Salary & Benefits Guide for Teachers

You may already be very aware that teachers don’t earn as much as their educated counterparts in other professions, but knowing what salary and benefits package comes with teaching can be an important step in planning your future.

Being a teacher is not a high paying job. Don’t look to make a salary based on your education, but do look for a salary based on your experience. Most public schools pay based on years of service and degree. A fifth year teacher with a masters will make more that a first year teacher with bachelors.

Private schools hold discretion to pay their faculty on merit or experience. Ask your school if they distribute your salary over the course of the school year or over the calendar year. This will help you plan your finances and know what to expect come your first pay period.

A. Comprehensive Teacher Salary Guide

B. Professional Benefits

Comprehensive Teacher Salary Guide

Teaching can be a thankless job, so why not make the most of a career in education by obtaining the highest salary possible?

Bachelors vs. Masters: Compare Salaries in 50 States

US Department of Education: Institute of Educational Sciences (nces.ed.gov)

Becoming a teacher isn’t about making a lot of money, but it is important to know what salary to expect to budget your life accordingly. The following salaries represent the starting salaries for teachers for all 50 states that hold either a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. For comparison, the state salary average is included as well and represents beginning and experienced educators. Why wait?

Starting Salaries For New Teachers

Country State Average Starting Bachelors Starting Masters Alabama $36,240 $29,640 $34,140

Alaska $59,940 $37,290 $43,450

Arizona $37,340 $29,510 $34,210

Arkansas $36,095 $26,210 $33,580

California $55,185 $38,920 $44,980

Colorado $42,050 $30,570 $38,020

Connecticut $52,860 $37,800 $43,290

Delaware $47,940 n/a n/a

Dist. Columbia $51,900 n/a $43,680

Florida $39,290 $31,140 $33, 570

Georgia $42,350 $32,220 $40,490

Hawaii $41,080 $32,620 $37,550

Idaho $40,145 $25,060 n/a

Illinois $46,420 $33,280 $42,590

Indiana $42,180 $29,270 n/a

Iowa $37,740 $26,140 n/a

Kansas $36,345 $28,500 n/a

Kentucky $36,090 $28,400 $35,310

Louisiana $35,295 $28,380 n/a

Maine $39,555 $27,300 $29,830

Maryland $48,075 $33,100 $41,540

Massachusetts

$48,715 $34,000 $42,360

Michigan $52,455 $34,340 $47,760

Minnesota $38,745 $30,561 $38,670

Mississippi $35,175 $27,110 $30,810

Missouri $36,110 $27,220 $30,810

Montana $35,760 $23,190 n/a

Nebraska $35,140 $26,790 $29,930

Nevada $40,870 $27,220 $36,130

N. Hampshire $41,970 $28,880 $35,580

New Jersey $54,990 $37,000 $43,410

New Mexico $37,205 $28,830 $33,060

New York $49,640 $36,000 $45,710

North Carolina $38,185 $26,930 $33,670

North Dakota $35,290 $23,810 n/a

Ohio $45,845 $30,430 $39,170

Oklahoma $32,885 $27,330 $29,280

Oregon $44,140 n/a $37,040

Pennsylvania $49,525 $33,030 $39,530

Rhode Island $52,235 n/a n/a

South Carolina $38,930 $27,610 $34,380

South Dakota $33,515 $24,980 n/a

Tennessee $37,065 $29,690 $33,590

Texas $40,755 $32,330 $36,660

Utah $39,265 $25,140 n/a

Vermont $41,890 n/a n/a

Virginia $40,690 $31,990 $36,710

Washington $44,005 $30,010 $37,990

West Virginia $36,710 n/a $34,060

Wisconsin $42,450 $28,630 $35,510

Wyoming $37,845 $28,270 n/a

Ten Great Cities for Teachers to Live & Work

Whether you’re an experienced professional with a long career in teaching, or a young student considering a teaching career for the first time, you’ll want to explore many different cities before settling on one. The school system you’ll be teaching in is an important factor, as well as what the city has to offer. Consider these ten great U.S. cities:

1) Washington, D.C.

2) Los Angeles, California

3) Las Vegas, Nevada

4) New York City, New York

5) Chicago, Illinois

6) Austin, Texas

7) Denver, Colorado

8) Providence, Rhode Island

9) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

10) Boston, Massachusetts

(As of November 2007)

Teaching Guide for Every State

Where will your career take you?

Searching for a job in education can be an arduous task. How much money can you expect to make? How does each state measure up with the national average? Find out important teacher-pupil ratios and state testing statistics. Connect with helpful links for popular school districts in each state, how to get certified, or start looking for jobs. Click on any state below and get started.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa

Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts

Michigan Minnesota

Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire

New Jersey New Mexico

New York North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgina Washington

West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

10 Highest Paying Jobs in Education

Most job seekers do not flock to the field of education for the salary, but rather for the rewards that come from taking part in the education system. There are such a variety of jobs within the field that the salary ranges of many professions vary drastically. The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its latest findings for occupations in education.

Sr. No.

