- Some school districts in states like Georgia, Mississippi, and Indiana have already reopened.
- There have been positive cases of coronavirus in several schools as students and teachers return to in-person learning.
- The typical public school teacher’s salary varies across the country.
- The average salary for a public school teacher nationwide was $61,730 during the 2018-2019 academic year, the most recent for which data is available.
- Mississippi lands at the bottom of the list with an average salary of $45,574, while New York tops it with $85,889.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Some school districts around the US have already reopened for in-person learning, despite the ongoing coronarvirus pandemic. Several schools have reported cases of coronavirus among students and staff, such as in Mississippi, where over 2,000 students and more than 500 teachers were required to quarantine shortly after returning for the new school year.
Teachers are worried about their students’ health, as well as their own. According to a recent NPR/Ipsos poll, “77% of teachers are worried about risking their own health” and 66% of teachers reported they would rather teach remotely. In a USA TODAY/Ipsos poll from May, 20% of teachers said they were unlikely to return to in-person teaching if their school were to open in the fall.
Parents are also concerned about teachers’ health. According to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, almost 80% of parent respondents said they were worried about teachers and staff getting coronavirus if schools were to reopen.
Some teachers have already decided to retire early, per reporting by CBS News and NBC, due to health concerns from the coronavirus. Teachers in Chicago also protested the reopening of schools amid the pandemic.
Although teachers have the incredibly important job of educating the next generation of Americans, their earnings vary widely across the country. Business Insider decided to look at teacher salaries in every state as the school year quickly approaches.
Nationwide, the average public school teacher salary for the 2018-2019 school year was $61,730, according to data from the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. While the nominal teacher salary has increased over the last couple decades, when adjusted for inflation, average salary has dropped over time - about 1.3% lower than the $62,545 average in the 1999-2000 school year using 2018-2019 dollars.
While many teachers earn a solid middle-class wage, the job comes with unique challenges. Many teachers across the US end up spending a not-insignificant amount of their take-home pay on school supplies for their students and classrooms.
The following is how much public-school teachers made during the 2018-2019 school year (the most recent year for which data is available in each state) according to the NCES, as well as the total amount spent per public-school student during the 2018 fiscal year in each state, according to the Census Bureau.
51. Mississippi
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $45,574
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.4%
State spending per student: $8,935
50. West Virginia
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $47,681
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -9.0%
State spending per student: $11,334
49. New Mexico
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $47,826
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -1.8%
State spending per student: $9,582
48. Florida
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $48,395
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -11.9%
State spending per student: $9,346
47. South Dakota
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $48,786
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 12.2%
State spending per student: $10,073
46. Kansas
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $49,800
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.8%
State spending per student: $11,653
45. Arizona
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $49,892
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -9.6%
State spending per student: $8,239
44. Missouri
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,064
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.1%
State spending per student: $10,810
43. Utah
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,342
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -3.7%
State spending per student: $7,628
42. South Carolina
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,395
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.6%
State spending per student: $10,856
41. Idaho
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,757
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.6%
State spending per student: $7,771
40. Alabama
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,810
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -7.4%
State spending per student: $9,696
39. Louisiana
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,923
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 2.8%
State spending per student: $11,452
38. Indiana
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,937
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -18.6%
State spending per student: $10,262
37. Arkansas
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $51,019
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 2.1%
State spending per student: $10,139
36. Wisconsin
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $51,453
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -16.4%
State spending per student: $12,285
35. Tennessee
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $51,714
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.8%
State spending per student: $9,544
34. Oklahoma
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $52,412
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 11.9%
State spending per student: $8,239
33. Virginia
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $52,466
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -9.5%
State spending per student: $12,216
32. Colorado
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $53,301
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.6%
State spending per student: $10,202
30 (tie). North Dakota
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $53,434
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 19.6%
State spending per student: $13,758
30 (tie). Kentucky
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $53,434
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -1.8%
State spending per student: $11,110
29. North Carolina
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $53,975
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -8.4%
State spending per student: $9,377
28. Montana
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $54,034
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 12.4%
State spending per student: $11,680
27. Texas
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $54,155
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -3.6%
State spending per student: $9,606
26. Nevada
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $54,280
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -7.9%
State spending per student: $9,417
25. Nebraska
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $54,506
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 9.6%
State spending per student: $12,491
24. Maine
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $54,974
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 3.3%
State spending per student: $14,145
23. Georgia
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $57,137
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.9%
State spending per student: $10,810
22. Ohio
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $57,799
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.8%
State spending per student: $13,027
21. Iowa
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $58,140
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 8.9%
State spending per student: $11,732
20. New Hampshire
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $58,146
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 3.0%
State spending per student: $16,893
19. Minnesota
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $58,221
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -2.2%
State spending per student: $12,975
18. Wyoming
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $58,618
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 14.8%
State spending per student: $16,224
17. Hawaii
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $59,757
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -1.6%
State spending per student: $15,242
16. Vermont
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $61,027
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 8.0%
State spending per student: $19,340
15. Michigan
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $61,825
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -15.7%
State spending per student: $12,345
14. Delaware
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $62,308
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.3%
State spending per student: $15,639
13. Oregon
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $64,385
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 1.7%
State spending per student: $11,920
12. Illinois
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $66,600
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.2%
State spending per student: $15,741
11. Rhode Island
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $67,040
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.7%
State spending per student: $16,121
10. Pennsylvania
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $68,141
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -5.7%
State spending per student: $16,395
9. New Jersey
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $70,212
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -9.8%
State spending per student: $20,021
8. Alaska
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $70,277
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 1.1%
State spending per student: $17,726
7. Maryland
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $70,463
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 6.9%
State spending per student: $14,762
6. Washington
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $72,965
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 18.8%
State spending per student: $12,995
5. Connecticut
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $76,465
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -1.3%
State spending per student: $20,635
4. Washington, DC
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $78,477
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 11.4%
State spending per student: $22,759
3. Massachusetts
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $82,042
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 17.7%
State spending per student: $17,058
2. California
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $82,282
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 15.4%
State spending per student: $12,498
1. New York
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $85,889
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 12.5%
State spending per student: $24,040