The US states with the highest salaries for public school teachers

[MI-Roger]

So Michigan, in 15th position, pays approximately the US average. Are the 35 lower paying States all closely bunched in their pay? Or are there one or two high paying out-liers? Or both?

I would expect the State paying closest to the US Average to be near 25th posiiton in the ranking.

[ArtMama84]

Don't come to WV. I've worked my whole career here, started in the lowest paying county, have worked for the state, and even went to the largest county-- pay is horrible regardless of where you are. People stay because they love the state and love our kids, but we have teachers on food stamps, who work 2-3 jobs, work extra jobs during the summer, and unless you have a spouse with a good paying job, you are going to struggle more than you think.

I know it's hard everywhere, but we've gone on strike twice in the past three years, are handling COVID horribly, and our Governor is an idiot. WV is one of the lowest states for education, and it shows.

I love my state, I'm proud of so much here, but I'm seriously so tired-- been working hard to make my state better, but you get fought at every turn, especially by parents.

[roodd279]

Well - on that list, PA is a bit of a surprise but most of the others in the top 15 are the very same states in the top 15 of average pay in all professions.


If I were a teacher, I would be more interested in, say, the top 50 Paying School Districts nation-wide....as one "great" district will distort the chart for 20 others.

[RDawg]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

It makes a lot of sense, when you see that they are either in high-cost states or those where it's hard to attract people (Michigan and Alaska).

I teach in Alaska. I do pretty well up here. It's not too hard to stay ahead here if you can get into the lifestyle of a bush teacher.

[WestRiverTraveler]

When you get to the top of the payscale in CT, the pay to cost of living to pay ratio is excellent. Unfortunately, in a lot of districts, it takes a long time to get to the top.

[GiveMeCoffee]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

It makes a lot of sense, when you see that they are either in high-cost states or those where it's hard to attract people (Michigan and Alaska). Even with our state (WA) being #6, average $72,965 teachers cannot afford to buy a home in the Seattle area without a well-paid working spouse.

Agree with this. NY teacher salaries are probably skewed by lower NY numbers. The "high" salaries are offset by the high costs of living in lower NYC metro area.

[NoClueWho]

Doesn't really matter, when the higher the salary is, the more expensive the state (or specific city/metro within the state) is to live in...