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State profile · NCES F-33 FY2023

Teacher Salary in Michigan

Michigan's top-to-bottom district pay ratio (3.75x) ranks #4 of 47, upper-third dispersion. According to the NCES Common Core of Data finance survey, estimated teacher pay and per-pupil spending are available for every public school district in Michigan.

$63,155
Est. state avg salary

Below benchmark

-10.1%
vs national
#32
National rank
575
Districts

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$63,155/year (est.)

Michigan's top-to-bottom district pay ratio (3.75x) ranks #4 of 47, upper-third dispersion. Estimated average teacher salary is $63,155, materially below the national average of $70,245, ranking #32 of 49, across 509 public school districts with reliable data (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Wide district pay spread: Michigan's top-to-bottom district pay ratio (3.75x) ranks #4 of 47, upper-third dispersion.
  • middle third nationally (#32 of 49)
  • Michigan ranks #32 of 49 on the salary estimate and #11 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • $90,022 spread between its highest- and lowest-paying districts
  • #4 of 47 states for pay dispersion (widest decile, 3.75x top/bottom ratio)
  • -10.1% vs the national average
  • +17.1% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (balanced cohort, not the FTE average above)
  • #29 of 49 purchasing-power-adjusted (BEA RPP 94.3)

The distinguishing axis

How wide is the district pay spread in Michigan?

Brighton Area Schools sits at $122,714 and Alcona Community Schools at $32,692 among reliable-salary districts. That 3.75x top-to-bottom ratio ranks #4 of 47 comparable states, in the widest decile.

This describes the observed F-33 distribution, not why it exists. The comparison excludes service agencies and states with fewer than five reliable district estimates; see the dispersion method.

Purchasing-power-adjusted rank for Michigan

Michigan's nominal average teacher salary ranks #32 of the 49 states and territories that report teacher salaries. Adjusted by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2023 Regional Price Parity (94.3, US = 100, a relative state-level price-level index, not a district or metro cost-of-living figure), the estimate becomes $72,601, ranking #29 of 49 , 3 places higher than the nominal rank once relative price levels are factored in. This purchasing-power view is not published by NEA's teacher-pay rankings or the aggregator sites; it comes from combining our own F-33-derived salary estimate with BEA's public RPP series. See the full 51-state release for methodology and download. BEA Regional Price Parities · NCES CCD F-33

Michigan in the teacher-salary distribution

FY2023 estimated state averages from the same NCES-derived ranking

$63,155 35th percentile higher than 35% of 49 reporting states and territories

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

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more reporting states and territories. 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; state estimates derived from reported instructional-salary expenditure and teacher FTE · FY2023

Michigan's comparable salary trend

Same reporting-district cohort, FY2019-FY2023

FY2023 estimated average
$61,708 17.14951456523281% vs FY2019
508 districts held in the panel
$50,000$55,000$60,000$65,000 FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023 Michigan est. avg teacher salary, FY2019: $52,675Michigan est. avg teacher salary, FY2020: $54,066Michigan est. avg teacher salary, FY2021: $56,428Michigan est. avg teacher salary, FY2022: $59,362Michigan est. avg teacher salary, FY2023: $61,708 $52,675 $61,708 ▲ +17.1%
Read the chart as text
Period Michigan est. avg teacher salary
FY2019 $52,675
FY2020 $54,066
FY2021 $56,428
FY2022 $59,362
FY2023 $61,708

Highest-paying districts in Michigan

Estimated average teacher salary, enrolling districts (200+ students)

Est. avg salary

What this shows Brighton Area Schools leads Michigan on the F-33 instructional-salary estimate. Service entities (CTCs, county offices) are excluded, their enrollment-based ratios are not reliable salary figures.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

