How Far Can You Stretch a Starting Teacher Salary? We Crunched the Numbers

Teacher pay has long been a major pain point in the profession. It tops the list of educators’ grievances in survey after survey. Too often, it pushes teachers to consider different careers. And it makes the job unattractive to future would-be educators.

In recent years, policymakers at both the federal and state levels have worked to change the narrative by pushing for a $60,000 minimum teacher salary.

But to date, these efforts have mostly stalled or otherwise met obstacles. The Pay Teachers Act, introduced in 2023 in the U.S. Senate, has yet to pass. Nor has the American Teacher Act, a federal bill introduced in 2022.

Some states—including Maryland, Minnesota, and Indiana—have introduced or passed legislation requiring districts to meet the $60,000 minimum teacher salary. But the measures have had mixed success.

For instance, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a set of statewide policies and dedicated funding, requires Maryland school districts to reach a minimum teacher salary of $60,000 by July 1. So far, half of the state’s 24 districts have done so.

The Kent County school district in Maryland isn’t one of them, but it is close.

The annual starting salary for teachers is $56,240 in Kent County, a rural area whose proximity to the Chesapeake Bay is making it an increasingly popular place to live—as reflected in rising rents and property values, much like many other parts of the country. It is also a bit closer to the average starting teacher salary in the United States of about $47,000.

That begs the question: How far can you stretch a starting teacher salary under $60,000?

We crunched the numbers and came up with some sobering results. For context, we created a profile of a starting teacher in the Kent County schools as a healthy single adult without children, living independently without a roommate or partner to share expenses, and shouldering an average amount of student and other debt.

Click on the interactive chart below to see how a starting teacher in Kent County would, theoretically, pay expenses throughout the year with a $56,240 salary. Notably, the expenses leave no money for savings (homeownership or a wedding will have to wait unless someone else pays for it). And, like many other teachers, this one will need to get a second job or side hustle to end the year in the “black.”

NOTE: Figures collected as part of our “Annual Living Expense Calculator” are based on state and national averages, accordingly.

Average Living Expense Calculator for single adult living in Kent County, Md., earning $56,240.