Substitute Teachers, Short-Term pay in the United States

Goes furthest in Alaska
·Education·
525k jobs
Figures from US Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics
$20.03/hr median
524,770 employed
+2% to 2035
50% AI exposure
Bachelor's degree
51 states reported
and more...

What this work is

Teach students on a short-term basis as a temporary replacement for a regular classroom teacher, typically using the regular teacher's lesson plan.

Where the money actually goes furthest

Alaska pays the most both before and after cost of living — $66,920, worth $65,377 once local prices are counted.

Pay by state

51 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 Substitute Teachers, Short-Term by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
Alaska$32.17/hr$66,920$65,377$66,9201,420
Oregon$28.02/hr$58,280$56,385$53,7218,090
West Virginia$23.57/hr$49,020$54,770$47,4544,840
California$28.99/hr$60,300$54,461$58,436115,660
Hawaii$28.14/hr$58,530$53,233$55,5243,990
Washington$26.80/hr$55,740$52,088$55,74014,820
Minnesota$24.22/hr$50,390$51,095$48,4268,660
North Dakota$20.47/hr$42,570$47,852$42,570420
Wisconsin$21.13/hr$43,950$46,705$42,7188,420
Pennsylvania$21.57/hr$44,870$45,987$43,49222,360
District of Columbia$23.94/hr$49,790$45,304$47,878750
Rhode Island$21.92/hr$45,590$44,573$44,2761,910
Maryland$22.34/hr$46,470$44,274$44,4437,610
Iowa$17.90/hr$37,230$42,422$36,3707,300
Nebraska$18.12/hr$37,690$41,831$36,6213,430
Michigan$18.99/hr$39,500$41,051$38,0593,600
Georgia$18.69/hr$38,870$40,367$37,47516,400
New York$20.91/hr$43,490$40,298$41,70336,090
New Jersey$21.05/hr$43,780$40,235$42,85317,100
Kansas$17.40/hr$36,190$40,179$34,4599,360
Ohio$17.86/hr$37,150$40,045$36,8449,140
Wyoming$17.79/hr$36,990$39,907$36,9902,230
New Mexico$17.50/hr$36,400$39,475$35,7053,510
Illinois$18.95/hr$39,410$39,425$37,59617,220
Massachusetts$19.88/hr$41,350$39,097$39,2828,410
Vermont$18.37/hr$38,200$38,995$37,1541,400
Indiana$17.48/hr$36,360$38,958$35,2999,920
Virginia$18.76/hr$39,020$38,595$37,52224,350
Maine$18.00/hr$37,440$38,578$36,115Not published
Missouri$16.73/hr$34,790$38,306$34,01111,480
Arizona$18.51/hr$38,500$38,239$37,9024,710
Connecticut$18.49/hr$38,460$37,119$36,9795,950
Utah$17.55/hr$36,490$36,910$34,8294,710
Delaware$17.55/hr$36,510$36,579$35,050Not published
Florida$17.83/hr$37,080$35,857$37,08025,270
North Carolina$16.24/hr$33,780$35,810$32,88620,360
Idaho$16.39/hr$34,080$35,689$33,0471,800
Arkansas$14.05/hr$29,230$33,620$28,2662,560
New Hampshire$16.82/hr$34,990$33,589$34,9901,070
Texas$15.41/hr$32,040$33,010$32,04029,150
Kentucky$14.29/hr$29,730$32,974$28,667320
South Carolina$14.62/hr$30,400$32,426$30,0327,700
Tennessee$14.18/hr$29,500$32,110$29,5007,690
South Dakota$13.39/hr$27,840$31,425$27,8401,610
Louisiana$13.16/hr$27,370$31,028$26,9231,090
Montana$13.49/hr$28,050$29,635$27,4172,370
Alabama$12.18/hr$25,340$28,529$24,2639,290
Oklahoma$11.43/hr$23,770$27,060$23,1314,990
Mississippi$10.74/hr$22,340$25,692$21,4582,390
Nevada$12.00/hr$24,960$24,964$24,9606,600
Guam$13.08/hr$27,210Not publishedNot published780

National median for comparison: $41,670. “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.

$41,670/year

$20.03/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$19,720$95,330

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

50%Moderate exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

Both methods agree closely.

Method 1 — ability mix53%

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

Method 2 — task content47%

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 +2% between 2025 and 2035, with about 65,000 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • Answer students' questions.
  • Enforce school and class rules to maintain order in the classroom.
  • Follow lesson plans designed by absent teachers.
  • Take class attendance and maintain attendance records.
  • Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, or assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
  • Supervise students during activities outside the classroom, such as recess, lunch, and field trips.

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

Where substitute teachers, short-term 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 Gera Cejas.