Elementary School Teachers: pay by state
National median: $63,970/yr BLS OEWS OEWS ’25 . Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
National wage range
10th percentile$47,960 25th percentile$57,710 Median$63,970 75th percentile$81,450 90th percentile$104,340
BLS percentile estimates describe the wage distribution; they are not experience levels or guaranteed offers. Published employment: 1,388,390. How to read wage percentiles →
What's the equivalent in another state?
A elementary teacher earning the median $102,350 in Washington needs about $92,880 in Texas to keep the same purchasing power. The actual median there is $62,760 (—).
Show the math
How much the state matters
Nationally, the median elementary teacher earns $63,970 a year. But the state-by-state gap is large: from $102,350 in Washington down to $48,200 in Oklahoma — a spread of 112% for the same job.
The wage distribution
Nationally, the published 10th-to-90th-percentile range runs from $47,960 to $104,340. Those percentiles describe the observed wage distribution; they should not be treated as automatic starting- and senior-pay bands.
Where the job really pays best
Headline pay is only half the story. Adjust each state's wage for its cost of living and the map redraws itself. Once prices are accounted for, Washington offers the strongest real pay ($95,654 in national-average terms).
Every state, ranked by real pay
“Real pay” = median wage ÷ (state price level ÷ 100). Wage percentiles show the published spread; employment is the BLS estimate for the occupation.
| # | State | Employment | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Price level | Real median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 28,980 | $64,610 | $102,350 | $127,570 | 107.0 | $95,654 |
| 2 | California | 155,160 | $61,940 | $99,650 | $127,070 | 110.7 | $90,018 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 3,830 | $45,070 | $90,930 | $99,610 | 102.3 | $88,886 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 29,930 | $60,620 | $94,000 | $118,190 | 105.8 | $88,847 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | 3,750 | $63,950 | $96,580 | $128,370 | 109.9 | $87,880 |
| 6 | Ohio | 47,870 | $47,680 | $77,370 | $99,210 | 92.8 | $83,373 |
| 7 | New Mexico | 6,210 | $58,120 | $74,550 | $86,560 | 92.2 | $80,857 |
| 8 | New York | 101,410 | $56,760 | $85,760 | $136,260 | 107.9 | $79,481 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 48,370 | $51,990 | $77,060 | $99,630 | 97.6 | $78,955 |
| 10 | Connecticut | 16,330 | $58,870 | $80,600 | $105,890 | 103.6 | $77,799 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 26,640 | $48,870 | $76,350 | $100,880 | 98.6 | $77,434 |
| 12 | Alaska | 3,500 | $62,140 | $79,260 | $98,610 | 102.4 | $77,402 |
| 13 | Delaware | 2,900 | $50,330 | $75,920 | $94,100 | 99.8 | $76,072 |
| 14 | Utah | 14,820 | $49,610 | $74,810 | $100,340 | 98.9 | $75,642 |
| 15 | Illinois | 61,520 | $47,040 | $75,320 | $105,250 | 100.0 | $75,320 |
| 16 | Georgia | 43,820 | $49,260 | $72,290 | $98,030 | 96.3 | $75,067 |
| 17 | Oregon | 12,600 | $48,500 | $77,130 | $103,540 | 103.4 | $74,594 |
| 18 | Maryland | 29,610 | $56,290 | $77,680 | $107,040 | 105.0 | $73,981 |
| 19 | New Jersey | 40,300 | $61,840 | $78,200 | $105,480 | 108.8 | $71,875 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | 5,190 | $48,110 | $72,410 | $92,920 | 104.2 | $69,491 |
| 21 | Nebraska | 8,710 | $46,700 | $62,380 | $78,130 | 90.1 | $69,234 |
| 22 | Alabama | 22,030 | $47,750 | $61,380 | $73,950 | 88.8 | $69,122 |
| 23 | Iowa | 17,300 | $47,260 | $60,580 | $77,400 | 87.8 | $68,998 |
| 24 | Michigan | 40,910 | $47,670 | $65,110 | $94,680 | 96.2 | $67,682 |
| 25 | North Dakota | 4,430 | $46,530 | $60,030 | $75,990 | 89.0 | $67,449 |
| 26 | Kentucky | 19,080 | $45,600 | $60,610 | $79,740 | 90.2 | $67,195 |
| 27 | Louisiana | 22,060 | $46,680 | $58,770 | $76,380 | 88.2 | $66,633 |
| 28 | Wyoming | 2,600 | $51,630 | $61,150 | $76,860 | 92.7 | $65,965 |
| 29 | Tennessee | 28,240 | $48,100 | $59,980 | $76,840 | 91.9 | $65,267 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | 24,920 | $48,610 | $61,210 | $84,470 | 94.1 | $65,048 |
| 31 | Nevada | 9,550 | $49,560 | $65,040 | $82,670 | 100.0 | $65,040 |
| 32 | Hawaii | 6,040 | $55,210 | $71,410 | $95,120 | 110.0 | $64,918 |
| 33 | South Carolina | 25,030 | $48,410 | $60,820 | $77,570 | 93.7 | $64,909 |
| 34 | Virginia | 37,880 | $49,770 | $65,550 | $100,290 | 101.1 | $64,837 |
| 35 | Texas | 116,260 | $48,500 | $62,760 | $73,570 | 97.1 | $64,634 |
| 36 | Idaho | 6,850 | $45,940 | $61,600 | $80,710 | 95.5 | $64,503 |
| 37 | Vermont | 3,610 | $48,700 | $63,070 | $97,230 | 98.0 | $64,357 |
| 38 | Maine | 7,490 | $46,570 | $62,390 | $92,100 | 97.1 | $64,253 |
| 39 | Indiana | 27,720 | $47,330 | $59,700 | $77,730 | 93.3 | $63,987 |
| 40 | Kansas | 14,350 | $47,700 | $56,450 | $71,730 | 90.1 | $62,653 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 5,420 | $48,080 | $55,630 | $60,790 | 89.5 | $62,156 |
| 42 | Colorado | 24,860 | $48,410 | $63,410 | $98,950 | 103.1 | $61,503 |
| 43 | Montana | 4,960 | $38,160 | $57,530 | $78,450 | 94.6 | $60,814 |
| 44 | Arkansas | 12,590 | $49,380 | $52,700 | $63,120 | 86.9 | $60,644 |
| 45 | North Carolina | 42,410 | $45,570 | $54,930 | $62,590 | 94.3 | $58,250 |
| 46 | Mississippi | 11,060 | $46,020 | $49,790 | $62,990 | 87.0 | $57,230 |
| 47 | Florida | 79,090 | $48,680 | $58,930 | $75,780 | 103.4 | $56,992 |
| 48 | South Dakota | 4,290 | $47,120 | $50,130 | $60,180 | 88.6 | $56,580 |
| 49 | Arizona | 24,240 | $43,370 | $56,590 | $79,470 | 100.7 | $56,197 |
| 50 | Missouri | 33,180 | $39,980 | $50,910 | $78,820 | 90.8 | $56,068 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | 18,500 | $41,400 | $48,200 | $61,930 | 87.8 | $54,897 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official data
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official data