How Much Does a Teacher Make? Pay by Level and State (May 2025)

How much does a teacher make in the United States?

BLS does not have one "teacher" occupation, so this page uses four of its categories, one for each classroom level, and leaves out special education teachers. Each figure below is the median annual wage, the midpoint where half of workers earn more and half earn less, from the May 2025 OEWS survey.

Level	BLS category	Employment	10th percentile	Median	90th percentile
Kindergarten	25-2012	108,870	$46,990	$62,680	$101,830
Elementary school	25-2021	1,388,390	$47,960	$63,970	$104,340
Middle school	25-2022	620,090	$48,080	$64,370	$102,540
High school	25-2031	1,065,210	$48,780	$72,040	$107,600

Sources for the table: BLS OEWS pages for kindergarten ^[1], elementary ^[2], middle school ^[3] and high school ^[4] teachers, retrieved 2026-11-15.

For comparison, the median across all U.S. occupations in the same survey was $50,980 ^[2]. Every teaching level sits above that figure. The gap is $11,700 for kindergarten and $21,060 for high school.

OEWS counts wage and salary workers, so self-employed people such as private tutors are not in these numbers. It also reports pay as a yearly amount for these jobs. We do not convert it to an hourly rate, because the hours a contract covers differ from district to district.

Why do high school teachers earn more than kindergarten teachers?

The national gap between the lowest and highest level is $9,360 a year. BLS does not explain it in the OEWS tables, so we can only describe what the data shows. The high school median is $72,040, noticeably above the other three levels, which sit within about $1,700 of one another ($62,680 to $64,370).

A few things likely contribute, though we cannot prove how much each one matters from OEWS data alone. High school teachers are a large group (1,065,210 employed), they often teach subject areas that districts compete for, and the national figure blends many state and district schedules. Because OEWS does not publish years of experience or degree level, we do not claim that a high school classroom is worth more than a kindergarten classroom in any single district. In many places the same salary schedule covers every grade.

If you are choosing a level, pay is a weak reason to choose one over another, because the state you work in changes the number far more than the grade you teach.

What is the pay range for teachers?

Medians hide the spread. For elementary school teachers, the largest group by far, the 10th percentile is $47,960 and the 90th percentile is $104,340. A quarter of elementary teachers earn $57,710 or less, and a quarter earn $81,450 or more.

The bottom of the range usually reflects early-career pay or low-paying states, and the top reflects high-paying states and longer service. OEWS does not split these causes apart, so treat that as a reasonable reading and not a measured result. The other three levels follow a similar shape: the 90th percentile is roughly twice the 10th percentile at every level.

Which states pay teachers the most and the least?

State medians vary more than level medians do. For elementary teachers, Washington has the highest median at $102,350, followed by California at $99,650 and the District of Columbia at $96,580. Massachusetts ($94,000), Rhode Island ($90,930) and New York ($85,760) complete the top group. At the other end, Oklahoma is lowest at $48,200, followed by Mississippi ($49,790), South Dakota ($50,130), Missouri ($50,910) and Arkansas ($52,700). North Carolina is at $54,930 ^[2].

The top state pays more than double the bottom state, a difference of $54,150 a year. That gap is real, but a dollar buys different amounts in different places, so a lower number does not always mean a lower standard of living. We do not adjust for cost of living, and we do not rank states on it. As one example, Texas is a large state close to the middle: the elementary median is $62,760 and the high school median is $63,590 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), near the national picture. If you want to check a state's license process, see our guide to Texas teaching license lookup.

Other levels shift the order a little. In Alaska, BLS did not publish a kindergarten figure, so we show it as not published. Washington has the highest median at all four levels. Oklahoma has the lowest for elementary, middle school and high school, and Montana has the lowest for kindergarten. The table shows the top and bottom three states for each level.

Level	Highest three states (median)	Lowest three states (median)
Kindergarten	Washington $99,960, Connecticut $90,030, Rhode Island $85,470	Montana $47,590, Oklahoma $47,860, Mississippi $48,880
Elementary	Washington $102,350, California $99,650, District of Columbia $96,580	Oklahoma $48,200, Mississippi $49,790, South Dakota $50,130
Middle school	Washington $102,140, California $98,950, New York $94,840	Oklahoma $48,440, Mississippi $50,790, South Dakota $50,980
High school	Washington $102,670, California $101,370, New York $97,070	Oklahoma $48,710, Mississippi $50,980, South Dakota $51,050

Sources: BLS OEWS pages for each level, May 2025, retrieved 2026-11-15, listed under Sources. A state can be in the top three for one level and not another: New York appears for middle and high school but not for elementary.

For all four levels in every state, use our salary by state tool and the state table on this page.

What changes a teacher's pay besides grade level?

National data cannot tell you your own salary, because teachers are paid by the district or school that hires them. Here is what you can verify yourself.

• District salary schedule. Public districts typically publish a schedule that sets pay by position, often with steps for years of service and columns for education level. Pull your district's current schedule and read it directly. We do not quote specific district numbers here. The next paragraphs show how one state sets a floor under those schedules.
• Setting. OEWS covers public and private schools together, so a charter, private or public job in the same state can pay differently.
• Certification and endorsements. Licensing decides whether you can be hired at all. See how to become a teacher for the steps, then check each state's rules.
• Extra duties. Coaching, department lead roles and summer school are paid separately in many districts. Ask for the district's stipend list.

One official example. Texas publishes a state minimum salary schedule for classroom teachers. For the 2025-2026 school year it lists $33,960 a year for a teacher with 0 years of credited experience on a 10-month contract, rising step by step to $55,030 for 20 or more years. TEA states that a school district may not pay less than the state base salary listed for that individual's years of experience, and that a 10-month contract requires at least 187 days of service ^[6]. That is a legal floor, not a typical salary: the Texas OEWS medians quoted earlier ($62,760 for elementary, $63,590 for high school) are well above it. The example shows how a schedule works in general, with pay tied to years credited, while each district decides what it pays above the floor. Other states publish their own rules, so look for your state education agency's pages.

If you are weighing teaching against other public service jobs, compare the medians for a police officer or a paralegal on their own career pages.

How should I compare a job offer with these numbers?

Start with the median for your level and state, then place the offer against the percentile range. If an elementary offer in your state is near the national median of $63,970, it is typical for the country but may be high or low for your state, so check the state figure on this page first. If the offer is near the 25th percentile ($57,710) or below, ask which salary schedule row you were placed in and why.

Ask four practical questions before you accept a position:

1. Which schedule row or step is my pay based on, and does prior teaching experience count?
2. How many contract days does the salary cover?
3. Are there stipends for coaching, extra subjects or advanced degrees, and are they written down?
4. What do health and retirement contributions cost me each year?

Because OEWS excludes benefits and does not report contract length, a position with a lower salary can still be worth considering if the other terms are strong, and the reverse can also be true. Compare total terms, not one number.

How do I get started as a teacher?

In short: most teaching jobs require a bachelor's degree, completion of a state-approved preparation program, passing state exams and a license from the state where you teach. O*NET OnLine places elementary school teachers in Job Zone 4 (considerable preparation needed) and reports that, of respondents asked about the education a new hire needs, 78% said a bachelor's degree was required and 22% said a master's degree was required ^[5]. Rules differ by state, so read our step-by-step page on how to become a teacher and browse all careers or licenses for your state.