Data / Rankings / Elementary school teacher mean annual wage / US states

US states by elementary school teacher mean annual wage

Connecticut had the highest elementary school teacher mean annual wage of 51 states in 2015, at $75,700. Mississippi had the lowest, at $41,760. The median was $53,730 and the figure for the United States was $57,730. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest75,700Connecticut
Lowest41,760Mississippi
Median53,73051 states
United States57,730History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 49,700 USDAlaska: 73,220 USDArizona: 41,940 USDArkansas: 45,120 USDCalifornia: 72,360 USDColorado: 50,330 USDConnecticut: 75,700 USDDelaware: 60,250 USDDistrict of Columbia: 68,920 USDFlorida: 47,630 USDGeorgia: 53,610 USDHawaii: 56,500 USDIdaho: 47,260 USDIllinois: 59,680 USDIndiana: 49,870 USDIowa: 51,180 USDKansas: 45,490 USDKentucky: 51,920 USDLouisiana: 48,430 USDMaine: 50,870 USDMaryland: 63,750 USDMassachusetts: 71,390 USDMichigan: 62,220 USDMinnesota: 59,840 USDMississippi: 41,760 USDMissouri: 52,920 USDMontana: 49,730 USDNebraska: 50,710 USDNevada: 53,960 USDNew Hampshire: 55,650 USDNew Jersey: 68,100 USDNew Mexico: 58,410 USDNew York: 72,930 USDNorth Carolina: 43,200 USDNorth Dakota: 47,110 USDOhio: 58,540 USDOklahoma: 41,900 USDOregon: 58,030 USDPennsylvania: 61,730 USDRhode Island: 68,330 USDSouth Carolina: 49,250 USDSouth Dakota: 42,510 USDTennessee: 49,470 USDTexas: 52,810 USDUtah: 53,730 USDVermont: 54,750 USDVirginia: 63,330 USDWashington: 60,140 USDWest Virginia: 46,010 USDWisconsin: 54,790 USDWyoming: 58,500 USD
  • Under 47K
  • 47K to 50K
  • 50K to 54K
  • 54K to 59K
  • 59K to 64K
  • 64K and over
USD, 2015. Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021). Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2015