Jobs Salary

1 Academic Dean $140,595

2 K-12 School Principal $87,748

3 K-12 Assistant Principal $71,958

4 Professor/Post-Secondary Teacher $56,120

5 K-12 Counselor $53,750

6 High School Teacher $52,450

7 Special Education Teacher $51,503

8 Librarian $50,710

9 Middle School Teacher $50,630

10 Elementary School Teacher $47,870

6 High Paying Cities for K-12 Teachers

6 High Paying US Cities

Teachers don’t get into teaching because of the great salaries, but earning more each paycheck can’t hurt.

1. Los Angeles

Starting Salary with Bachelor’s Degree: $49,497 Starting Salary with Mater’s Degree $55,124

About Los Angeles Unified School District:

A major priority in the District is to have a fully certified /licensed teacher in every classroom. The District seeks qualified candidates who are innovative, enthusiastic, and are looking for the opportunity to make a difference. Mathematics, Science and special education are a priority for the District. The District is accepting applications for all subjects.

2. New York City

Starting Salary with Bachelor’s Degree: $43,436

Starting Salary with Master’s Degree: $48,747

About New York City Public Schools:

Almost 135,000 people work full-time in New York City’s public school system — gifted teachers, principals, administrators, counselors, secretaries, paraprofessionals, custodians, and many, many more. Our shared mission is to provide the 1.1 million students we serve with the kind of education that will give them the tools to thrive in college and careers, and to contribute to their communities.

3. Atlanta

Starting Salary with Bachelor’s Degree: $43,231

Starting Salary with Master’s Degree: $47, 554

About Atlanta Public Schools

99 schools and other educational facilities are serving an estimated 50,000-student population. APS is organized into geographic clusters called School Reform Teams (SRTs), under the supervision of Executive Directors of Schools. 89 schools are classified at Title I schools and 86% of students are African American. 74% of students qualify for free and reduced meals. The ratio of teacher to student is no great than 1:23 at any level.The system’s 3,921 teachers make up 51 percent of APS staff personnel. Forty-five (45) percent of all APS teachers have advanced degrees. APS teachers have, on average, 15 years of classroom experience.

4. Chicago

Starting Salary with Bachelor’s Degree: $43, 233

Starting Salary with Master’s Degree: $46,228

About Chicago Public Schools:

623 Chicago schools employ 24,644 teachers that service 420, 982 students, 48.6% are African- American and 37.6% are Latino. 85.6% of students come from low-income families. The ratio of teacher to student is no great than 1:20. The Chicago Public Schools strives to be the premier urban school district in the country by providing all students and their families with high quality instruction, outstanding academic programs, and comprehensive student development supports to prepare them for the challenges of the world of tomorrow.

5. Houston

Starting Salaries with Bachelor’s Degree: $42,745

Starting Salaries with Master’s Degree: $43,745

About Houston Independent School District:

The Houston Independent School District is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States. Most HISD (Houston Independent School District) schools are assigned to one of five regions (North, East, South, West, and Central) with offices located in communities to give students and parents personalized service and immediate assistance. HISD educates 202,000 students of diverse population: 58% Hispanic, 30% African-American, 9% white, 3% Asian/Pacific. 78% of Houston’s students qualify for free and reduced meals. 55,000 students are limited English proficient, who combine speak more than 90 different native languages. 12,721 teachers service HISD.

6. Philadelphia

Starting Salary with Bachelor’s Degree: $39.914

Starting Salary with Master’s Degree: $41,088

About Philadelphia Public Schools:

The School District of Philadelphia is one of the largest in the nation by enrollment, serving a racially and ethnically diverse student population. The district currently has a need for bilingual teachers who speak fluent English, and Spanish, Vietnamese or Chinese. The School District of Philadelphia has approximately 184,560 students in 291 public schools. The District is divided into twelve regions each under the supervision of a Regional Superintendent. The diverse student population represents 64.4% African-America and 15.8% Hispanic as it’s largest ethnicities.

Will Teachers Face a Recession?

Will teachers be in demand in 2016? Read and find out.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)

With the current economic climate in the US, everyone may be a bit on edge about the security of their job.

What about the state of the teaching occupation? If you want to find out what the predictions are for the demand for teachers over the next decade, you won’t want to miss what the latest research suggests.

Job Outlook for Teachers

Employment of preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers is projected to grow as fast as average jobs in the US. Job prospects are expected to be favorable, with particularly good prospects for teachers in high-demand fields like math, science, and bilingual education, or in less desirable urban or rural school districts.

The employment of school teachers is expected to grow by 12 percent before 2016. Because of large number of the occupations in this group, this growth rate will create 479,000 additional teacher positions, more than all but a few but just a few other occupations before 2016.

Increased demand for teachers

Through 2016, overall student enrollments in elementary, middle, and secondary schools—a key factor in the demand for teachers—are expected to rise more slowly than in the past as children of the baby boom generation leave the school system. Projected enrollments will vary by region. Fast-growing States in the South and West—led by Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Georgia—will experience the largest enrollment increases. Enrollments in the Midwest are expected to hold relatively steady, while those in the Northeast are expected to decline. Teachers who are geographically mobile and who obtain licensure in more than one subject should have a distinct advantage in finding a job.

