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The median preschool teacher in the United States earns $31,390. The median high school teacher earns almost precisely double that amount — $62,870, to be exact. Elementary and middle school teachers earn just over $60,000 and kindergarten teachers aren’t far behind at just under $58,000 — but again, that’s the median across the entire United States.
Take a Look: Explore the Cost of Education in the United States
Read: Can You Afford Education in America at These Prices?
The median teacher in high-paying states might make much, much more. The median educator in lower-paying states should plan on making much less.
To find out what teachers can expect to earn in every state and the District of Columbia, GOBankingRates used 2020 salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) across all five education levels.
Keep reading to find out the median annual salary for a teacher in your state.
Last updated: Aug. 9, 2021
How Much Teachers Make in Alabama
- Preschool teacher: $20,730
- Kindergarten teacher: $48,530
- Elementary school teacher: $52,150
- Middle school teacher: $53,880
- High school teacher: $53,440
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How Much Teachers Make in Alaska
- Preschool teacher: $33,250
- Kindergarten teacher: $74,350
- Elementary school teacher: $73,920
- Middle school teacher: $78,580
- High school teacher: $75,600
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How Much Teachers Make in Arkansas
- Preschool teacher: $30,390
- Kindergarten teacher: $48,020
- Elementary school teacher: $48,490
- Middle school teacher: $50,270
- High school teacher: $51,310
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How Much Teachers Make in California
- Preschool teacher: $36,420
- Kindergarten teacher: $75,740
- Elementary school teacher: $85,970
- Middle school teacher: $82,810
- High school teacher: $88,420
How Much Teachers Make in Colorado
- Preschool teacher: $33,570
- Kindergarten teacher: $49,060
- Elementary school teacher: $53,250
- Middle school teacher: $52,730
- High school teacher: $55,270
How Much Teachers Make in Connecticut
- Preschool teacher: $35,080
- Kindergarten teacher: $78,040
- Elementary school teacher: $79,920
- Middle school teacher: $82,480
- High school teacher: $78,240
How Much Teachers Make in Delaware
- Preschool teacher: $28,230
- Kindergarten teacher: $61,530
- Elementary school teacher: $65,310
- Middle school teacher: $64,920
- High school teacher: $68,360
How Much Teachers Make in the District of Columbia
- Preschool teacher: $43,210
- Kindergarten teacher: $55,460
- Elementary school teacher: $76,090
- Middle school teacher: $78,160
- High school teacher: $64,020
How Much Teachers Make in Florida
- Preschool teacher: $25,740
- Kindergarten teacher: $57,720
- Elementary school teacher: $56,540
- Middle school teacher: $57,280
- High school teacher: $60,470
How Much Teachers Make in Georgia
- Preschool teacher: $29,850
- Kindergarten teacher: $57,490
- Elementary school teacher: $60,840
- Middle school teacher: $59,980
- High school teacher: $61,360
How Much Teachers Make in Hawaii
- Preschool teacher: $39,170
- Kindergarten teacher: $31,660
- Elementary school teacher: $64,210
- Middle school teacher: $64,150
- High school teacher: $64,750
How Much Teachers Make in Idaho
- Preschool teacher: $24,490
- Kindergarten teacher: $39,090
- Elementary school teacher: $49,730
- Middle school teacher: $51,370
- High school teacher: $50,520
How Much Teachers Make in Illinois
- Preschool teacher: $30,960
- Kindergarten teacher: $60,390
- Elementary school teacher: $62,780
- Middle school teacher: $61,830
- High school teacher: $70,740
How Much Teachers Make in Indiana
- Preschool teacher: $27,580
- Kindergarten teacher: $49,060
- Elementary school teacher: $50,050
- Middle school teacher: $51,590
- High school teacher: $50,940
How Much Teachers Make in Iowa
- Preschool teacher: $28,720
- Kindergarten teacher: $53,050
- Elementary school teacher: $54,680
- Middle school teacher: $55,650
- High school teacher: $57,140
How Much Teachers Make in Kansas
- Preschool teacher: $34,840
- Kindergarten teacher: $53,900
- Elementary school teacher: $51,850
- Middle school teacher: $55,130
- High school teacher: $53,140
How Much Teachers Make in Kentucky
- Preschool teacher: $35,250
- Kindergarten teacher: $53,790
- Elementary school teacher: $53,250
- Middle school teacher: $53,660
- High school teacher: $55,540
How Much Teachers Make in Louisiana
- Preschool teacher: $29,250
- Kindergarten teacher: $46,580
- Elementary school teacher: $48,700
- Middle school teacher: $49,490
- High school teacher: $50,810
How Much Teachers Make in Maine
- Preschool teacher: $36,070
- Kindergarten teacher: $53,050
- Elementary school teacher: $52,000
- Middle school teacher: $59,310
- High school teacher: $57,020
How Much Teachers Make in Maryland
- Preschool teacher: $34,380
- Kindergarten teacher: $64,310
- Elementary school teacher: $75,820
- Middle school teacher: $75,020
- High school teacher: $76,840
How Much Teachers Make in Massachusetts
- Preschool teacher: $38,560
- Kindergarten teacher: $76,940
- Elementary school teacher: $82,520
- Middle school teacher: $80,730
- High school teacher: $83,680
How Much Teachers Make in Michigan
- Preschool teacher: $30,430
- Kindergarten teacher: $58,780
- Elementary school teacher: $66,260
- Middle school teacher: $63,950
- High school teacher: $62,210
How Much Teachers Make in Minnesota
- Preschool teacher: $37,900
