,309
Washington $36,839
Mississippi $36,392
Arizona $36,325
Nebraska $36,302
Alabama $36,225
Kentucky $36,167
Virginia $36,058
Florida $35,884
Illinois $35,814
Tennessee $35,466
Minnesota $35,015
Pennsylvania $34,867
Michigan $34,789
Indiana $34,567
Colorado $34,470
Georgia $34,439
South Carolina $34,359
Ohio $34,074
Wisconsin $34,020
Virgin Islands, U.S. $33,952
Oklahoma $33,302
North Carolina $33,253
Puerto Rico $33,222
Missouri $33,088
Utah $29,083

How do teacher salaries compare to similar careers?

Teachers earn 9% less than similar careers in New York. On average, they make less than professors but more than preschool teachers.

Career Median Salary
Professor salary $62K
Special education teacher salary $56K
Elementary school teacher salary $47K
Music teacher salary $46K
Art teacher salary $58K
Teacher salary $41K
Health educator salary $40K
Nanny salary $30K
Library assistant salary $25K
Preschool teacher salary $27K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)