The 10 best—and worst—states for teacher salaries

Teacher salaries now hover around $72,000 a year, a figure that’s expected to grow by 3% this year. Yet, due to inflation, teachers are still making 5% less than they did 10 years ago.

Since the pandemic, states have implemented record-level pay increases, leveraging pandemic relief funds and other sources of revenue to combat ongoing teacher vacancy issues. Despite these efforts, current economic pressures put starting teacher salaries, adjusted for inflation, $3,728 below 2008-09 levels, according to new data from the National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers union.

The report claims that teachers earn 24% more on average in states with collective bargaining, suggesting that unions give teachers an advantage financially. As of 2023-24, the average salary for teachers in states with bargaining laws was $77,561, compared to states without such laws, measured at $62,325.

“Low pay limits the ability to attract and retain quality educators in the profession amid a looming educator shortage and sagging educator morale due chiefly to low pay and poor working conditions,” the report reads.

However, districts are still prioritizing giving newer teachers a head start. The percentage of school districts paying new teachers a starting salary of at least $50,000 increased to 30% in 2023-24 compared to the previous year. Additionally, more school districts (20.7%) have a top teacher salary of at least $100,000, and fewer school districts (8%) have a top teacher salary below $60,000.

More from DA: How Trump’s ‘skinny budget’ impacts K12 funding

Here’s a look at the 10 highest-paying states in the country according to their average teacher salaries:

1. California, $101,084
2. New York, $95,615
3. Massachusetts, $92,076
4. Washington, $91,720
5. Washington, D.C., $86,663
6. Connecticut, $86,511
7. Maryland, $84,338
8. New Jersey, $82,877
9. Rhode Island, $82,189
10. Alaska, $78,256

On the other hand, these are the 10 lowest-paying states for teachers:

1. Mississippi, $53,704
2. Florida, $54,875
3. Missouri, $55,132
4. West Virginia, $55,516
5. Louisiana, $55,911
6. South Dakota, $56,328
7. Montana, $57,556
8. Kansas, $58,146
9. North Carolina, $58,292
10. Kentucky, $58,325

Click here to read the report and locate where your state ranks on the list.