Top 3 districts

1 $122,714

Brighton Area Schools

Est. avg teacher salary
2 $98,458

Ecorse Public Schools

Est. avg teacher salary
3 $98,030

Berkley School District

Est. avg teacher salary

Districts by Estimated Teacher Salary

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment Per-Pupil Exp
Brighton Area Schools $122,714 5,800 $24,589
Ecorse Public Schools $98,458 1,119 $24,541
Berkley School District $98,030 3,834 $22,608
Redford Union Schools District No. 1 $92,500 2,052 $31,849
Carrollton Public Schools $91,040 1,669 $18,880
South Redford School District $87,995 2,794 $25,757
Warren Consolidated Schools $87,659 12,468 $19,683
Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Schools $84,362 2,943 $18,710
Northville Public Schools $83,923 7,095 $17,761
Harper Woods The School District of the City of $83,821 2,481 $17,528
Lakeview Public Schools (Macomb) $83,336 4,246 $18,171
Chippewa Valley Schools $82,815 14,903 $15,963
Bloomfield Hills Schools $82,673 4,946 $40,970
Utica Community Schools $81,693 25,628 $16,152
Birmingham Public Schools $81,351 7,112 $29,744
Southfield Public School District $80,535 4,849 $23,897
Lincoln Park School District of the City of $79,938 4,827 $21,988
Crestwood School District $79,933 3,757 $20,277
Rochester Community School District $79,843 14,723 $17,036
Harbor Springs School District $79,000 736 $28,952
Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools $78,444 477 $27,478
Southgate Community School District $78,178 3,351 $23,157
Ludington Area School District $78,158 2,072 $27,071
Hesperia Community Schools $78,128 818 $16,489
Detroit Public Schools Community District $78,081 48,251 $23,287
Warren Woods Public Schools $77,770 3,083 $18,259
Grosse Pointe Public Schools $77,654 6,421 $25,334
Troy School District $77,232 11,762 $18,886
Jackson Public Schools $77,227 4,486 $21,188
Wayne-Westland Community School District $76,513 9,334 $27,919
Forest Hills Public Schools $76,389 9,156 $18,916
Newaygo Public School District $76,257 1,536 $14,484
Godwin Heights Public Schools $76,117 1,995 $20,332
Gibraltar School District $75,742 3,605 $16,207
Allen Park Public Schools $75,740 3,671 $19,107
Livonia Public Schools School District $75,733 13,045 $23,094
Woodhaven-Brownstown School District $75,523 5,294 $19,860
Ovid-Elsie Area Schools $75,000 1,344 $17,643
Mio-AuSable Schools $74,931 495 $16,655
Wyandotte School District of the City of $74,543 4,299 $23,498
Avondale School District $74,490 3,738 $20,826
New Buffalo Area Schools $74,473 536 $41,435
L'Anse Creuse Public Schools $74,469 9,289 $16,800
Spring Lake Public Schools $74,406 2,326 $18,015
Byron Center Public Schools $74,172 4,409 $21,619
Flushing Community Schools $74,127 4,060 $14,260
Dearborn City School District $73,810 19,874 $20,314
Chippewa Hills School District $73,767 1,798 $17,410
Howell Public Schools $73,760 6,868 $15,016
Bay City School District $73,740 6,385 $17,479
Clarkston Community School District $73,624 7,552 $17,931
Lakewood Public Schools $73,525 1,644 $14,369
Linden Community Schools $73,472 2,469 $19,802
South Lake Schools $73,464 1,473 $23,033
DeWitt Public Schools $73,381 3,105 $15,664
Taylor School District $73,285 5,385 $20,195
Clintondale Community Schools $73,167 1,790 $20,098
Grosse Ile Township Schools $73,154 1,594 $16,746
Lincoln Consolidated School District $72,971 3,244 $20,586
Sparta Area Schools $72,952 2,409 $18,046
Elk Rapids Schools $72,931 1,222 $26,041
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools $72,897 16,143 $18,144
Oak Park School District of the City of $72,819 3,654 $21,790
Goodrich Area Schools $72,811 1,932 $17,076
East China School District $72,528 3,652 $22,317
Wyoming Public Schools $72,496 3,859 $22,639
Charlevoix Public Schools $72,209 806 $20,934
Kent ISD $72,170 552 N/A
Huron School District $72,143 2,541 $21,909
Public Schools of Petoskey $72,108 2,511 $16,458
Novi Community School District $72,087 6,603 $22,945
Anchor Bay School District $71,976 5,347 $16,399
Coldwater Community Schools $71,961 2,756 $15,773
Hanover-Horton School District $71,928 1,023 $15,793
Clio Area School District $71,875 2,617 $18,198
Gaylord Community Schools $71,869 2,793 $15,452
South Lyon Community Schools $71,767 8,316 $17,842
Traverse City Area Public Schools $71,716 8,689 $18,334
Kalamazoo Public Schools $71,599 12,239 $18,999
Ann Arbor Public Schools $71,530 16,740 $25,882
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools $71,454 11,907 $22,635
Holland City School District $71,428 2,816 $22,993
Berrien Springs Public Schools $71,346 4,351 $18,094
Van Buren Public Schools $71,304 4,259 $19,799
Dundee Community Schools $71,224 1,804 $18,741
Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools $71,109 658 $17,305
Kelloggsville Public Schools $71,076 2,257 $19,217
Mason County Eastern Schools $71,005 382 $15,990
Harper Creek Community Schools $70,755 2,819 $15,739
Grandville Public Schools $70,733 5,494 $20,493
Zeeland Public Schools $70,630 5,995 $19,008
Westwood Community School District $70,412 1,479 $25,045
Napoleon Community Schools $70,312 1,320 $13,993
Frankenmuth School District $70,281 1,368 $17,626
Lowell Area Schools $70,116 3,476 $18,293
Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools $70,114 3,831 $16,858
West Ottawa Public School District $70,054 6,558 $21,002
Orchard View Schools $70,008 2,148 $18,750
Lamphere Public Schools $69,976 2,317 $21,756
Fowlerville Community Schools $69,710 2,587 $17,556

