This article contains information on the updated Teacher’s Salary in the United States in 2025.
Teaching is a very important profession in the economies of every country. In recent times, the profession has become the last resort for many unemployed individuals, unlike in the past, when it was a profession for those who had passed through the necessary teaching training. This implies that even those with little or no teaching training have gone into this profession.
The job of a teacher is one of the most important but least appreciated occupations. The common saying that “the reward of teachers is in Heaven” confirms this.
Before now, the teaching profession was known to be very lucrative and yet very tasking, but in recent times, as important and tasking as it is, there is no guarantee for a healthy living wage.
Even in the United States, where life is assumed to be all rosy, this is not left out. A large percentage of teachers in the U.S. don’t even make above the average wage of all occupations. If you’re looking to get into the world of teaching, bear in mind that a lot of factors go a long way to determining the salary being paid.
The factors range from location, qualification, years of experience and what school you are working in. These are the biggest initial factors in determining the average salary of a teacher.
When the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) updates its occupational employment statistics, it breaks up school teachers into categories. The three broadest categories they use are:
- Elementary school teachers
- Middle school teachers
- Secondary (high school) teachers
Below is how the salaries of teachers in the United States are checked on average.
HOW TO CHECK TEACHERS SALARY STRUCTURE IN THE UNITED STATES
A person working as a Teacher in the United States typically earns around 62,870 USD per year. Salaries range from 40,828 USD (lowest) to 104,670 USD (highest).
This average annual salary includes housing, transportation, and other benefits. Teacher salaries vary based on experience, skills, gender, or location, as earlier stated.
Below is a detailed breakdown based on different criteria.
The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range of the Teachers Salary Salary Range
Teacher salaries in the United States range from 40,828 USD per year (minimum salary) to 104,670 USD per year (maximum salary).
Median Salary
The median salary is 59,220 USD per year, this implies that half of people working as Teachers are earning less than 59,220 USD while the other half are earning more than 59,220 USD. The median represents the middle salary value.
Difference between the median and the average salary
While both are indicators, if your salary is higher than both the average and the median, then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then a lot of people are earning more than you, but there is nothing to worry about if it falls between the average and the median.
Average Yearly Salary 62,870 USD (~5,240 USD monthly) LOW – 40,828 USD HIGH – 104,670 USD
Teacher Salary Comparison Based On Years Of Experience
The level of experience is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience you have, the higher your wage.
- 0 – 1 Year: 55,551 USD
- 1 – 2 Years: 55,840 USD
- 2 – 4 Years: 59,701 USD
- 5 – 8 Years: 65,101 USD
- 8+ Years: 65,487 USD
Teacher Salary Comparison by Education
There is a common saying that, “in order to earn more, you have to learn more”. We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary.
When the education level is Bachelor’s Degree, the average salary of a Teacher is 59,669 USD per year while a Master’s Degree holder gets a salary typically 10–20% higher.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory.
Teacher Salary Comparison by Gender
Normally, gender should not have an effect on pay, but unfortunately, in reality, it does. Male Teachers in the United States historically earned about 5% more than their female counterparts on average. While current exact data is not available, this gap likely persists.
Teacher’s Average Annual Salary Increment
Teachers in the United States observe a salary increase of approximately 3% annually. Salary increments vary from individual to individual depending on the above mentioned factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be given a salary increase.
Teacher Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States
A teacher’s job is considered to be a low bonus job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, but there are exceptions. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually mostly involved in the revenue generation cycle.
Types of Bonuses Considered:
- Individual Performance-Based Bonuses
- Goal-Based Bonuses
- Company Performance Bonuses
- Holiday / End of Year Bonuses
Most people tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed, while a bonus is, in most cases, unplanned. However, teachers are given bonuses, not commissions.
Teacher Average Hourly Wage in United States
The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in the United States is 29 USD. This means that an average Teacher in the United States earns approximately 29 USD for every working hour.
The hourly wage is the salary paid for one working hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories in the U.S.:
Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked, while hourly jobs pay per worked hour.
The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the number of hours worked per week and the annual vacation allowance. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
Government VS Private Sector Salary Comparison
Public sector employees in the United States earn approximately 5% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
While those in the Private Sector earn about 92,400 USD, those in the public sector earn about 97,100 USD.
Conclusion
Teaching is a very important profession worldwide, but what teachers are paid doesn’t in any way correspond to the tasks involved. Many people would think that the case would be different in a country as popular as the United States, but the fact remains that teachers in the country are not much different from their counterparts in many other countries.
In the United States, states with higher than average salaries for teachers have more high-income families, higher populations, more private schools, and closer proximity to renowned universities. On the other hand, states with the lowest wages for teachers have a higher concentration of low-income families and far less government funding for their public schools. In other words, salaries being paid to teachers are solely determined by the basic factors stated in this article.
Finally, most teachers in the United States take on extra jobs because what they are paid is not always enough to make ends meet.
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