Teacher pay varies more across U.S. states than almost any other public-sector profession. The May 2025 BLS data shows the average K-12 teacher in Washington earns $100,550 — nearly $51,555 more per year than a teacher doing identical work in Oklahoma.
The Washington–Oklahoma Gap
Take an elementary school teacher with the same credentials, same student load, same curriculum. In Washington, that role pays a median of $102,350. In Oklahoma, the same role pays $48,200 — a difference of $54,150 per year, or roughly 112% if both values are available.
What's in this data: We aggregated four BLS occupation codes — Elementary School Teachers (252021), Middle School Teachers (252022), Secondary School Teachers (252031), and Special Education Teachers (252052) — to capture the full K-12 picture. Postsecondary (college) faculty are excluded. Numbers reflect median annual salary, not total compensation.
K-12 Teacher Pay in Every State (May 2025)
Ranked from highest to lowest by the average median across the four K-12 categories.
| # | State | Avg Median (K-12) | Elementary | Middle | Secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $100,550 | $102,350 | $102,140 | $102,670 |
| 2 | California | $99,285 | $99,650 | $98,950 | $101,370 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $92,515 | $94,000 | $89,450 | $95,260 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $90,150 | $90,930 | $92,760 | $92,610 |
| 5 | New York | $89,732 | $85,760 | $94,840 | $97,070 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $89,285 | $96,580 | $79,900 | $82,750 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $84,532 | $80,600 | $93,610 | $80,970 |
| 8 | Alaska | $79,520 | $79,260 | $78,940 | $79,650 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $78,958 | $78,200 | $78,770 | $82,200 |
| 10 | Maryland | $78,428 | $77,680 | $78,510 | $78,670 |
| 11 | Oregon | $78,188 | $77,130 | $78,350 | $79,570 |
| 12 | Illinois | $77,345 | $75,320 | $76,110 | $79,990 |
| 13 | Ohio | $76,808 | $77,370 | $77,090 | $78,800 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $76,618 | $77,060 | $77,930 | $78,800 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $75,528 | $74,550 | $75,240 | $75,900 |
| 16 | Utah | $72,902 | $74,810 | $79,180 | $76,330 |
| 17 | Delaware | $71,912 | $75,920 | $67,780 | $77,960 |
| 18 | Vermont | $71,858 | $63,070 | $73,940 | $76,220 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $71,442 | $72,410 | $71,140 | $77,060 |
| 20 | Georgia | $71,358 | $72,290 | $64,780 | $75,480 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $70,768 | $76,350 | $62,640 | $76,460 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $68,972 | $71,410 | $69,230 | $74,310 |
| 23 | Colorado | $68,590 | $63,410 | $63,760 | $72,900 |
| 24 | Michigan | $67,382 | $65,110 | $63,790 | $66,030 |
| 25 | Virginia | $67,245 | $65,550 | $63,520 | $72,170 |
| 26 | Nevada | $65,492 | $65,040 | $66,300 | $65,520 |
| 27 | Maine | $63,185 | $62,390 | $63,590 | $64,880 |
| 28 | Texas | $63,018 | $62,760 | $63,390 | $63,590 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $62,690 | $62,380 | $62,510 | $63,450 |
| 30 | Alabama | $62,415 | $61,380 | $61,770 | $61,990 |
| 31 | Idaho | $61,958 | $61,600 | $60,930 | $61,690 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $61,890 | $61,210 | $61,960 | $62,870 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $61,812 | $61,150 | $62,480 | $62,690 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $61,642 | $60,820 | $60,810 | $62,580 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $61,272 | $59,980 | $60,690 | $61,860 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $60,838 | $60,610 | $61,120 | $61,560 |
| 37 | Iowa | $60,668 | $60,580 | $60,450 | $61,200 |
| 38 | Indiana | $60,260 | $59,700 | $60,700 | $61,880 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $59,822 | $60,030 | $60,100 | $61,210 |
| 40 | Montana | $59,425 | $57,530 | $61,550 | $60,990 |
| 41 | Florida | $59,282 | $58,930 | $58,940 | $60,410 |
| 42 | Kansas | $59,230 | $56,450 | $60,580 | $59,920 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $59,045 | $58,770 | $58,760 | $59,850 |
| 44 | Arizona | $57,672 | $56,590 | $59,710 | $58,360 |
| 45 | Missouri | $56,680 | $50,910 | $59,310 | $59,240 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $56,555 | $52,700 | $59,570 | $59,660 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $55,712 | $54,930 | $52,010 | $57,650 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $54,958 | $55,630 | $57,210 | $56,610 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $50,812 | $50,130 | $50,980 | $51,050 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $50,532 | $49,790 | $50,790 | $50,980 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $48,995 | $48,200 | $48,440 | $48,710 |
Why the Gap Exists
Three forces drive teacher-pay differences across states: state funding formulas (some states fund schools heavily through state income tax, others lean on local property tax), cost-of-living adjustments baked into pay scales, and collective bargaining strength (states with strong teacher unions consistently pay more). The result: a public-sector profession with private-sector levels of geographic pay variance.
Compare Teacher Pay to Other Professions
For state-by-state comparisons across other occupations, see our salary database. Or read about the single highest-paying job in every state.