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Teachers are notoriously underpaid, with some having to work multiple jobs just to pay the bills. The median pay for teachers in America ranges from $30,520 for a preschool teacher to $61,660 for a high school teacher -- while the median pay across all occupations is $39,810, and this includes many jobs that don't require the higher degrees needed to become an educator. However, the pay varies greatly from state to state, with median teacher salaries ranging from $21,390 to $87,120.
Read: Here’s How Much Economists Say One Good Public School Teacher Is Worth
To find out how much teachers make in every state, GOBankingRates analyzed the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2019 data on employment and wages by state to find the median annual wage for preschool, elementary school, middle school and high school teachers. Here's how much public school teacher jobs are worth across America.
Last updated: Feb. 26, 2021
How Much Teachers Make in Alabama
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $21,390
- Kindergarten teachers: $45,840
- Elementary school teachers: $51,170
- Middle school teachers: $52,830
- High school teachers: $52,240
How Much Teachers Make in Alaska
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $31,500
- Kindergarten teachers: $67,690
- Elementary school teachers: $73,960
- Middle school teachers: $77,600
- High school teachers: $74,910
How Much Teachers Make in Arizona
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $28,850
- Kindergarten teachers: $44,490
- Elementary school teachers: $44,780
- Middle school teachers: $44,210
- High school teachers: $48,490
How Much Teachers Make in Arkansas
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,830
- Kindergarten teachers: $47,600
- Elementary school teachers: $47,990
- Middle school teachers: $49,660
- High school teachers: $51,030
How Much Teachers Make in California
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $35,000
- Kindergarten teachers: $72,560
- Elementary school teachers: $83,360
- Middle school teachers: $80,130
- High school teachers: $87,120
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How Much Teachers Make in Colorado
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $31,720
- Kindergarten teachers: $48,970
- Elementary school teachers: $51,450
- Middle school teachers: $51,480
- High school teachers: $53,180
How Much Teachers Make in Connecticut
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $36,310
- Kindergarten teachers: $77,900
- Elementary school teachers: $78,530
- Middle school teachers: $80,500
- High school teachers: $78,910
How Much Teachers Make in Delaware
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $26,240
- Kindergarten teachers: $58,630
- Elementary school teachers: $62,800
- Middle school teachers: $64,660
- High school teachers: $66,870
How Much Teachers Make in Florida
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $25,110
- Kindergarten teachers: $56,000
- Elementary school teachers: $53,540
- Middle school teachers: $54,750
- High school teachers: $55,620
How Much Teachers Make in Georgia
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,230
- Kindergarten teachers: $56,490
- Elementary school teachers: $57,760
- Middle school teachers: $57,510
- High school teachers: $59,260
How Much Teachers Make in Hawaii
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $40,270
- Kindergarten teachers: $31,310
- Elementary school teachers: $62,730
- Middle school teachers: $62,690
- High school teachers: $61,430
How Much Teachers Make in Idaho
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $23,960
- Kindergarten teachers: $46,280
- Elementary school teachers: $46,420
- Middle school teachers: $53,260
- High school teachers: $49,390
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How Much Teachers Make in Illinois
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,720
- Kindergarten teachers: $55,670
- Elementary school teachers: $60,250
- Middle school teachers: $60,470
- High school teachers: $69,610
How Much Teachers Make in Indiana
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $26,700
- Kindergarten teachers: $48,570
- Elementary school teachers: $49,370
- Middle school teachers: $49,740
- High school teachers: $50,250
How Much Teachers Make in Iowa
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $26,780
- Kindergarten teachers: $52,280
- Elementary school teachers: $53,610
- Middle school teachers: $54,810
- High school teachers: $55,630
How Much Teachers Make in Kansas
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,280
- Kindergarten teachers: $48,490
- Elementary school teachers: $48,950
- Middle school teachers: $50,820
- High school teachers: $50,310
How Much Teachers Make in Kentucky
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,990
- Kindergarten teachers: $54,470
- Elementary school teachers: $53,180
- Middle school teachers: $53,620
- High school teachers: $55,000
How Much Teachers Make in Louisiana
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $26,840
- Kindergarten teachers: $45,810
- Elementary school teachers: $47,900
- Middle school teachers: $48,950
- High school teachers: $50,450
How Much Teachers Make in Maine
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $35,950
- Kindergarten teachers: $53,630
- Elementary school teachers: $51,640
- Middle school teachers: $57,030
- High school teachers: $55,640
How Much Teachers Make in Massachusetts
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $36,500
- Kindergarten teachers: $75,360
- Elementary school teachers: $79,980
- Middle school teachers: $78,270
- High school teachers: $79,950
How Much Teachers Make in Michigan
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $30,980
- Kindergarten teachers: $59,080
- Elementary school teachers: $66,030
- Middle school teachers: $65,380
- High school teachers: $61,630
How Much Teachers Make in Minnesota
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $36,320
- Kindergarten teachers: $60,680
- Elementary school teachers: $61,080
- Middle school teachers: $62,140
- High school teachers: $62,850
How Much Teachers Make in Mississippi
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,960
- Kindergarten teachers: $44,320
- Elementary school teachers: $43,530
- Middle school teachers: $46,550
- High school teachers: $45,680
How Much Teachers Make in Missouri
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $28,660
- Kindergarten teachers: $47,970
