From a teacher’s point of view, workers in many comparable careers are more well-off—and have been for several years. And female teachers and teachers of color report more concerns than other educators, according to the 2024 RAND State of the Teacher survey.
In a pattern that has held steady since 2021, teachers said they worked longer hours for lower pay than adults in similar industries, the survey found. Respondents reported working an average of 53 hours per week, with about 15 of these hours “outside of their contracts.”
Just over half of similar working adults—who reported working an average 44 hours per week—described their base pay as adequate; only 36% of teachers shared that sentiment about their salaries. Teachers who felt underpaid said a raise of at least $16,000 would bring them level with other working adults.
Teachers expressed other frustrations, citing student misbehavior and administrative work outside of teaching as major sources of stress this year.
“This is RAND’s fourth consecutive year collecting data that raise concerns about high stress and low pay in the teacher workforce,” Sy Doan, lead author of the report, said in a statement. “Although teacher well-being seems to have stabilized at pre-pandemic levels, our data raise questions about the sustainability of the profession for Black teachers and female teachers in particular.”
Here are some other notable findings from the State of the Teacher survey:
- Black teachers reported working significantly more hours per week and were less satisfied with their workloads.
- Black teachers were also more likely to report inadequate base pay, significantly lower base pay and intentions to leave their job.
- Female teachers reported significantly higher rates of frequent job-related stress and burnout than male teachers, a consistent pattern since 2021.
- Female teachers also reported significantly lower base pay.
- Teachers (24%) are about as likely to report intending to leave their job as are working adults (22%).
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