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State Rankings

States with the Lowest Average Teacher Salary

According to NCES F-33 finance data (FY2023), all states are ranked here by lowest average teacher salary.

$43,221
#1 top salary (Arkansas)

Well below benchmark

$69,867
Mean across states
$66,733
Median across states
49
States ranked

The ranking at a glance

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.

Pay #1
District of Columbia · $124,986
Enroll #1
California · 5,249,524
49
Jurisdictions in the pool

What This Ranking Tells Us

This comparison orders the reported state estimates from lowest to highest. It is a consistent way to inspect the dataset across jurisdictions, not a measure of an individual contract, total compensation, teacher shortages, or the reasons one state pays more than another.

By the Numbers: States with the Lowest Average Teacher Salary

This ranking covers 49 jurisdictions. 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. It uses estimated average teacher salary from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, FY2023. Arkansas leads the list at $43,221, while District of Columbia sits at the bottom with $124,986 - a $81,765 spread between the highest and lowest reporting state. The mean across states is $69,867 with a median of $66,733 (an unweighted average of each state's own average - not the same as the site-wide district-level average shown elsewhere), a gap that reveals how concentrated the top of the distribution is.

  • Scope: this page reports the ordering produced by the documented FY2023 source fields and transformations. It does not infer why a state occupies a position, predict a policy outcome, or substitute for a local salary schedule, contract, or benefits record. Use the state profile and the methodology to inspect the data and calculation behind a row.
  • Salary methodology: the estimate is derived from NCES F-33 instructional-salary expenditure and reported teacher FTE. It is a district-level aggregate, not an individual contract or total-compensation figure. The multi-year ranking compares a fixed district cohort, so a change is a change in this derived estimate rather than proof of any individual raise. Click a state below for its district-level context and source notes.

Top 12 states, Avg Salary

Each row links to the state profile, crawlable ranking, not an image-only chart

  1. 1
    Arkansas $43,221 est. avg
    Rank #1
  2. 2
    Oklahoma $48,569 est. avg
    Rank #2
  3. 3
    North Carolina $49,898 est. avg
    Rank #3
  4. 4
    South Dakota $50,422 est. avg
    Rank #4
  5. 5
    Mississippi $51,325 est. avg
    Rank #5
  6. 6
    Texas $51,478 est. avg
    Rank #6
  7. 7
    Missouri $52,299 est. avg
    Rank #7
  8. 8
    Indiana $52,427 est. avg
    Rank #8
  9. 9
    West Virginia $53,845 est. avg
    Rank #9
  10. 10
    Kentucky $56,482 est. avg
    Rank #10
  11. 11
    Florida $57,863 est. avg
    Rank #11
  12. 12
    Tennessee $57,941 est. avg
    Rank #12

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 · FY2023

The bar to make this top-12 list

Distribution of estimated average teacher salaries across states and D.C.

$57,941 Among the most affordable more affordable than 76% of 49 states

Show national distribution $0–$5,000: 0 states (0%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 0 states (0%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 0 states (0%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 0 states (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 0 states (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 0 states (0%). Below this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 states (0%). Below this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 0 states (0%). Below this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 1 states (2%). Below this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 2 states (4%). Below this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 6 states (12%). Below this entry. $55,000–$60,000: 5 states (10%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$65,000: 9 states (18%). Above this entry. $65,000–$70,000: 7 states (14%). Above this entry. $70,000–$75,000: 2 states (4%). Above this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 states (8%). Above this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 5 states (10%). Above this entry. $85,000–$90,000: 5 states (10%). Above this entry. $90,000–$95,000: 1 states (2%). Above this entry. $95,000–$100,000: 0 states (0%). Above this entry. $100,000–$105,000: 0 states (0%). Above this entry. $105,000–$110,000: 0 states (0%). Above this entry. $110,000–$115,000: 1 states (2%). Above this entry. $115,000–$120,000: 0 states (0%). Above this entry. $120,000–$125,000: 1 states (2%). Above this entry. #12 cutoff $0 $125,000 all states and D.C., bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 · FY2023

Nominal salary versus purchasing power

Each point is one state or D.C. The horizontal value is the FY2023 NCES-derived salary estimate used in this ranking; the vertical value adjusts that same estimate with BEA's FY2023 all-items Regional Price Parity. Points above the horizontal midpoint retain more purchasing power than their nominal position alone suggests. This is not a tax, benefits, housing-budget, or individual-offer comparison.

