High School Teacher Salary by State
How much secondary school teachers earn in each state. SOC code 25-2031 (Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education). Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025.
- National median wage$72,040Half earn more, half less
- National mean wage$76,320Average of all workers
- Hourly wagen/aBLS publishes annual pay only
- U.S. employment1,065,210Wage & salary jobs
- Top-paying stateCalifornia$105,880 mean
- States with data51 / 51Others not published by BLS
How much do secondary school teachers make?
Nationally, secondary school teachers earn a median of $72,040 a year and a mean of $76,320 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle half of the occupation earns between $59,980 (25th percentile) and $92,570 (75th percentile); the bottom 10% earn under $48,780 and the top 10% more than $107,600.
That median is 1.4× the median for all U.S. occupations ($50,980).
By state, the mean wage ranges from $105,880 in California (highest) to $53,690 in Mississippi (lowest). After adjusting the median for each state’s price level, Washington comes out on top at $95,953 in national-average dollars.
National pay distribution
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $48,780 | $4,065 |
| 25th | $59,980 | $4,998 |
| Median | $72,040 | $6,003 |
| 75th | $92,570 | $7,714 |
| 90th | $107,600 | $8,967 |
| Mean | $76,320 | $6,360 |
BLS publishes only annual wages for this occupation because many workers are paid for a school year rather than 2,080 hours.
High School Teacher salary in every state
Click a column heading to sort. Adjusted median = median × 100 ÷ BEA regional price parity (2024).
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | 10th pct | 90th pct | Adjusted median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $105,880 | $101,370 | $64,600 | $132,600 | $91,572 | 99,230 |
| Washington | $99,350 | $102,670 | $62,950 | $128,410 | $95,953 | 14,880 |
| New York | $97,220 | $97,070 | $60,070 | $136,450 | $89,963 | 70,660 |
| Massachusetts | $90,270 | $95,260 | $61,500 | $122,660 | $90,038 | 28,460 |
| Illinois | $89,320 | $79,990 | $49,020 | $135,960 | $79,990 | 44,670 |
| District of Columbia | $88,460 | $82,750 | $50,750 | $128,170 | $75,296 | 2,800 |
| New Jersey | $87,100 | $82,200 | $63,040 | $108,230 | $75,551 | 38,140 |
| Connecticut | $84,460 | $80,970 | $51,710 | $113,610 | $78,156 | 14,800 |
| Rhode Island | $84,120 | $92,610 | $51,670 | $100,370 | $90,528 | 4,910 |
| Alaska | $82,460 | $79,650 | $63,360 | $98,140 | $77,783 | 2,790 |
| Minnesota | $80,020 | $76,460 | $49,160 | $121,220 | $77,546 | 16,020 |
| Maryland | $79,820 | $78,670 | $58,150 | $102,690 | $74,924 | 16,640 |
| Oregon | $79,050 | $79,570 | $49,640 | $101,310 | $76,954 | 11,730 |
| Ohio | $78,110 | $78,800 | $48,370 | $103,150 | $84,914 | 49,540 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,650 | $78,800 | $51,440 | $102,360 | $80,738 | 52,240 |
| Utah | $75,460 | $76,330 | $51,400 | $98,730 | $77,179 | 11,030 |
| Virginia | $75,060 | $72,170 | $49,900 | $107,930 | $71,385 | 31,100 |
| Delaware | $74,240 | $77,960 | $51,420 | $95,220 | $78,116 | 5,360 |
| Colorado | $73,330 | $72,900 | $48,970 | $101,300 | $70,708 | 18,310 |
| Hawaii | $73,230 | $74,310 | $56,040 | $98,360 | $67,555 | 5,590 |
| New Mexico | $72,920 | $75,900 | $59,330 | $84,170 | $82,321 | 8,120 |
| Vermont | $72,350 | $76,220 | $49,800 | $99,830 | $77,776 | 2,450 |
