Here’s How Much Teachers Make in Every State

The people who teach our children and have them in their charge every school day have a huge responsibility. That’s standard across the United States. But is the pay for teachers standard?

The average pay for a preschool teacher in the United States is $36,460. For a kindergarten teacher, the salary is higher at $64,490 a year, with a high school teacher earning an average of $69,530. Pay for elementary and middle school teachers falls somewhere between those two at $67,080 and $66,880, respectively.

But do teachers in your state earn about the average? There’s a wide spread in teacher pay across the nation, and you might be surprised where your children’s teachers fall on the scale.

To find out what teachers can expect to earn in every state and the District of Columbia, GOBankingRates used May 2021 salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) across all five education levels.

Keep reading to find out the average annual salary for a teacher in your state.

• Preschool teacher: $25,180
• Kindergarten teacher: $49,100
• Elementary school teacher: $53,110
• Middle school teacher: $54,870
• High school teacher: $54,630

• Preschool teacher: $38,280
• Kindergarten teacher: $68,830
• Elementary school teacher: $71,790
• Middle school teacher: $75,290
• High school teacher: $73,730

• Preschool teacher: $32,930
• Kindergarten teacher: $50,830
• Elementary school teacher: $51,150
• Middle school teacher: $50,580
• High school teacher: $55,180

• Preschool teacher: $32,130
• Kindergarten teacher: $50,650
• Elementary school teacher: $50,250
• Middle school teacher: $52,650
• High school teacher: $53,570

• Preschool teacher: $42,210
• Kindergarten teacher: $85,760
• Elementary school teacher: $86,470
• Middle school teacher: $92,350
• High school teacher: $94,600

• Preschool teacher: $37,750
• Kindergarten teacher: $57,870
• Elementary school teacher: $59,270
• Middle school teacher: $59,580
• High school teacher: $61,970

• Preschool teacher: $36,980
• Kindergarten teacher: $80,410
• Elementary school teacher: $82,140
• Middle school teacher: $82,790
• High school teacher: $79,530

• Preschool teacher: $29,150
• Kindergarten teacher: $57,270
• Elementary school teacher: $64,410
• Middle school teacher: $66,780
• High school teacher: $68,780

• Preschool teacher: $55,960
• Kindergarten teacher: $59,870
• Elementary school teacher: $78,010
• Middle school teacher: $74,510
• High school teacher: $77,760

• Preschool teacher: $29,890
• Kindergarten teacher: $59,040
• Elementary school teacher: $61,510
• Middle school teacher: $60,280
• High school teacher: $64,120

• Preschool teacher: $38,140
• Kindergarten teacher: $65,210
• Elementary school teacher: $63,930
• Middle school teacher: $64,460
• High school teacher: $69,430

• Preschool teacher: $40,480
• Kindergarten teacher: $55,890
• Elementary school teacher: $64,240
• Middle school teacher: $63,100
• High school teacher: $64,880

• Preschool teacher: $27,460
• Kindergarten teacher: $44,550
• Elementary school teacher: $51,120
• Middle school teacher: $50,280
• High school teacher: $53,820

• Preschool teacher: $35,840
• Kindergarten teacher: $65,790
• Elementary school teacher: $67,810
• Middle school teacher: $67,170
• High school teacher: $71,690

• Preschool teacher: $30,860
• Kindergarten teacher: $52,570
• Elementary school teacher: $53,100
• Middle school teacher: $55,510
• High school teacher: $55,250

• Preschool teacher: $32,450
• Kindergarten teacher: $51,420
• Elementary school teacher: $55,470
• Middle school teacher: $57,940
• High school teacher: $57,890

• Preschool teacher: $40,590
• Kindergarten teacher: $56,630
• Elementary school teacher: $56,060
• Middle school teacher: $59,630
• High school teacher: $56,320

• Preschool teacher: $40,120
• Kindergarten teacher: $54,050
• Elementary school teacher: $55,020
• Middle school teacher: $55,650
• High school teacher: $57,300

• Preschool teacher: $31,290
• Kindergarten teacher: $44,360
• Elementary school teacher: $51,450
• Middle school teacher: $52,170
• High school teacher: $53,950

• Preschool teacher: $37,580
• Kindergarten teacher: $52,910
• Elementary school teacher: $57,940
• Middle school teacher: $59,760
• High school teacher: $57,520

• Preschool teacher: $41,070
• Kindergarten teacher: $67,390
• Elementary school teacher: $71,790
• Middle school teacher: $73,480
• High school teacher: $75,840

• Preschool teacher: $43,710
• Kindergarten teacher: $85,470
• Elementary school teacher: $83,790
• Middle school teacher: $85,740
• High school teacher: $85,360

• Preschool teacher: $35,950
• Kindergarten teacher: $59,910
• Elementary school teacher: $65,760
• Middle school teacher: $62,910
• High school teacher: $63,120

• Preschool teacher: $37,870
• Kindergarten teacher: $64,290
• Elementary school teacher: $67,300
• Middle school teacher: $65,630
• High school teacher: $63,970

