Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education pay in the United States

Goes furthest in Washington
·Education·
1.1M jobs
Biggest filer DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS56 certified filings on public record
Reported annually
1,065,210 employed
-0% to 2035
59% AI exposure
Bachelor's degree
54 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.

Where the money actually goes furthest

Washington pays the most both before and after cost of living — $102,670, worth $95,944 once local prices are counted.

Pay by state

54 states and territories publish a median for this occupation. Switch the ranking to see how much the order changes.

Adjusted for what things cost in that state.

Median pay for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
Washingtonannual only$102,670$95,944$102,67014,880
Californiaannual only$101,370$91,555$95,91599,230
Rhode Islandannual only$92,610$90,545$89,5114,910
Massachusettsannual only$95,260$90,071$90,49728,460
New Yorkannual only$97,070$89,946$92,29470,660
Ohioannual only$78,800$84,941$77,34949,540
New Mexicoannual only$75,900$82,312$73,2938,120
Pennsylvaniaannual only$78,800$80,762$76,38052,240
Illinoisannual only$79,990$80,022$76,16744,670
Georgiaannual only$75,480$78,388$72,18525,730
Connecticutannual only$80,970$78,148$77,26614,800
Delawareannual only$77,960$78,108$74,0455,360
Alaskaannual only$79,650$77,813$79,6502,790
Vermontannual only$76,220$77,807$73,1262,450
Minnesotaannual only$76,460$77,529$72,72416,020
Utahannual only$76,330$77,210$72,85611,030
Oregonannual only$79,570$76,983$73,14811,730
New Jerseyannual only$82,200$75,544$79,09038,140
District of Columbiaannual only$82,750$75,295$78,5572,800
Marylandannual only$78,670$74,952$75,11316,640
New Hampshireannual only$77,060$73,975$77,0605,860
Virginiaannual only$72,170$71,384$68,76631,100
Coloradoannual only$72,900$70,742$70,42218,310
Nebraskaannual only$63,450$70,421$61,0607,170
Alabamaannual only$61,990$69,792$59,08015,880
Iowaannual only$61,200$69,735$59,42912,310
North Dakotaannual only$61,210$68,806$61,2103,070
Michiganannual only$66,030$68,623$63,46125,540
Arkansasannual only$59,660$68,622$57,51012,890
Kentuckyannual only$61,560$68,278$59,22412,780
Louisianaannual only$59,850$67,849$58,42915,210
Wyomingannual only$62,690$67,634$62,6901,600
Hawaiiannual only$74,310$67,585$70,1055,590
Tennesseeannual only$61,860$67,334$61,86021,230
Maineannual only$64,880$66,852$61,7405,540
Wisconsinannual only$62,870$66,811$60,63515,910
South Carolinaannual only$62,580$66,752$60,28216,080
Kansasannual only$59,920$66,526$56,86510,860
Indianaannual only$61,880$66,302$60,05320,430
Nevadaannual only$65,520$65,533$65,5208,920
Texasannual only$63,590$65,516$63,590111,660
Missouriannual only$59,240$65,227$57,31224,380
Idahoannual only$61,690$64,603$59,1946,570
Montanaannual only$60,990$64,437$58,5063,670
West Virginiaannual only$56,610$63,251$54,7073,590
North Carolinaannual only$57,650$61,115$55,74128,620
Mississippiannual only$50,980$58,631$48,83810,400
Floridaannual only$60,410$58,417$60,41049,810
Arizonaannual only$58,360$57,965$57,26621,190
South Dakotaannual only$51,050$57,625$51,0503,360
Oklahomaannual only$48,710$55,453$46,88615,480
Guamannual only$62,860Not publishedNot published680
Virgin Islandsannual only$59,520Not publishedNot published380
Puerto Ricoannual only$59,100Not publishedNot published5,640

National median for comparison: $72,040. “Worth locally” divides pay by the area’s price level, so a figure above the headline means money goes further there than the US average.

$72,040/year

Across the states

$45,700$131,980

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

59%Moderate exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

Both methods agree closely.

Method 1 — ability mix58%

Cognitive share of O*NET ability importance (element families 1.A.1–1.A.4), O*NET 31.0

Method 2 — task content60%

Importance-weighted share of O*NET tasks classed as language or information work, O*NET 31.0

What this does and does not mean

Exposure means a model could plausibly do a meaningful share of the tasks in this job. It is not a forecast that the job disappears, and it says nothing about whether any employer will actually automate it.

For what the labour market expects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to change by -0% between 2025 and 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
  • Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
  • Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.
  • Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
  • Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
  • Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.

Amber marks language and information work. Green marks tasks that need a person in a place.

What named employers said they would pay

From certified US Department of Labor visa filings. These are wages employers committed to for sponsored roles — not company-wide averages, and not necessarily what everyone in the job earns. Cells with fewer than three filings are withheld so no individual’s pay is identifiable.

EmployerRole as filedState25thMedian75thFilings
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLSSECONDARY TEACHERDC$65,000$65,000$65,00056
SAVANNAH CHATHAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMHIGH SCHOOL TEACHERGA$60,781$69,305$72,72443
Milwaukee Board of School DirectorsMath TeacherWI$78,121$78,121$78,12138
Jackson Public School DistrictEnglish TeacherMS$54,561$56,619$60,25734
Harmony Public SchoolsComputer TeacherTX$52,430$53,540$53,54033
Dallas Independent School DistrictHigh School Math TeacherTX$65,000$66,000$75,00031
Denver Public Schools District 1Mathematics Secondary School TeacherCO$66,844$83,819$88,20428
KNOWLEDGE RESOURCES GROUP INCTeacherGA$56,000$56,430$70,00025
Frontier Schools, Inc.Mathematics TeacherMO$65,250$67,000$69,37520
Houston Independent School DistrictScience TeacherTX$68,750$83,000$86,32215
Little Scholars of ArkansasMath TeacherAR$43,220$46,380$48,99714
ORANGEBURG COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTHIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHERSC$62,496$67,332$74,59014
Dove Schools, Inc.Science TeacherOK$42,450$42,450$43,95013
River City Education Services, Inc.Computer TeacherFL$51,600$51,600$53,20012
Dorchester School District TwoHigh School Spanish TeacherSC$59,091$65,319$70,82112

Where secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education move next

Occupations that share most of this one’s skills, with the pay difference and the change in AI exposure.

Location

San Diego, CA, United States of America (SAN-San Diego Intl.)

Photograph by Max Fischer.