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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
Alanson Public Schools $44,497 226 $18,881
Genesee ISD $43,426 634 N/A
Montcalm Area ISD $42,545 215 N/A
Mendon Community School District $41,841 455 $14,749
Carney-Nadeau Public Schools $40,997 270 $17,537
Saginaw ISD $37,408 392 N/A
Northwest Education Services $35,439 265 N/A
Houghton Lake Community Schools $35,139 1,161 $15,146
Alcona Community Schools $32,692 677 $18,325

Showing 501–509 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