• Preschool teacher: $26,860
• Kindergarten teacher: $46,610
• Elementary school teacher: $45,760
• Middle school teacher: $46,880
• High school teacher: $48,030

• Preschool teacher: $36,480
• Kindergarten teacher: $54,860
• Elementary school teacher: $54,010
• Middle school teacher: $57,560
• High school teacher: $48,900

• Preschool teacher: $31,640
• Kindergarten teacher: $46,020
• Elementary school teacher: $54,970
• Middle school teacher: $57,560
• High school teacher: $53,660

• Preschool teacher: $42,190
• Kindergarten teacher: $64,630
• Elementary school teacher: $61,510
• Middle school teacher: $64,030
• High school teacher: $63,370

• Preschool teacher: $33,540
• Kindergarten teacher: $57,940
• Elementary school teacher: $59,230
• Middle school teacher: $62,880
• High school teacher: $61,820

• Preschool teacher: $33,210
• Kindergarten teacher: $62,140
• Elementary school teacher: $61,580
• Middle school teacher: $62,900
• High school teacher: $65,770

• Preschool teacher: $44,810
• Kindergarten teacher: $72,170
• Elementary school teacher: $73,120
• Middle school teacher: $74,390
• High school teacher: $79,260

• Preschool teacher: $31,930
• Kindergarten teacher: $54,060
• Elementary school teacher: $58,720
• Middle school teacher: $59,750
• High school teacher: $60,770

• Preschool teacher: $43,880
• Kindergarten teacher: $84,530
• Elementary school teacher: $87,700
• Middle school teacher: $94,690
• High school teacher: $92,660

• Preschool teacher: $29,530
• Kindergarten teacher: $48,770
• Elementary school teacher: $50,530
• Middle school teacher: $50,630
• High school teacher: $52,280

• Preschool teacher: $34,640
• Kindergarten teacher: $55,480
• Elementary school teacher: $55,940
• Middle school teacher: $59,750
• High school teacher: $56,090

• Preschool teacher: $32,020
• Kindergarten teacher: $60,600
• Elementary school teacher: $67,850
• Middle school teacher: $67,190
• High school teacher: $71,180

• Preschool teacher: $34,730
• Kindergarten teacher: $53,820
• Elementary school teacher: $52,950
• Middle school teacher: $54,220
• High school teacher: $55,950

• Preschool teacher: $36,040
• Kindergarten teacher: $77,920
• Elementary school teacher: $73,860
• Middle school teacher: $75,570
• High school teacher: $76,090

• Preschool teacher: $32,430
• Kindergarten teacher: $68,250
• Elementary school teacher: $70,200
• Middle school teacher: $68,850
• High school teacher: $73,800

• Preschool teacher: $35,150
• Kindergarten teacher: $77,220
• Elementary school teacher: $72,510
• Middle school teacher: $73,210
• High school teacher: $72,270

• Preschool teacher: $29,900
• Kindergarten teacher: $50,970
• Elementary school teacher: $55,210
• Middle school teacher: $56,350
• High school teacher: $56,120

• Preschool teacher: $32,040
• Kindergarten teacher: $$46,520
• Elementary school teacher: $47,670
• Middle school teacher: $48,230
• High school teacher: $48,620

• Preschool teacher: $32,680
• Kindergarten teacher: $50,490
• Elementary school teacher: $54,290
• Middle school teacher: $54,000
• High school teacher: $56,260

• Preschool teacher: $36,760
• Kindergarten teacher: $59,270
• Elementary school teacher: $59,210
• Middle school teacher: $59,080
• High school teacher: $60,470

• Preschool teacher: $32,070
• Kindergarten teacher: $58,370
• Elementary school teacher: $60,300
• Middle school teacher: $64,520
• High school teacher: $64,350

• Preschool teacher: $39,190
• Kindergarten teacher: $56,360
• Elementary school teacher: $63,520
• Middle school teacher: $59,640
• High school teacher: $64,920

• Preschool teacher: $37,040
• Kindergarten teacher: $66,100
• Elementary school teacher: $74,920
• Middle school teacher: $75,760
• High school teacher: $76,430

• Preschool teacher: $32,050
• Kindergarten teacher: $77,860
• Elementary school teacher: $83,010
• Middle school teacher: $83,460
• High school teacher: $85,260

• Preschool teacher: $31,470
• Kindergarten teacher: $52,010
• Elementary school teacher: $50,130
• Middle school teacher: $50,190
• High school teacher: $53,540

• Preschool teacher: $30,260
• Kindergarten teacher: $56,670
• Elementary school teacher: $60,080
• Middle school teacher: $58,450
• High school teacher: $61,440

• Preschool teacher: $30,260
• Kindergarten teacher: $60,900
• Elementary school teacher: $61,100
• Middle school teacher: $64,210
• High school teacher: $63,820

Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2021 data on employment and wages by state to find the average annual wage for (1) preschool, (2) elementary school, (3) middle school and (4) high school teachers in every state. All data was collected on and up to date as of July 21, 2022.