Teaching Profession Report Roundup

Teacher Salaries

By Brenda Iasevoli — February 28, 2017 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Alaska and New York state pay teachers nearly double the salaries of those working in Mississippi and Oklahoma, says a study by GoBankingRates.

According to the finance website, teachers in Alaska and New York are paid each year on average $77,843 and $76,593, respectively. By contrast, the averages in Mississippi and Oklahoma are $42,043 and $42,647, respectively.

The average teacher salaries in 50 states (not including the District of Columbia) were calculated using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The authors averaged the mean salaries of elementary, middle, and high school teachers to get the average salary in each state. The calculations did not include the salaries of special education teachers.

The 10 states where teachers get paid the most:
1. Alaska: $77,843
2. New York: $76,593
3. Connecticut: $75,867
4. California: $72,050
5. Massachusetts: $71,587
6. New Jersey: $70,700
7. Rhode Island: $67,533
8. Maryland: $65,257
9. Illinois: $65,153
10. Virginia: $63,493

The 10 states where teachers get paid the least:
1. Mississippi: $42,043
2. Oklahoma: $42,647
3. South Dakota: $43,200
4. North Carolina: $43,587
5. Arizona: $43,800
6. West Virginia: $45,477
7. Arkansas: $47,053
8. Idaho: $47,063
9. Kansas: $47,127
10. Louisiana: $48,587

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the March 01, 2017 edition of Education Week as Teacher Salaries

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Bridging the Math Gap: What’s New in Dyscalculia Identification, Instruction & State Action
Discover the latest dyscalculia research insights, state-level policy trends, and classroom strategies to make math more accessible for all.
Content provided by TouchMath
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Belonging as a Leadership Strategy for Today’s Schools
Belonging isn’t a slogan—it’s a leadership strategy. Learn what research shows actually works to improve attendance, culture, and learning.
Content provided by Harmony Academy
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Too Many Initiatives, Not Enough Alignment: A Change Management Playbook for Leaders
Learn how leadership teams can increase alignment and evaluate every program, practice, and purchase against a clear strategic plan.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Measles Cases Are Rising. How Educators Can Protect Themselves
As some common childhood illnesses make a comeback in schools, here's what educators need to know.
3 min read
Anna Hicks prepares a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department on April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. Measles is highly infectious and even some vaccinated teachers have reportedly been infected.
Anna Hicks prepares a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department on April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. Measles is highly contagious and even some vaccinated teachers have reportedly caught the infection.
Annie Rice/AP
Teaching Profession San Francisco Teachers Strike Over Wages and Health Benefits
About 6,000 teachers in San Francisco went on strike, the city's first such walkout in nearly 50 years.
4 min read
English teacher Tadd Scott plays the drum as teachers and SFUSD staff join a city-wide protest to demand a fair contract while at Mission High School , Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in San Francisco.
English teacher Tadd Scott plays the drum as teachers and SFUSD staff join a city-wide protest to demand a fair contract while at Mission High School in San Francisco on Feb. 9, 2026.
Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Teaching Profession K-12 Budgets Are Tightening. Teacher-Leadership Roles Are at Risk
The positions expanded with pandemic-aid funding. With money tighter, how can districts keep them?
5 min read
Teachers utilize a team teaching model, known as the Next Education Workforce Model, at Stevenson Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan 30, 2025.
Teachers utilize a team-teaching model that spreads out teacher expertise and facilitates collaboration at Stevenson Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan 30, 2025. Some of those models depend on having coaches and interventionists—positions that risk getting cut during lean budget times.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week
Teaching Profession How Teachers Across the Country Support Each Other in Times of Crisis
One Minnesota teacher received a touching display of support from a colleague 1,200 miles away.
4 min read
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, January 22, 2026: Ninth grade teacher Tracy Byrd helps a student with her final essay on the last day of the semester at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, MN.
Ninth grade teacher Tracy Byrd helps a student with her final essay on the last day of the semester at Washburn High School in Minneapolis on Jan. 22, 2026. Bryd, the 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, has leaned on his network of state teachers of the year for support amid the challenges of increased immigration enforcement in the state.
Caroline Yang for Education Week