Connecticut: 75,700 USDConnecticut75,700Alaska: 73,220 USDAlaska73,220New York: 72,930 USDNew York72,930California: 72,360 USDCalifornia72,360Massachusetts: 71,390 USDMassachusetts71,390District of Columbia: 68,920 USDDistrict of Columbia68,920Rhode Island: 68,330 USDRhode Island68,330New Jersey: 68,100 USDNew Jersey68,100Maryland: 63,750 USDMaryland63,750Virginia: 63,330 USDVirginia63,330Michigan: 62,220 USDMichigan62,220Pennsylvania: 61,730 USDPennsylvania61,730Delaware: 60,250 USDDelaware60,250Washington: 60,140 USDWashington60,140Minnesota: 59,840 USDMinnesota59,840Illinois: 59,680 USDIllinois59,680Ohio: 58,540 USDOhio58,540Wyoming: 58,500 USDWyoming58,500New Mexico: 58,410 USDNew Mexico58,410Oregon: 58,030 USDOregon58,030Hawaii: 56,500 USDHawaii56,500New Hampshire: 55,650 USDNew Hampshire55,650Wisconsin: 54,790 USDWisconsin54,790Vermont: 54,750 USDVermont54,750Nevada: 53,960 USDNevada53,960Utah: 53,730 USDUtah53,730Georgia: 53,610 USDGeorgia53,610Missouri: 52,920 USDMissouri52,920Texas: 52,810 USDTexas52,810Kentucky: 51,920 USDKentucky51,920Iowa: 51,180 USDIowa51,180Maine: 50,870 USDMaine50,870Nebraska: 50,710 USDNebraska50,710Colorado: 50,330 USDColorado50,330Indiana: 49,870 USDIndiana49,870Montana: 49,730 USDMontana49,730Alabama: 49,700 USDAlabama49,700Tennessee: 49,470 USDTennessee49,470South Carolina: 49,250 USDSouth Carolina49,250Louisiana: 48,430 USDLouisiana48,430Florida: 47,630 USDFlorida47,630Idaho: 47,260 USDIdaho47,260North Dakota: 47,110 USDNorth Dakota47,110West Virginia: 46,010 USDWest Virginia46,010Kansas: 45,490 USDKansas45,490Arkansas: 45,120 USDArkansas45,120North Carolina: 43,200 USDNorth Carolina43,200South Dakota: 42,510 USDSouth Dakota42,510Arizona: 41,940 USDArizona41,940Oklahoma: 41,900 USDOklahoma41,900Mississippi: 41,760 USDMississippi41,760Connecticut: 75,700 USDConnecticut75,700Alaska: 73,220 USDAlaska73,220New York: 72,930 USDNew York72,930California: 72,360 USDCalifornia72,360Massachusetts: 71,390 USDMassachusetts71,390District of Columbia: 68,920 USDDistrict of Columbia68,920Rhode Island: 68,330 USDRhode Island68,330New Jersey: 68,100 USDNew Jersey68,100Maryland: 63,750 USDMaryland63,750Virginia: 63,330 USDVirginia63,330Michigan: 62,220 USDMichigan62,220Pennsylvania: 61,730 USDPennsylvania61,730Delaware: 60,250 USDDelaware60,250Washington: 60,140 USDWashington60,140Minnesota: 59,840 USDMinnesota59,840Illinois: 59,680 USDIllinois59,680Ohio: 58,540 USDOhio58,540Wyoming: 58,500 USDWyoming58,500New Mexico: 58,410 USDNew Mexico58,410Oregon: 58,030 USDOregon58,030Hawaii: 56,500 USDHawaii56,500New Hampshire: 55,650 USDNew Hampshire55,650Wisconsin: 54,790 USDWisconsin54,790Vermont: 54,750 USDVermont54,750Nevada: 53,960 USDNevada53,960Utah: 53,730 USDUtah53,730Georgia: 53,610 USDGeorgia53,610Missouri: 52,920 USDMissouri52,920Texas: 52,810 USDTexas52,810Kentucky: 51,920 USDKentucky51,920Iowa: 51,180 USDIowa51,180Maine: 50,870 USDMaine50,870Nebraska: 50,710 USDNebraska50,710Colorado: 50,330 USDColorado50,330Indiana: 49,870 USDIndiana49,870Montana: 49,730 USDMontana49,730Alabama: 49,700 USDAlabama49,700Tennessee: 49,470 USDTennessee49,470South Carolina: 49,250 USDSouth Carolina49,250Louisiana: 48,430 USDLouisiana48,430Florida: 47,630 USDFlorida47,630Idaho: 47,260 USDIdaho47,260North Dakota: 47,110 USDNorth Dakota47,110West Virginia: 46,010 USDWest Virginia46,010Kansas: 45,490 USDKansas45,490Arkansas: 45,120 USDArkansas45,120North Carolina: 43,200 USDNorth Carolina43,200South Dakota: 42,510 USDSouth Dakota42,510Arizona: 41,940 USDArizona41,940Oklahoma: 41,900 USDOklahoma41,900Mississippi: 41,760 USDMississippi41,760
USD. Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2015
USD		Change on 2014
1Connecticut75,700+6.9%
2Alaska73,220+2.5%
3New York72,930-2.5%
4California72,360+3.4%
5Massachusetts71,390+2.1%
6District of Columbia68,920+2.9%
7Rhode Island68,330-1.6%
8New Jersey68,100+1.5%
9Maryland63,750+1.1%
10Virginia63,330+4.8%
11Michigan62,220-2.2%
12Pennsylvania61,730+1.9%
13Delaware60,250+2.7%
14Washington60,140-0.1%
15Minnesota59,840-0.5%
16Illinois59,680+3%
17Ohio58,540+0.1%
18Wyoming58,500+0.5%
19New Mexico58,410+14%
20Oregon58,030+2%
21Hawaii56,500+3.3%
22New Hampshire55,650+1.6%
23Wisconsin54,790+0.4%
24Vermont54,750+0.9%
25Nevada53,960+2%
26Utah53,730-0.9%
27Georgia53,610-0.8%
28Missouri52,920+5.3%
29Texas52,810+3.3%
30Kentucky51,920+1.5%
31Iowa51,180+2.5%
32Maine50,870+4.3%
33Nebraska50,710+2.4%
34Colorado50,330+0.3%
35Indiana49,870-1%
36Montana49,730+6.4%
37Alabama49,700+0.6%
38Tennessee49,470+1%
39South Carolina49,250+1.8%
40Louisiana48,430+1.4%
41Florida47,630-0.2%
42Idaho47,260+0.4%
43North Dakota47,110-1.3%
44West Virginia46,010+0.6%
45Kansas45,490+1.1%
46Arkansas45,120+0.7%
47North Carolina43,200+1.8%
48South Dakota42,510+2.5%
49Arizona41,940-2.6%
50Oklahoma41,9000%
51Mississippi41,760+1.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average (mean) annual wage of elementary school teachers, except special education (Standard Occupational Classification 25-2021), in US dollars, from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public and private schools. Estimates refer to May of each year.

Teachers report an annual salary for the school year, so BLS publishes no hourly rate for them. Excludes special education, kindergarten and middle school teachers. Pay is straight-time gross pay: base rate, cost-of-living allowances, commissions, production bonuses and tips. Overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and employer-paid benefits are excluded.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021) (US states by elementary school teacher mean annual wage, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip

MLA 9

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021), US states by elementary school teacher mean annual wage, 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021). US states by elementary school teacher mean annual wage, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021), US states by elementary school teacher mean annual wage, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_elementary_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021): US states by elementary school teacher mean annual wage, 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021): US states by elementary school teacher mean annual wage, 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest elementary school teacher mean annual wage?

Connecticut, with $75,700 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest elementary school teacher mean annual wage?

Mississippi, with $41,760 in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, elementary school teachers except special education (25-2021). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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