The number of teachers employed is dependent on State and local expenditures for education and on the enactment of legislation to increase the quality and scope of public education. At the Federal level, there has been a large increase in funding for education, particularly for the hiring of qualified teachers in lower income areas. Also, some States are instituting programs to improve early childhood education, such as offering full day kindergarten and universal preschool. These programs, along with projected higher enrollment growth for preschool age children, will create many new jobs for preschool teachers, which are expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations.

Most job openings until 2016 will result from the need to replace the large number of teachers who are expected to retire over the period. Also, many beginning teachers decide to leave teaching for other careers after a year or two—especially those employed in poor, urban schools—creating additional job openings for teachers.

Where will the jobs be?

The job market for teachers also continues to vary by school location and by subject taught. Job prospects should be better in inner cities and rural areas than in suburban districts. Many inner cities—often characterized by overcrowded, ill-equipped schools and higher-than-average poverty rates—and rural areas—characterized by their remote location and relatively low salaries—have difficulty attracting and retaining enough teachers. Currently, many school districts have difficulty hiring qualified teachers in some subject areas—most often mathematics, science (especially chemistry and physics), bilingual education, and foreign languages. Increasing enrollments of minorities, coupled with a shortage of minority teachers, should cause efforts to recruit minority teachers to intensify. Also, the number of non-English-speaking students will continue to grow, creating demand for bilingual teachers and for those who teach English as a second language. Qualified vocational teachers also are currently in demand in a variety of fields at both the middle school and secondary school levels. Specialties that have an adequate number of qualified teachers include general elementary education, physical education, and social studies.

Who will teach?

The supply of teachers is expected to increase in response to reports of improved job prospects, better pay, more teacher involvement in school policy, and greater public interest in education. In addition, more teachers may be drawn from a reserve pool of career changers, substitute teachers, and teachers completing alternative certification programs. In recent years, the total number of bachelor’s and master’s degrees granted in education has been increasing slowly. But many States have implemented policies that will encourage even more students to become teachers because of a shortage of teachers in certain locations and in anticipation of the loss of a number of teachers to retirement.

Salaries for Careers in Education

U.S. Department of Labor

Education offers a wide variety of fields. Each field comes with salary expectations. The salaries listed below were released from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Average Salaries For Careers in Education

High School Middle School Elementary School Assistant Principals

$75,121 $73,020 $67,735

Principals $92,965 $87,866 $82,414

Special Ed. Teachers

$52,250 $52,550 $49,710

Vocational Ed. $51,050 $46,470

Misc. Careers in Education

Post-Secondary Educators

Universities

Designation Salary Designation Salary Designation SalaryAdult Literacy/GED $46,690 Professor $98,974 K-12 $53,750Gifted Ed Teacher $47,000 Associate

Professor$69,911 Jr. Colleges $48,240

Instructional Coordinators

$55,570 Assistant Professor $58,662 Colleges & Counselors

$41,780

Librarian $50,860 College Instructor $42,609Occupational Therapist $54,660 College Lecturer $48,289

Pre-School Teacher $25,900 Graduate Teaching Assistant

$30,190

Speech-Language Pathologist

$60,840

Teacher Assist. (K-12) $21,640

Teaching Salaries Based on Degrees Earned & Location

Are you wondering if getting an advanced degree can help add money to your salary? The answer is “yes.” But depending on where you live in the US, the difference may be bigger than you think. The areas where the Master’s degree or a Doctorate really pay for themselves is in suburban areas. These figures were obtained by the National Center for Education Statistics, and they do account for cost differences between the geographic areas.

Locale All Teachers Bachelor’s Degree

Master’s Degree

Doctor’s Degree

Overall $44,400 $39,200 $49,400 $53,700

CITY $44,000 $39,200 $48,200 $52,700

SUBURBAN $45,700 $39,800 $50,600 $55,600

TOWN $45,900 $41,600 $51,200 $45,600

RURAL $43,000 $38,800 $48,400 $51,400

Source: Department of Education, National Centre for Education Statistics. Note: NCES’s comparable wage index was used to account for geographic cost difference.

Professional Benefits

1. Vacation

There are many vacation days built in to the school year. Don’t worry about having to take time off around the holidays; it’s one of the perks to being a teacher. You do accrue sick and personal days throughout the year, but don’t expect to use all of your earned days every year. Since the teaching schedule is so great, when school is in session, plan to be there every day.

2. Healthcare

Family healthcare is a standard benefit in schools. Expect to be offered healthcare for general care as well as dental and vision. Many plans cover counseling, rehabilitation and other special services.

3. Insurance

Short and long-term disability plans may not be a part of the public school standard package. For a minimal fee, the system should provide a choice of carriers to choose from. Life insurance and workman compensation policies, however, are usually standard.

4. Retirement

Most public schools offer a state retirement plan, while private schools might offer 401K plans. It is common for separate investment and retirement companies to work with schools help teachers plan for

the future. Find out more about retirement and planning for the future.