Showing 1–100 of 509 enrolling districts. Specialized non-enrolling agencies (career/technical centers, county offices, service co-ops) are excluded from the salary ranking, their enrollment-based estimates are not reliable.

Lowest-Paying Districts in Michigan

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment
Alcona Community Schools $32,692 677
Houghton Lake Community Schools $35,139 1,161
Northwest Education Services $35,439 265
Saginaw ISD $37,408 392
Carney-Nadeau Public Schools $40,997 270
Mendon Community School District $41,841 455
Montcalm Area ISD $42,545 215
Genesee ISD $43,426 634
Alanson Public Schools $44,497 226
Atlanta Community Schools $45,337 267

Among enrolling districts (200+ students) with a reliable estimate; service entities excluded, see methodology.

Nationwide peers near Michigan's large K-12 scale

Two nationwide peer sets for Michigan: closest on estimated average teacher salary ($63,155 here) and closest on total student enrollment (1,233,303 here). Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not geographic containment.

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other states by unweighted district-mean teacher pay (F-33 derived, ≥5 districts with reliable estimates).

Similar enrollment

Nearest other states by NCES-reported K-12 enrollment. Salary peers above are excluded.

Compare Nearby-Ranked States

Arizona
$63,921
Rank #29
Iowa
$63,660
Rank #30
Nebraska
$63,159
Rank #31
Virginia
$63,048
Rank #33

Data: NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey + Staff Universe Survey, FY2023. Salary figures divide instructional expenditure (variable Z33) by each district's reported teacher FTE, or an estimated FTE for the small minority with no reported figure. Not individual salary data. Read our methodology.

Michigan teacher salary FAQ

What is the average teacher salary in Michigan?

Across 509 Michigan public school districts with reliable data, the average teacher salary is $63,155 (NCES CCD F-33 reported teacher salaries divided by CCD Staff Universe Survey teacher headcounts, FY2023). It is a district-level mean derived from finance filings, so it will not match a contract-salary survey exactly, read it as a relative comparison.

Which Michigan school district pays teachers the most?

Brighton Area Schools reports the highest average teacher salary in Michigan at $122,714, while Alcona Community Schools sits at the lower end at $32,692.

How does Michigan teacher pay compare to the national average?

Michigan's average of $63,155 is materially below the national average of $70,245 (-10.1%), ranking #32 of the 49 jurisdictions with a reliable district estimate.

How many school districts are in Michigan?

Michigan has 575 public school districts in the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, together serving 1,233,303 students.

How much do teachers make in Michigan?

District-average teacher pay in Michigan runs from $32,692 in Alcona Community Schools to $122,714 in Brighton Area Schools, with 1 of 509 reliable-data districts at $100,000 or above. Where a teacher lands depends far more on which district employs them than on the statewide figure. These are district-wide averages from NCES CCD F-33 (FY2023), not individual salaries or pay-scale steps.

Can teachers earn $100,000 in Michigan?

1 of 509 Michigan districts with reliable data report an estimated average teacher salary of $100,000 or more, led by Brighton Area Schools at $122,714. This is a district-wide average, not an individual salary, step, or years-of-experience figure.

How does Michigan rank after adjusting for cost of living?

Within the separate enrollment-weighted state comparison, BEA's 2023 Regional Price Parity (94.3, US=100) adjusts Michigan's nominal estimate of $68,460 from #28 to $72,601 and #29. The headline uses an unweighted district mean, so this does not replace it. Neither measure is take-home pay, taxes, or district/metro cost of living.

Explore Michigan

Disclaimer & data sources

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher for Michigan