Only one US state pays teachers an average of 6 figures. See how much teachers make in every state.
Teacher pay heavily varies across the country. In some states, teachers make nearly double what they'd make in other states.
MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images/MediaNews Group via Getty Images
- Teacher pay varies widely across the 50 US states and Washington, DC.
- California pays teachers the most, providing them with an average salary of $103,552 in 2024-2025.
- Teachers in California make nearly double what teachers in Mississippi make on average.
Many people consider public school teachers to have one of the most important jobs.
But while teaching is the most common public-sector job, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many educators still struggle to make ends meet. A 2025 Gallup poll found that 21% of polled K-12 educators said they were "finding it difficult to get by on their present income," while 52% reported they were just getting by rather than living comfortably.
A third of K-12 teachers also reported having non-teaching-related jobs, "such as ride-sharing, food service or running a side business," the poll found.
For many teachers, their salaries simply aren't enough, and, due to differences in affordability, housing prices, and tax structures, teacher salaries — and how far they go — vary widely across the country.
In April, the National Education Association released its Rankings of the States 2025 and Estimates of School Statistics 2026 report, which included data such as the number of school districts, student enrollment and attendance, and education expenditures in every state and Washington, DC.
The report also listed the average salaries of public school teachers in 2024-2025, as well as the change in pay from the previous year. For a few states — Connecticut, Montana, and Rhode Island — and Washington, DC, the NEA relied on salary estimates.
Per the report, the state where teachers received the largest average year-over-year raise was Nevada. Though its average salary in 2024-2025 ranked 17th in the country, it grew by roughly $8,000, or about 11.8%, from 2023-24. By contrast, teachers in Oklahoma received a 1% average raise, about $600.
See the average public school teacher salary in every state and Washington, DC.
We also listed how much the average salary increased year-over-year and how the state's average salary ranked among all other states and Washington, DC, with No. 1 being the highest salary and 51 the lowest.
ALABAMACarmen K. Sisson/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $62,985
Change from 2023-2024: 1.73% increase
Rank: 35
ALASKAJeremy Hammond/Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $81,450
Change from 2023-2024: 4.1% increase
Rank: 11
ARIZONAOLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $64,291
Change from 2023-2024: 2.5% increase
Rank: 31
ARKANSASAdele Heidenreich/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $59,193
Change from 2023-2024: 1.5% increase
Rank: 45
CALIFORNIAMediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $103,552
Change from 2023-2024: 2.4% increase
Rank: 1
COLORADOKatie Wood/Denver Post via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $72,781
Change from 2023-2024: 6% increase
Rank: 19
CONNECTICUTConnecticut Post/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $89,593
Change from 2023-2024: 3.6% increase
Rank: 6
DELAWAREKhairil Azhar Junos/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $76,570
Change from 2023-2024: 7.6% increase
Rank: 14
FLORIDAJohn Parra/WireImage/The Latin Recording Academy via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $56,663
Change from 2023-2024: 3.3% increase
Rank: 50
GEORGIAChad Robertson Media/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $71,524
Change from 2023-2024: 5.7% increase
Rank: 21
HAWAIIPhil Mislinski/Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $75,860
Change from 2023-2024: 2.2% increase
Rank: 16
IDAHOUCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $62,786
Change from 2023-2024: 2.1% increase
Rank: 36
ILLINOISBoston Globe via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $78,495
Change from 2023-2024: 3.3% increase
Rank: 13
INDIANAKK Stock/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $61,661
Change from 2023-2024: 5.2% increase
Rank: 38
IOWAGina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $65,312
Change from 2023-2024: 4.7% increase
Rank: 30
KANSASMihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $61,470
Change from 2023-2024: 5.5% increase
Rank: 39
KENTUCKYJon Cherry/Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $60,594
