While average teacher pay appears to have jumped over last year, when adjusted for inflation, the increase was much smaller, according to a new report by the nation’s largest teachers’ union.
The National Education Association estimates that teacher salaries rose from $71,985 to $74,495 in 2024–25, a 3.5% increase from the year before. But when comparing the current average teacher salary to that of 10 years ago, there is a decrease of 4.6%, when accounting for inflation, according to the report.
“Educators are the foundation of our public schools, yet too many are overworked, underpaid, and unable to keep up with the cost of living,” NEA President Becky Pringle said in a press release. “When we fail to support them, students and communities suffer.”
Teacher pay has long been a pain point for many in the field. While a proposal for a minimum salary of $60,000 for teachers was reintroduced by federal lawmakers last year, those efforts have failed to gain traction.
Teacher salaries in some states correspond with high costs of living
The areas with the highest teacher salaries are California ($103,552), New York ($98,655), and Washington, D.C ($96,589). All three are also among the top jurisdictions with the highest cost of living, according to the Missouri Economic Research & Information Center.
Those states with the lowest salary, under $60,000, include Mississippi ($54,975), Florida ($56,663), and Louisiana ($56,785). When ordering states from lowest to highest cost of living, Mississippi ranks second, Louisiana ranks 19th, and Florida ranks 32nd.
According to the Florida Education Association, the average cost for a family with one child and one adult is $63,853, just above the average teacher’s salary. And in Louisiana, there is a ballot measure that, if approved, would boost teacher salaries and school support workers by $2,250 and $1,125, respectively, in the 2026-27 school year. However, a similar proposal was rejected by voters last year.
The areas that saw salaries increase the most in the last year were Nevada (11.8%), Washington, D.C. (9.7%), and Delaware (7.6%).
Education support professionals didn’t experience large changes
Education support professionals who work full-time, which is considered 30 hours per week, earned on average $38,494, about $1,400 more than last year.
But when adjusting for inflation, the salary increase was actually only $300, the report found. Comparing salaries between now and a decade ago, there is a 9% decrease for education support professionals when adjusted for inflation.
Similar to teachers, ESPs earn 13% more in states where they have collective bargaining rights.
Support professionals have been called the “backbone” of the classroom. In recent years, their job has become more demanding as they help cover staffing shortages, too. While most work full-time, their salaries put them in a position to take up two or more jobs outside of education.
“Every educator should be able to serve students and be paid a thriving wage, not just a living wage,” said Robert Gaines, a paraprofessional, during a press briefing about the reports by NEA.
“Because one job should be enough for a public servant.”