- Kindergarten teacher: $60,970
- Elementary school teacher: $60,210
- Middle school teacher: $60,640
- High school teacher: $62,410
How Much Teachers Make in Mississippi
- Preschool teacher: $29,120
- Kindergarten teacher: $44,530
- Elementary school teacher: $43,470
- Middle school teacher: $46,570
- High school teacher: $45,400
How Much Teachers Make in Missouri
- Preschool teacher: $32,730
- Kindergarten teacher: $48,430
- Elementary school teacher: $46,730
- Middle school teacher: $49,260
- High school teacher: $45,290
How Much Teachers Make in Montana
- Preschool teacher: $29,660
- Kindergarten teacher: $49,490
- Elementary school teacher: $48,940
- Middle school teacher: $55,230
- High school teacher: $50,720
How Much Teachers Make in Nebraska
- Preschool teacher: $37,770
- Kindergarten teacher: $59,260
- Elementary school teacher: $60,300
- Middle school teacher: $60,990
- High school teacher: $62,090
How Much Teachers Make in New Hampshire
- Preschool teacher: $30,680
- Kindergarten teacher: $61,810
- Elementary school teacher: $60,060
- Middle school teacher: $60,970
- High school teacher: $62,170
How Much Teachers Make in New Jersey
- Preschool teacher: $39,440
- Kindergarten teacher: $68,790
- Elementary school teacher: $70,920
- Middle school teacher: $73,160
- High school teacher: $77,790
How Much Teachers Make in New Mexico
- Preschool teacher: $31,100
- Kindergarten teacher: $54,030
- Elementary school teacher: $58,060
- Middle school teacher: $51,210
- High school teacher: $55,740
How Much Teachers Make in New York
- Preschool teacher: $39,850
- Kindergarten teacher: $74,080
- Elementary school teacher: $80,040
- Middle school teacher: $85,370
- High school teacher: $86,230
How Much Teachers Make in North Carolina
- Preschool teacher: $28,260
- Kindergarten teacher: $49,250
- Elementary school teacher: $49,300
- Middle school teacher: $50,450
- High school teacher: $50,360
How Much Teachers Make in North Dakota
- Preschool teacher: $26,080
- Kindergarten teacher: $53,730
- Elementary school teacher: $52,530
- Middle school teacher: $57,290
- High school teacher: $54,200
How Much Teachers Make in Ohio
- Preschool teacher: $28,470
- Kindergarten teacher: $54,570
- Elementary school teacher: $65,210
- Middle school teacher: $64,740
- High school teacher: $66,420
How Much Teachers Make in Oklahoma
- Preschool teacher: $29,270
- Kindergarten teacher: $44,940
- Elementary school teacher: $45,810
- Middle school teacher: $46,600
- High school teacher: $48,370
How Much Teachers Make in Oregon
- Preschool teacher: $31,310
- Kindergarten teacher: $76,320
- Elementary school teacher: $69,580
- Middle school teacher: $66,100
- High school teacher: $72,370
How Much Teachers Make in Pennsylvania
- Preschool teacher: $29,340
- Kindergarten teacher: $64,500
- Elementary school teacher: $67,210
- Middle school teacher: $66,480
- High school teacher: $67,180
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How Much Teachers Make in Rhode Island
- Preschool teacher: $29,800
- Kindergarten teacher: $81,880
- Elementary school teacher: $74,570
- Middle school teacher: $78,490
- High school teacher: $79,010
How Much Teachers Make in South Carolina
- Preschool teacher: $25,060
- Kindergarten teacher: $46,450
- Elementary school teacher: $50,920
- Middle school teacher: $53,150
- High school teacher: $53,180
How Much Teachers Make in South Dakota
- Preschool teacher: $31,180
- Kindergarten teacher: $43,510
- Elementary school teacher: $44,670
- Middle school teacher: $45,400
- High school teacher: $45,320
How Much Teachers Make in Tennessee
- Preschool teacher: $30,190
- Kindergarten teacher: $48,230
- Elementary school teacher: $51,530
- Middle school teacher: $51,780
- High school teacher: $52,770
How Much Teachers Make in Texas
- Preschool teacher: $37,050
- Kindergarten teacher: $56,990
- Elementary school teacher: $57,690
- Middle school teacher: $57,770
- High school teacher: $58,400
How Much Teachers Make in Utah
- Preschool teacher: $27,800
- Kindergarten teacher: $51,130
- Elementary school teacher: $53,940
- Middle school teacher: $64,480
- High school teacher: $61,570
How Much Teachers Make in Vermont
- Preschool teacher: $37,030
- Kindergarten teacher: $55,900
- Elementary school teacher: $60,310
- Middle school teacher: $60,690
- High school teacher: $63,080
How Much Teachers Make in Virginia
- Preschool teacher: $34,360
- Kindergarten teacher: $61,300
- Elementary school teacher: $67,830
- Middle school teacher: $69,360
- High school teacher: N/A
How Much Teachers Make in Washington
- Preschool teacher: $32,450
- Kindergarten teacher: $67,120
- Elementary school teacher: $73,260
- Middle school teacher: $75,740
- High school teacher: $76,820
How Much Teachers Make in West Virginia
- Preschool teacher: $30,720
- Kindergarten teacher: $51,010
- Elementary school teacher: $47,330
- Middle school teacher: $48,230
- High school teacher: $48,780
How Much Teachers Make in Wisconsin
- Preschool teacher: $27,080
- Kindergarten teacher: $57,040
- Elementary school teacher: $56,970
- Middle school teacher: $58,240
- High school teacher: $58,630
How Much Teachers Make in Wyoming
- Preschool teacher: $26,320
- Kindergarten teacher: $58,460
- Elementary school teacher: $59,210
- Middle school teacher: $60,400
- High school teacher: $61,730
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Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2020 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. All data were collected on and up to date as of July 21, 2021.
