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

US states by elementary school teacher mean annual wage

New York had the highest elementary school teacher mean annual wage of 51 states in 2016, at $77,330. Oklahoma had the lowest, at $41,150. The median was $54,810 and the figure for the United States was $59,020. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest77,330New York
Lowest41,150Oklahoma
Median54,81051 states
United States59,020History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 49,120 USDAlaska: 73,050 USDArizona: 42,730 USDArkansas: 46,950 USDCalifornia: 74,270 USDColorado: 51,360 USDConnecticut: 76,740 USDDelaware: 60,810 USDDistrict of Columbia: 74,710 USDFlorida: 47,610 USDGeorgia: 54,890 USDHawaii: 57,370 USDIdaho: 47,140 USDIllinois: 60,760 USDIndiana: 49,250 USDIowa: 53,030 USDKansas: 49,140 USDKentucky: 52,420 USDLouisiana: 48,100 USDMaine: 51,810 USDMaryland: 64,970 USDMassachusetts: 74,470 USDMichigan: 61,260 USDMinnesota: 62,000 USDMississippi: 42,370 USDMissouri: 53,390 USDMontana: 49,010 USDNebraska: 54,740 USDNevada: 54,810 USDNew Hampshire: 56,390 USDNew Jersey: 68,810 USDNew Mexico: 58,090 USDNew York: 77,330 USDNorth Carolina: 43,900 USDNorth Dakota: 49,320 USDOhio: 59,000 USDOklahoma: 41,150 USDOregon: 63,390 USDPennsylvania: 62,250 USDRhode Island: 66,160 USDSouth Carolina: 48,480 USDSouth Dakota: 43,180 USDTennessee: 50,090 USDTexas: 54,780 USDUtah: 54,180 USDVermont: 56,940 USDVirginia: 66,700 USDWashington: 60,950 USDWest Virginia: 45,520 USDWisconsin: 55,120 USDWyoming: 58,860 USD
  • Under 48K
  • 48K to 51K
  • 51K to 55K
  • 55K to 60K
  • 60K to 66K
  • 66K and over
USD, 2016. 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, 2016