$ 45361.3$ 66215.4$ 87069.5$ 107923.6$ 128777.6$ 49805.9$ 66328.5$ 82851$ 99373.6$ 115896.1Nominal FY2023 estimateBEA RPP-adjusted estimateDistrict of Columbia: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 124986 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 112892California: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 117066 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 104341Delaware: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 93778 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 94956Ohio: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 87266 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 94954New York: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 102018 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 94599Washington: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 98713 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 91089North Dakota: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 79613 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 90291Rhode Island: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 91048 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 89206Pennsylvania: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 86413 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 88720Utah: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 82802 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 86508Wyoming: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 76650 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 83724New Hampshire: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 88144 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 83633Maryland: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 86869 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 83047Connecticut: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 86049 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 82580Nevada: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 79964 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 81712Massachusetts: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 87838 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 81577Vermont: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 78123 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 80422Wisconsin: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 74014 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 79397Minnesota: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 77264 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 78599New Mexico: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 71496 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 78584Alabama: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 68705 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 77113Louisiana: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 68292 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 76992Iowa: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 67736 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 76306New Jersey: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 82755 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 75963Nebraska: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 67976 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 75288Colorado: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 76563 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 75168Idaho: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 68476 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 74240Montana: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 67270 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 73912Michigan: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 68460 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 72601South Carolina: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 66712 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 71368Virginia: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 72246 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 71297Oregon: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 74436 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 71019Georgia: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 67559 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 70014Hawaii: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 75494 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 68817Kentucky: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 60639 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 67459Kansas: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 60338 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 67110Maine: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 65614 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 66978Tennessee: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 60752 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 65968Missouri: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 59384 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 65183Arizona: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 65503 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 65021West Virginia: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 55293 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 61688Indiana: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 56399 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 61239South Dakota: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 53003 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 60128Mississippi: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 52005 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 59919Texas: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 57662 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 59360Arkansas: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 50859 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 58587Florida: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 59077 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 57004Oklahoma: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 49153 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 55427North Carolina: Nominal FY2023 estimate: $ 49852 · BEA RPP-adjusted estimate: $ 52810More purchasing powerHigh nominal + adjustedLower on both measuresNominal lead narrows
State teacher-salary estimates before and after the same-year BEA price-level adjustment
Read the chart as text
  • District of Columbia: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 124986, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 112892
  • California: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 117066, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 104341
  • Delaware: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 93778, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 94956
  • Ohio: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 87266, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 94954
  • New York: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 102018, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 94599
  • Washington: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 98713, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 91089
  • North Dakota: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 79613, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 90291
  • Rhode Island: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 91048, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 89206
  • Pennsylvania: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 86413, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 88720
  • Utah: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 82802, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 86508
  • Wyoming: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 76650, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 83724
  • New Hampshire: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 88144, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 83633
  • Maryland: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 86869, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 83047
  • Connecticut: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 86049, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 82580
  • Nevada: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 79964, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 81712
  • Massachusetts: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 87838, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 81577
  • Vermont: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 78123, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 80422
  • Wisconsin: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 74014, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 79397
  • Minnesota: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 77264, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 78599
  • New Mexico: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 71496, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 78584
  • Alabama: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 68705, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 77113
  • Louisiana: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 68292, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 76992
  • Iowa: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 67736, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 76306
  • New Jersey: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 82755, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 75963
  • Nebraska: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 67976, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 75288
  • Colorado: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 76563, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 75168
  • Idaho: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 68476, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 74240
  • Montana: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 67270, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 73912
  • Michigan: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 68460, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 72601
  • South Carolina: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 66712, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 71368
  • Virginia: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 72246, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 71297
  • Oregon: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 74436, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 71019
  • Georgia: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 67559, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 70014
  • Hawaii: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 75494, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 68817
  • Kentucky: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 60639, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 67459
  • Kansas: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 60338, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 67110
  • Maine: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 65614, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 66978
  • Tennessee: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 60752, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 65968
  • Missouri: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 59384, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 65183
  • Arizona: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 65503, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 65021
  • West Virginia: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 55293, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 61688
  • Indiana: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 56399, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 61239
  • South Dakota: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 53003, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 60128
  • Mississippi: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 52005, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 59919
  • Texas: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 57662, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 59360
  • Arkansas: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 50859, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 58587
  • Florida: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 59077, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 57004
  • Oklahoma: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 49153, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 55427
  • North Carolina: Nominal FY2023 estimate $ 49852, BEA RPP-adjusted estimate $ 52810

