What do teachers earn in
every US school district?
According to the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 fiscal survey (FY2022), estimated teacher pay, per-pupil spending, and budgets are available for all 13,138 public school districts.
Estimated avg teacher salaries for 13K+ US districts from NCES data, with state rankings, search, and per-pupil insights.
PlainTeacher estimates average teacher pay for 13,138 public school districts across 51 states plus D.C., from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 fiscal survey (FY2022). The national average is $85,759 (median $74,131), with a 2.3x gap between the highest- and lowest-paying states, District of Columbia and Arkansas.
- 17 of 51 states pay above the national average
- 2.3x pay gap, District of Columbia vs Arkansas
- Sourced from NCES CCD F-33, FY2022
This is general information from public NCES data, not a salary offer, contract, or negotiation guarantee. Consult your district's HR office or teachers' union for official pay schedules and current openings.
Estimated teacher pay across the country
Estimated average teacher salary by state, darker is higher. The Northeast and West Coast lead; the South and Mountain West trail. These F-33 estimates run above survey-reported salaries and are best read as a relative comparison.
Where the money goes, by state
Two F-33 cuts competitors rarely surface side by side: estimated teacher pay and per-pupil spending, both enrollment-weighted across enrolling districts.
Highest estimated teacher salary
Enrollment-weighted, enrolling districts (200+ students)
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$127,962 Est. avg salary
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$125,882 Est. avg salary
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$123,951 Est. avg salary
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$117,433 Est. avg salary
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$106,216 Est. avg salary
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$105,323 Est. avg salary
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$104,540 Est. avg salary
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$103,100 Est. avg salary
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$101,110 Est. avg salary
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$96,303 Est. avg salary
What this shows District of Columbia leads, 2.3× the lowest-paying state.
Highest per-pupil spending
Enrollment-weighted total expenditure per student
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$36,333 Per-pupil spending
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$36,134 Per-pupil spending
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$28,817 Per-pupil spending
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$27,472 Per-pupil spending
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$27,308 Per-pupil spending
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$25,546 Per-pupil spending
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$23,410 Per-pupil spending
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$23,379 Per-pupil spending
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$22,877 Per-pupil spending
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$21,914 Per-pupil spending
What this shows New York spends the most per student. Pay and spending rank differently, funding does not flow only to salaries.
Highest-Paying States
Lowest-Paying States
How do teacher salaries vary by state?
Click any state to see all school district salary data.
The national salary range
From the lowest- to highest-paying enrolling district, with the national median for reference.
Guides & Analysis
Highest-Paying Districts
Top school districts by estimated teacher salary nationwide.
Teacher Salary by State
Compare average teacher salaries across all 50 states and D.C.
How to Read NCES Data
Understanding the F-33 survey methodology and data limitations.
Per-Pupil Spending
What per-pupil expenditure means for teachers and schools.
About this data
How PlainTeacher works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainTeacher is a plain-language reference for U.S. public school teacher salary estimates, covering 13,138 public school districts across 51 states and territories. Every figure is derived from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, with the full formula traceable in our methodology.
Editorial process
- Source. Pull each district’s total instructional salary expenditure (F-33 variable Z33) and enrollment from the NCES CCD F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, collected annually by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Verify. NCES applies quality control checks, imputation for missing values, and validation against prior-year submissions before publishing the final F-33 dataset; we cross-check our derived figures against that final release.
- Publish. Estimated salary is derived as instructional spending divided by an estimated teacher headcount, presented as a relative measure, not a survey-reported classroom-teacher salary, with the formula documented on our methodology page.
Editorial independence & corrections
PlainTeacher Editorial accepts no payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from any state or district. Found an error or a stale figure? File a correction through the contact page. See our editorial & corrections policy, methodology, about PlainTeacher, privacy policy, and terms of use for source attribution, refresh cadence, and site policies.
Frequently asked
What is the average teacher salary in the US?
The national average estimated teacher salary is $85,759 across 13,138 public school districts (NCES CCD F-33, FY2022). It is a figure derived from instructional spending and runs above survey-reported classroom-teacher salaries, so read it as a relative measure.
Which state pays teachers the most?
District of Columbia leads with an estimated $127,962 average, followed by New York and California. 17 states pay above the national average on this estimate.
How are teacher salaries estimated?
Each district's total instructional salary expenditure (NCES F-33 variable Z33) is divided by an estimated teacher headcount (enrollment ÷ 15). Because Z33 covers all instructional staff, not classroom teachers alone, the estimate runs higher than survey salaries. See our methodology for the full formula.
How many public school districts are in the US?
13,138 public school districts across 51 states and territories report to the NCES F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
| Publisher | PlainTeacher |
| Sources | Public official public datasets |