Change from 2023-2024: 3.9% increase
Rank: 42
LOUISIANAChris Graythen/Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $56,785
Change from 2023-2024: 1.6% increase
Rank: 49
MAINEPortland Press Herald/Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $65,621
Change from 2023-2024: 4.9% increase
Rank: 29
MARYLANDThe Washington Post via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $87,409
Change from 2023-2024: 3.6% increase
Rank: 7
MASSACHUSETTSBarry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $93,554
Change from 2023-2024: 2.8% increase
Rank: 5
MICHIGANDennis MacDonald/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $71,023
Change from 2023-2024: 2.8% increase
Rank: 22
MINNESOTAThe Washington Post via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $76,234
Change from 2023-2024: 5.3% increase
Rank: 15
MISSISSIPPIBloomberg via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $54,975
Change from 2023-2024: 2.4% increase
Rank: 51
MISSOURIKit Leong/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $57,366
Change from 2023-2024: 4% increase
Rank: 48
MONTANAJanie Osborne/Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $59,305
Change from 2023-2024: 3% increase
Rank: 44
NEBRASKAPhoto Spirit/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $63,326
Change from 2023-2024: 5.1% increase
Rank: 34
NEVADAKatherine Carey/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $74,812
Change from 2023-2024: 11.8% increase
Rank: 17
NEW HAMPSHIREBoston Globe via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $69,432
Change from 2023-2024: 3.4% increase
Rank: 25
NEW JERSEYEQRoy/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $84,974
Change from 2023-2024: 2.5% increase
Rank: 9
NEW MEXICOBrendan SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $69,736
Change from 2023-2024: 1.9% increase
Rank: 24
NEW YORKSpencer Platt/Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $98,655
Change from 2023-2024: 3.2% increase
Rank: 2
NORTH CAROLINAWileydoc/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $60,323
Change from 2023-2024: 3.5% increase
Rank: 43
NORTH DAKOTALiftedFairingLLC/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $60,704
Change from 2023-2024: 3.6% increase
Rank: 41
OHIOJoey Foley/WireImage for NARAS via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $70,586
Change from 2023-2024: 3.4% increase
Rank: 23
OKLAHOMAVineyard Perspective/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $61,931
Change from 2023-2024: 1% increase
Rank: 37
OREGONHrach Hovhannisyan/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $81,657
Change from 2023-2024: 5.9% increase
Rank: 10
PENNSYLVANIAMichelle Gustafson for The Washington Post
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $79,078
Change from 2023-2024: 2.8% increase
Rank: 12
RHODE ISLANDBoston Globe via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $85,772
Change from 2023-2024: 4.4% increase
Rank: 8
SOUTH CAROLINASteven Starr Photography/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $64,050
Change from 2023-2024: 5.4% increase
Rank: 32
SOUTH DAKOTAVictoria Ditkovsky/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $58,486
Change from 2023-2024: 3.8% increase
Rank: 46
TENNESSEEKirk Fisher/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $61,222
Change from 2023-2024: 4.5% increase
Rank: 40
TEXASHouston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $63,749
Change from 2023-2024: 2.1% increase
Rank: 33
UTAHM Outdoors/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $72,882
Change from 2023-2024: 5.4% increase
Rank: 18
VERMONTBob LoCicero/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $71,871
Change from 2023-2024: 3.3% increase
Rank: 20
VIRGINIAJohn M. Chase/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $69,254
Change from 2023-2024: 4.4% increase
Rank: 26
WASHINGTONJohn Moore/Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $96,589
Change from 2023-2024: 5.3% increase
Rank: 3
WASHINGTON, DCbluestork/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $95,077
Change from 2023-2024: 9.7% increase
Rank: 4
WEST VIRGINIADennis Ray Dennison II/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $58,099
Change from 2023-2024: 5.1% increase
Rank: 47
WISCONSINAaron of L.A. Photography/Shutterstock
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $67,794
Change from 2023-2024: 3.1% increase
Rank: 27
WYOMINGAl Drago/Getty Images
Average public school teacher salary (2024-2025): $65,668
Change from 2023-2024: 3.1% increase
Rank: 28
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