15 States Where Teachers Make More Than the Average American

Despite the importance of their jobs, teachers sometimes get the short end of the stick when it comes to pay. Although the average annual wage for teachers is $68,373, compared with the average annual wage of $61,900 for all other U.S. occupations, teacher pay varies widely from state to state.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, GOBankingRates compiled the average teacher salary in every state by analyzing the mean wages of elementary school, middle school and high school teachers. This salary was then pitted against the average wage for all other occupations in the state.

In three states — West Virginia, South Dakota and Mississippi — teachers earn less than an average of $50,000 per year, but it’s much higher in some other locales. Read on to find out about the top 15 states where teachers earn more than the average American.

• Average teacher wage: $69,173
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $63,930

Illinois teachers earn $69,173, on average, which is just $800 more than the average national teacher pay of $68,373. According to another GOBankingRates study, an Illinois four-person household must have earnings of at least $68,452 to be considered middle class.

• Average teacher wage: $70,047
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $54,400

With an average wage of $70,047, teachers in New Mexico are paid $15,647 more than the average earnings of workers in other occupations. In that regard, New Mexico is No. 4 on the list.

• Average teacher wage: $71,007
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $56,530

Ohio teachers also have far more earning power than residents in other occupations, paid almost $14,500 than other Ohio employees. The average teacher’s wage in Ohio also is more than the national median household income of $69,021.

• Average teacher wage: $71,760
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $65,590

Teachers outearn Virginia’s average workers in all other occupations by $6,170. The highest-paid teachers in Virginia are found in the high school, where instructors earn an average of $74,120, compared to $70,580 for teachers at other grade levels.

• Average teacher wage: $71,877
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $69,750

Surprisingly, two of the nation’s 18 largest school districts are located in Maryland: Montgomery County and Prince George’s County. Statewide, teachers’ average pay tops the earnings of employees in other occupations by about $2,000.

• Average teacher wage: $72,030
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $58,470

Teachers earn $13,560 more than the average wage for all other occupations in Pennsylvania. But is their pay enough? One report says Pennsylvanians must earn $103,110 to be happy.

• Average teacher wage: $74,197
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $66,130

Alaska’s teachers earn very respectable salaries, but is it enough to get by in their state? A GOBankingRates study said the cost of living in the 49^th state is 26.6% above the national average, with annual expenditures totaling $84,731.

• Average teacher wage: $75,067
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $64,530

Rhode Island is the first of three New England states to land in the top 10 of teacher pay, with almost $11,000 separating average teacher pay from that of other occupations. Considering becoming a teacher in Rhode Island? Know that elementary and middle school educators earn a bit more per year – about $600 — than high school teachers.

• Average teacher wage: $77,993
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $70,890

New Jersey has the seventh-highest teacher salaries in the country, but do they earn enough to lead a middle-class lifestyle? According to a separate GOBankingRates study, a family of four needs a minimum income of $86,287 to fall into the definition of middle class, above the average teacher pay.

• Average teacher wage: $79,087
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $62,680

Oregon teachers earn a healthy $16,047 more than non-teachers in the state, and their pay outpaces the national average salary for a teacher of $68,373 by more than $10,000.

• Average teacher wage: $81,810
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $69,310

Connecticut is the first state on the list to crack the $80,000 mark for the average wage for a teacher at $81,810. Connecticut high school teachers actually earn a tad less than the average at $80,230, with elementary and middle school educators bringing in $82,600.

• Average teacher wage: $84,627
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $76,600

Like their New England neighbors in Connecticut, Massachusetts elementary and middle school instructors outearn high school teachers. All of them, however, make considerably more money than non-teachers in the state ($8,027) and the national median household income ($15,606).

• Average teacher wage: $86,843
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $72,350

Good news for Washington teachers: Their salaries outpace other workers’ paychecks in the state by nearly $15,000 and the median household income in Washington by $4,443.

• Average teacher wage: $92,683
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $74,870

New York takes second place in teacher wages, with an average salary of $92,683. That’s a whopping $40,723 more than the national average for all occupations and $17,813 more than the state average for all occupations.

• Average teacher wage: $92,987
• Average wage for all occupations in the state: $73,220

Teachers in the Golden State are the highest paid in the country, with an average salary that’s almost $20,000 higher than the average for California workers in all other occupations. But, when you live in a state where income is heavily taxed — as is the case in California, where the income tax rate for single taxpayers in this range is 9.3% — every dollar counts.

Across the United States, elementary school teachers earn slightly more than middle school teachers — $68,000 compared to $67,790, respectively. Although the difference in annual salaries amounts to only $210, at least one large gap exists.

In New Mexico, elementary school teachers outearn high school teachers by several thousand dollars — $73,820 to $62,500. Middle school teachers in the state also earn the higher amount.

The national average salary for middle school teachers — $67,790 — hovers below the averages for elementary and high school teachers, but in all 15 states in the study, they are paid the same amount, on average, as elementary school educators.

You might assume that high school teachers make more than elementary and middle school teachers, if for no other reason than the complexity of the material that they teach. And nationally, that’s correct. High school teachers, on average, receive $69,330 per year.

In Illinois, high school teachers’ pay is almost $5,000 more per year than their K through 8 counterparts.

Daira Uhlig contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: GOBankingRates determined what teachers make in every state by analyzing the mean wage of elementary, middle and secondary (high school) teachers and calculated the average of those three salaries. Data is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, and National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. Median household incomes (state and national) were sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey. All data was collected and is up to date as of June 15, 2023.