Source: NCES CCD F-33 instructional-salary expenditure and teacher FTE, FY2023; BEA Regional Price Parities, all-items, 2023. Read the method and download the state comparison.

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Download the same FY2023 state summary in CSV or JSON, or embed the top-ten panel. The embed preserves a visible PlainTeacher and NCES attribution; the release covers this derived state summary only.

CSV JSON Dataset notes Price-level comparison

The top 3

1 $43,221

Arkansas

Avg Salary
2 $48,569

Oklahoma

Avg Salary
3 $49,898

North Carolina

Avg Salary

All ranked jurisdictions

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

# State Avg Salary
1 Arkansas AR $43,221
2 Oklahoma OK $48,569
3 North Carolina NC $49,898
4 South Dakota SD $50,422
5 Mississippi MS $51,325
6 Texas TX $51,478
7 Missouri MO $52,299
8 Indiana IN $52,427
9 West Virginia WV $53,845
10 Kentucky KY $56,482
11 Florida FL $57,863
12 Tennessee TN $57,941
13 Kansas KS $58,516
14 Montana MT $59,058
15 Georgia GA $61,790
16 Maine ME $62,872
17 Virginia VA $63,048
18 Michigan MI $63,155
19 Nebraska NE $63,159
20 Iowa IA $63,660
21 Arizona AZ $63,921
22 Colorado CO $64,442
23 South Carolina SC $64,775
24 Idaho ID $66,710
25 Louisiana LA $66,733
26 Oregon OR $67,954
27 North Dakota ND $68,009
28 Minnesota MN $68,032
29 Alabama AL $68,221
30 New Mexico NM $69,282
31 Wisconsin WI $70,465
32 Vermont VT $72,015
33 Hawaii HI $75,494
34 Wyoming WY $75,580
35 New Jersey NJ $78,597
36 Utah UT $79,346
37 Ohio OH $80,477
38 Nevada NV $81,933
39 Pennsylvania PA $82,070
40 Maryland MD $84,383
41 Massachusetts MA $84,560
42 Connecticut CT $86,015
43 New Hampshire NH $87,877
44 Washington WA $88,556
45 Rhode Island RI $89,674
46 New York NY $89,760
47 Delaware DE $92,029
48 California CA $110,546
49 District of Columbia DC $124,986

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD) F-33 Survey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do estimates differ across states?

This page shows a derived state-level estimate, not the cause of a pay difference. Funding rules, salary schedules, costs, benefits, staffing mix, and local contracts require separate source-specific evidence and are not inferred from this ranking.

What is the lowest teacher salary in the US?

The first row identifies the lowest estimate in this FY2023 comparison. It is not a starting salary or an individual teacher contract, and it excludes benefits and other compensation.

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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. This ranking is computed directly from each district's FY2023 F-33 submission, no figure 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.