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Teacher Salary by State: Average vs Median

A state average can sit well above its own median, and some states report it from a handful of districts while others draw on hundreds. According to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey (FY2023), this page sets both figures side by side with the district count behind each one. For the ranked answer on its own, see the state salary ranking.

District of Columbia pay #1 is not California enrollment #1

District of Columbia ranks #1 of 49 on the unweighted mean teacher-salary estimate ($124,986, 1 reliable district) but California ranks #1 of 49 by enrollment in that same pool (5,249,524 students, salary rank #2). The highest-paying jurisdiction is not the largest. Alaska and Illinois have no district with a usable teacher-salary estimate in this extract (reported salary between $30k and $200k with enrollment of at least 200), so they are omitted rather than imputed. NCES CCD F-33, FY2023.

  • District of Columbia ranks #1 of 49 on the unweighted mean teacher-salary estimate ($124,986, 1 reliable district) but California ranks #1 of 49 by enrollment in that same pool (5,249,524 students, salary rank #2). The highest-paying jurisdiction is not the largest. Alaska and Illinois have no district with a usable teacher-salary estimate in this extract (reported salary between $30k and $200k with enrollment of at least 200), so they are omitted rather than imputed.
  • New York: avg $89,760 vs median $79,839

The short answer

New York shows the widest average-over-median gap (+$9,921): its $89,760 mean sits 12% above the $79,839 district median across 642 reliable districts, the insight a ranked list alone does not show.

Average vs median

Where state means outrun typical districts

49
Jurisdictions ranked
49
States with a median
$9,921
Widest avg−median gap
District of Columbia
Highest avg salary

Widest average-over-median gaps by state

FY2023 reliable-district pool, mean salary minus district median

avg − median
Source NCES CCD F-33 (PlainTeacher join) As of FY2023

Top 10 states by estimated teacher salary

Unweighted mean of reliable districts

Est. avg salary

What this shows Alaska and Illinois have no district with a usable teacher-salary estimate in this extract (reported salary between $30k and $200k with enrollment of at least 200), so they are omitted rather than imputed.

Source NCES CCD F-33, FY2023 As of FY2023

Top 10 by enrollment in that same pool

Students in the reliable-district pool, not statewide headcount

students

What this shows District of Columbia leads the salary ranking; California leads enrollment in the same pool.

Source NCES CCD F-33, FY2023 As of FY2023

The pale bar behind each average shows its magnitude within this table; hover a value for the exact comparison and rank.

Rank State Avg Salary Median Enrollment Districts
1 District of Columbia $124,986 $124,986 49,687 1
2 California $110,546 $109,193 5,249,524 777
3 Delaware $92,029 $90,986 123,243 19
4 New York $89,760 $79,839 1,473,284 642
5 Rhode Island $89,674 $87,013 120,428 34
6 Washington $88,556 $87,059 1,076,449 229
7 New Hampshire $87,877 $85,727 153,131 113
8 Connecticut $86,015 $85,660 468,062 154
9 Massachusetts $84,560 $85,103 858,031 290
10 Maryland $84,383 $84,230 881,376 23
11 Pennsylvania $82,070 $81,625 1,501,076 506
12 Nevada $81,933 $74,318 423,832 15
13 Ohio $80,477 $79,475 1,558,550 649
14 Utah $79,346 $78,196 612,805 41
15 New Jersey $78,597 $77,699 1,278,157 523
16 Wyoming $75,580 $72,287 91,909 44
17 Hawaii $75,494 $75,494 170,209 1
18 Vermont $72,015 $69,441 75,381 70
19 Wisconsin $70,465 $69,974 809,316 403
20 New Mexico $69,282 $67,323 291,674 70
21 Alabama $68,221 $66,861 745,019 138
22 Minnesota $68,032 $66,588 796,970 316
23 North Dakota $68,009 $65,626 111,362 101
24 Oregon $67,954 $66,307 529,995 154
25 Louisiana $66,733 $66,200 637,546 69
26 Idaho $66,710 $65,359 285,570 92
27 South Carolina $64,775 $64,110 736,002 69
28 Colorado $64,442 $62,902 836,899 141
29 Arizona $63,921 $62,749 872,866 154
30 Iowa $63,660 $63,385 501,493 303
31 Nebraska $63,159 $62,376 321,995 200
32 Michigan $63,155 $62,482 1,227,193 509
33 Virginia $63,048 $61,813 1,260,290 131
34 Maine $62,872 $61,667 159,380 119
35 Georgia $61,790 $61,454 1,708,749 179
36 Montana $59,058 $57,015 131,969 140
37 Kansas $58,516 $58,013 476,566 249
38 Tennessee $57,941 $57,379 995,829 139
39 Florida $57,863 $58,004 2,851,473 67
40 Kentucky $56,482 $56,497 658,904 171
41 West Virginia $53,845 $53,375 249,403 55
42 Indiana $52,427 $51,788 981,420 289
43 Missouri $52,299 $50,725 853,301 406
44 Texas $51,478 $51,338 5,098,113 903
45 Mississippi $51,325 $51,075 436,542 138
46 South Dakota $50,422 $50,439 137,220 121
47 North Carolina $49,898 $49,996 1,400,671 115
48 Oklahoma $48,569 $48,177 638,138 413
49 Arkansas $43,221 $42,661 447,772 199

Where Average Exceeds Median Most

When a state's average sits well above its district median, a few large districts are pulling the mean up. This table shows the five widest gaps, insight the state salary ranking does not carry.

State Avg Median Gap
New York $89,760 $79,839 +$9,921 (12.4%)
Nevada $81,933 $74,318 +$7,615 (10.2%)
Wyoming $75,580 $72,287 +$3,293 (4.6%)
Rhode Island $89,674 $87,013 +$2,661 (3.1%)
Vermont $72,015 $69,441 +$2,574 (3.7%)

Three States Worth a Second Look

District of Columbia: the pay leader, on a thin district pool

District of Columbia ranks #1 at $124,986, but that estimate is built from just 1 reliable district covering 49,687 students -- a single-district state, not an average across a large system. Compare that pool size against a large state before treating the #1 rank as a like-for-like match.

New York: where a few large districts pull the average up

New York's mean ($89,760) sits 12% above its own median ($79,839) across 642 reliable districts -- the widest average-over-median spread in this release. A handful of higher-paying districts are doing the lifting; the median is the more representative figure for a typical district in New York.

Arkansas: the other end of the table

Arkansas ranks last at $43,221, drawn from 199 reliable districts. Nominal salary alone does not adjust for cost of living -- see the cost-of-living guide before reading a low nominal rank as a low real-purchasing-power rank.

How to Read the State Table

  • District of Columbia ranks first at $124,986; Arkansas ranks last at $43,221.
  • State values are averaged across reliable district records, not an average of individual teacher paychecks.
  • Nominal salary measures do not adjust for housing, taxes, benefits, or local purchasing power.
  • Use the table to select comparisons, then verify current state and district salary schedules.

FAQ

Which state pays teachers the most?

District of Columbia ranks first in this FY2023 table at $124,986 on the site’s derived measure.

Which state pays teachers the least?

Arkansas ranks last in this FY2023 table at $43,221 on the same measure.

Data source: NCES CCD F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, FY2023 (released June 2024). View source data at NCES.ed.gov

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

Browse all states | Rankings
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher Editorial

According to the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, PlainTeacher's figures are computed directly, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of FY2023.