- Elementary school teachers: $46,320
- Middle school teachers: $47,510
- High school teachers: $45,250
How Much Teachers Make in Montana
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,960
- Kindergarten teachers: $50,410
- Elementary school teachers: $49,750
- Middle school teachers: $58,760
- High school teachers: $49,770
How Much Teachers Make in Nebraska
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $35,590
- Kindergarten teachers: $58,050
- Elementary school teachers: $58,930
- Middle school teachers: $60,210
- High school teachers: $60,210
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How Much Teachers Make in Nevada
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $27,580
- Kindergarten teachers: $53,780
- Elementary school teachers: $56,170
- Middle school teachers: $58,930
- High school teachers: $57,600
How Much Teachers Make in New Hampshire
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $30,020
- Kindergarten teachers: $57,890
- Elementary school teachers: $59,340
- Middle school teachers: $60,070
- High school teachers: $60,500
How Much Teachers Make in New Jersey
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $36,100
- Kindergarten teachers: $65,620
- Elementary school teachers: $69,340
- Middle school teachers: $71,650
- High school teachers: $76,910
How Much Teachers Make in New Mexico
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $28,420
- Kindergarten teachers: $51,030
- Elementary school teachers: $55,080
- Middle school teachers: $48,700
- High school teachers: $55,700
How Much Teachers Make in New York
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $37,160
- Kindergarten teachers: $71,910
- Elementary school teachers: $79,220
- Middle school teachers: $85,390
- High school teachers: $85,050
How Much Teachers Make in North Carolina
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $26,680
- Kindergarten teachers: $48,350
- Elementary school teachers: $48,000
- Middle school teachers: $48,750
- High school teachers: $49,080
How Much Teachers Make in North Dakota
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $26,520
- Kindergarten teachers: $53,050
- Elementary school teachers: $52,270
- Middle school teachers: $56,150
- High school teachers: $54,360
How Much Teachers Make in Ohio
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $27,170
- Kindergarten teachers: $57,460
- Elementary school teachers: $64,470
- Middle school teachers: $63,480
- High school teachers: $64,370
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How Much Teachers Make in Oklahoma
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $25,870
- Kindergarten teachers: $41,400
- Elementary school teachers: $42,180
- Middle school teachers: $43,530
- High school teachers: $45,060
How Much Teachers Make in Oregon
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,950
- Kindergarten teachers: $75,660
- Elementary school teachers: $68,180
- Middle school teachers: $70,830
- High school teachers: $70,930
How Much Teachers Make in Pennsylvania
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,030
- Kindergarten teachers: $63,410
- Elementary school teachers: $66,960
- Middle school teachers: $66,610
- High school teachers: $65,170
How Much Teachers Make in Rhode Island
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $28,700
- Kindergarten teachers: $81,050
- Elementary school teachers: $75,310
- Middle school teachers: $77,880
- High school teachers: $80,050
How Much Teachers Make in South Carolina
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $22,990
- Kindergarten teachers: $53,770
- Elementary school teachers: $51,600
- Middle school teachers: $54,090
- High school teachers: $55,330
How Much Teachers Make in South Dakota
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $29,600
- Kindergarten teachers: $42,830
- Elementary school teachers: $44,030
- Middle school teachers: $44,970
- High school teachers: $44,520
How Much Teachers Make in Tennessee
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $27,980
- Kindergarten teachers: $48,890
- Elementary school teachers: $51,980
- Middle school teachers: $52,040
- High school teachers: $53,720
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How Much Teachers Make in Texas
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $30,030
- Kindergarten teachers: $56,170
- Elementary school teachers: $56,550
- Middle school teachers: $56,500
- High school teachers: $57,820
How Much Teachers Make in Utah
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $27,550
- Kindergarten teachers: $55,490
- Elementary school teachers: $54,800
- Middle school teachers: $61,710
- High school teachers: $57,460
How Much Teachers Make in Vermont
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $34,290
- Kindergarten teachers: $56,090
- Elementary school teachers: $59,850
- Middle school teachers: $59,540
- High school teachers: $64,600
How Much Teachers Make in Virginia
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $33,080
- Kindergarten teachers: $64,480
- Elementary school teachers: $65,620
- Middle school teachers: $67,790
- High school teachers: $63,800
How Much Teachers Make in Washington
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $33,190
- Kindergarten teachers: $62,360
- Elementary school teachers: $68,600
- Middle school teachers: $70,250
- High school teachers: $71,470
How Much Teachers Make in West Virginia
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $25,540
- Kindergarten teachers: $46,730
- Elementary school teachers: $44,940
- Middle school teachers: $47,060
- High school teachers: $46,880
How Much Teachers Make in Wisconsin
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $25,440
- Kindergarten teachers: $56,790
- Elementary school teachers: $56,760
- Middle school teachers: $57,220
- High school teachers: $57,930
How Much Teachers Make in Wyoming
- Median annual wages:
- Preschool teachers: $27,600
- Kindergarten teachers: $57,470
- Elementary school teachers: $58,570
- Middle school teachers: $60,570
- High school teachers: $60,910
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Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2019 data on employment and wages by state to find the median annual wage for (1) preschool, (2) elementary school, (3) middle school and (4) high school teachers in every state. The median annual wage for all occupations in each state was provided as supplemental data. All data was collected on and up to date as of July 24, 2020.