| New Hampshire | $72,040 | $77,060 | $48,570 | $96,510 | $73,954 | 5,860 |
| Georgia | $72,000 | $75,480 | $49,450 | $96,820 | $78,380 | 25,730 |
| Michigan | $71,200 | $66,030 | $47,830 | $98,720 | $68,638 | 25,540 |
| Nevada | $68,570 | $65,520 | $54,850 | $83,190 | $65,520 | 8,920 |
| Indiana | $67,640 | $61,880 | $48,300 | $95,070 | $66,324 | 20,430 |
| Wisconsin | $66,880 | $62,870 | $48,550 | $83,340 | $66,812 | 15,910 |
| Maine | $66,820 | $64,880 | $47,520 | $83,450 | $66,887 | 5,540 |
| Idaho | $66,470 | $61,690 | $47,950 | $91,620 | $64,597 | 6,570 |
| Wyoming | $66,020 | $62,690 | $51,440 | $78,830 | $67,627 | 1,600 |
| Texas | $65,740 | $63,590 | $50,410 | $78,020 | $65,489 | 111,660 |
| Nebraska | $65,520 | $63,450 | $46,870 | $78,510 | $70,422 | 7,170 |
| South Carolina | $65,340 | $62,580 | $48,740 | $80,700 | $66,788 | 16,080 |
| Arizona | $64,440 | $58,360 | $46,240 | $93,530 | $57,954 | 21,190 |
| Kentucky | $63,450 | $61,560 | $47,130 | $83,310 | $68,248 | 12,780 |
| Tennessee | $62,950 | $61,860 | $49,050 | $79,180 | $67,312 | 21,230 |
| Alabama | $62,280 | $61,990 | $48,190 | $76,300 | $69,809 | 15,880 |
| Iowa | $61,860 | $61,200 | $47,480 | $79,270 | $69,704 | 12,310 |
| North Dakota | $61,830 | $61,210 | $47,630 | $81,310 | $68,775 | 3,070 |
| Florida | $61,570 | $60,410 | $49,210 | $77,100 | $58,424 | 49,810 |
| Montana | $61,550 | $60,990 | $38,120 | $81,270 | $64,471 | 3,670 |
| Louisiana | $61,170 | $59,850 | $47,590 | $79,720 | $67,857 | 15,210 |
| Missouri | $60,310 | $59,240 | $40,540 | $79,300 | $65,242 | 24,380 |
| Arkansas | $59,710 | $59,660 | $49,430 | $75,760 | $68,654 | 12,890 |
| Kansas | $58,930 | $59,920 | $47,630 | $76,230 | $66,504 | 10,860 |
| West Virginia | $56,630 | $56,610 | $48,450 | $64,040 | $63,251 | 3,590 |
| North Carolina | $55,760 | $57,650 | $45,430 | $64,460 | $61,135 | 28,620 |
| Oklahoma | $54,950 | $48,710 | $45,150 | $71,650 | $55,478 | 15,480 |
| South Dakota | $53,960 | $51,050 | $47,130 | $62,040 | $57,619 | 3,360 |
| Mississippi | $53,690 | $50,980 | $45,760 | $62,850 | $58,598 | 10,400 |
Highest median pay
- Washington — $102,670
- California — $101,370
- New York — $97,070
- Massachusetts — $95,260
- Rhode Island — $92,610
Lowest median pay
- Oklahoma — $48,710
- Mississippi — $50,980
- South Dakota — $51,050
- West Virginia — $56,610
- North Carolina — $57,650
Best pay after cost of living
- Washington — $95,953
- California — $91,572
- Rhode Island — $90,528
- Massachusetts — $90,038
- New York — $89,963
The most secondary school teachers work in Texas (111,660 jobs), California and New York.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a high school teacher make?
The national median wage for secondary school teachers is $72,040 a year and the mean is $76,320, according to BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
Which state pays secondary school teachers the most?
California has the highest mean wage for secondary school teachers at $105,880, and Washington has the highest median at $102,670.
Which state pays secondary school teachers the least?
Mississippi has the lowest mean wage for secondary school teachers among states with published data, at $53,690.
Where do secondary school teachers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state’s median wage by its BEA price level, Washington ranks first at $95,953 in national-average dollars, followed by California and Rhode Island.