New York: 77,330 USDNew York77,330Connecticut: 76,740 USDConnecticut76,740District of Columbia: 74,710 USDDistrict of Columbia74,710Massachusetts: 74,470 USDMassachusetts74,470California: 74,270 USDCalifornia74,270Alaska: 73,050 USDAlaska73,050New Jersey: 68,810 USDNew Jersey68,810Virginia: 66,700 USDVirginia66,700Rhode Island: 66,160 USDRhode Island66,160Maryland: 64,970 USDMaryland64,970Oregon: 63,390 USDOregon63,390Pennsylvania: 62,250 USDPennsylvania62,250Minnesota: 62,000 USDMinnesota62,000Michigan: 61,260 USDMichigan61,260Washington: 60,950 USDWashington60,950Delaware: 60,810 USDDelaware60,810Illinois: 60,760 USDIllinois60,760Ohio: 59,000 USDOhio59,000Wyoming: 58,860 USDWyoming58,860New Mexico: 58,090 USDNew Mexico58,090Hawaii: 57,370 USDHawaii57,370Vermont: 56,940 USDVermont56,940New Hampshire: 56,390 USDNew Hampshire56,390Wisconsin: 55,120 USDWisconsin55,120Georgia: 54,890 USDGeorgia54,890Nevada: 54,810 USDNevada54,810Texas: 54,780 USDTexas54,780Nebraska: 54,740 USDNebraska54,740Utah: 54,180 USDUtah54,180Missouri: 53,390 USDMissouri53,390Iowa: 53,030 USDIowa53,030Kentucky: 52,420 USDKentucky52,420Maine: 51,810 USDMaine51,810Colorado: 51,360 USDColorado51,360Tennessee: 50,090 USDTennessee50,090North Dakota: 49,320 USDNorth Dakota49,320Indiana: 49,250 USDIndiana49,250Kansas: 49,140 USDKansas49,140Alabama: 49,120 USDAlabama49,120Montana: 49,010 USDMontana49,010South Carolina: 48,480 USDSouth Carolina48,480Louisiana: 48,100 USDLouisiana48,100Florida: 47,610 USDFlorida47,610Idaho: 47,140 USDIdaho47,140Arkansas: 46,950 USDArkansas46,950West Virginia: 45,520 USDWest Virginia45,520North Carolina: 43,900 USDNorth Carolina43,900South Dakota: 43,180 USDSouth Dakota43,180Arizona: 42,730 USDArizona42,730Mississippi: 42,370 USDMississippi42,370Oklahoma: 41,150 USDOklahoma41,150New York: 77,330 USDNew York77,330Connecticut: 76,740 USDConnecticut76,740District of Columbia: 74,710 USDDistrict of Columbia74,710Massachusetts: 74,470 USDMassachusetts74,470California: 74,270 USDCalifornia74,270Alaska: 73,050 USDAlaska73,050New Jersey: 68,810 USDNew Jersey68,810Virginia: 66,700 USDVirginia66,700Rhode Island: 66,160 USDRhode Island66,160Maryland: 64,970 USDMaryland64,970Oregon: 63,390 USDOregon63,390Pennsylvania: 62,250 USDPennsylvania62,250Minnesota: 62,000 USDMinnesota62,000Michigan: 61,260 USDMichigan61,260Washington: 60,950 USDWashington60,950Delaware: 60,810 USDDelaware60,810Illinois: 60,760 USDIllinois60,760Ohio: 59,000 USDOhio59,000Wyoming: 58,860 USDWyoming58,860New Mexico: 58,090 USDNew Mexico58,090Hawaii: 57,370 USDHawaii57,370Vermont: 56,940 USDVermont56,940New Hampshire: 56,390 USDNew Hampshire56,390Wisconsin: 55,120 USDWisconsin55,120Georgia: 54,890 USDGeorgia54,890Nevada: 54,810 USDNevada54,810Texas: 54,780 USDTexas54,780Nebraska: 54,740 USDNebraska54,740Utah: 54,180 USDUtah54,180Missouri: 53,390 USDMissouri53,390Iowa: 53,030 USDIowa53,030Kentucky: 52,420 USDKentucky52,420Maine: 51,810 USDMaine51,810Colorado: 51,360 USDColorado51,360Tennessee: 50,090 USDTennessee50,090North Dakota: 49,320 USDNorth Dakota49,320Indiana: 49,250 USDIndiana49,250Kansas: 49,140 USDKansas49,140Alabama: 49,120 USDAlabama49,120Montana: 49,010 USDMontana49,010South Carolina: 48,480 USDSouth Carolina48,480Louisiana: 48,100 USDLouisiana48,100Florida: 47,610 USDFlorida47,610Idaho: 47,140 USDIdaho47,140Arkansas: 46,950 USDArkansas46,950West Virginia: 45,520 USDWest Virginia45,520North Carolina: 43,900 USDNorth Carolina43,900South Dakota: 43,180 USDSouth Dakota43,180Arizona: 42,730 USDArizona42,730Mississippi: 42,370 USDMississippi42,370Oklahoma: 41,150 USDOklahoma41,150
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

RankStates2016
USD		Change on 2015
1New York77,330+6%
2Connecticut76,740+1.4%
3District of Columbia74,710+8.4%
4Massachusetts74,470+4.3%
5California74,270+2.6%
6Alaska73,050-0.2%
7New Jersey68,810+1%
8Virginia66,700+5.3%
9Rhode Island66,160-3.2%
10Maryland64,970+1.9%
11Oregon63,390+9.2%
12Pennsylvania62,250+0.8%
13Minnesota62,000+3.6%
14Michigan61,260-1.5%
15Washington60,950+1.3%
16Delaware60,810+0.9%
17Illinois60,760+1.8%
18Ohio59,000+0.8%
19Wyoming58,860+0.6%
20New Mexico58,090-0.5%
21Hawaii57,370+1.5%
22Vermont56,940+4%
23New Hampshire56,390+1.3%
24Wisconsin55,120+0.6%
25Georgia54,890+2.4%
26Nevada54,810+1.6%
27Texas54,780+3.7%
28Nebraska54,740+7.9%
29Utah54,180+0.8%
30Missouri53,390+0.9%
31Iowa53,030+3.6%
32Kentucky52,420+1%
33Maine51,810+1.8%
34Colorado51,360+2%
35Tennessee50,090+1.3%
36North Dakota49,320+4.7%
37Indiana49,250-1.2%
38Kansas49,140+8%
39Alabama49,120-1.2%
40Montana49,010-1.4%
41South Carolina48,480-1.6%
42Louisiana48,100-0.7%
43Florida47,610-0%
44Idaho47,140-0.3%
45Arkansas46,950+4.1%
46West Virginia45,520-1.1%
47North Carolina43,900+1.6%
48South Dakota43,180+1.6%
49Arizona42,730+1.9%
50Mississippi42,370+1.5%
51Oklahoma41,150-1.8%

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/oesm16st.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, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.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, 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2016. 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, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2016.

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, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_elementary_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2016. 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/oesm16st.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, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2016.
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/oesm16st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

New York, with $77,330 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Oklahoma, with $41,150 in 2016.

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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