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 2018, at $83,010. Oklahoma had the lowest, at $40,450. The median was $56,770 and the figure for the United States was $62,200. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest83,010New York
Lowest40,450Oklahoma
Median56,77051 states
United States62,200History

Map of states, 2018

Alabama: 49,850 USDAlaska: 74,070 USDArizona: 44,430 USDArkansas: 48,560 USDCalifornia: 80,100 USDColorado: 53,400 USDConnecticut: 75,480 USDDelaware: 63,040 USDDistrict of Columbia: 79,480 USDFlorida: 50,070 USDGeorgia: 56,360 USDHawaii: 61,240 USDIdaho: 48,990 USDIllinois: 62,140 USDIndiana: 52,360 USDIowa: 54,500 USDKansas: 51,020 USDKentucky: 53,830 USDLouisiana: 48,740 USDMaine: 53,570 USDMaryland: 71,060 USDMassachusetts: 82,600 USDMichigan: 66,180 USDMinnesota: 64,950 USDMississippi: 43,860 USDMissouri: 49,860 USDMontana: 52,360 USDNebraska: 57,490 USDNevada: 56,970 USDNew Hampshire: 58,230 USDNew Jersey: 70,660 USDNew Mexico: 55,390 USDNew York: 83,010 USDNorth Carolina: 46,500 USDNorth Dakota: 55,860 USDOhio: 62,430 USDOklahoma: 40,450 USDOregon: 67,910 USDPennsylvania: 66,860 USDRhode Island: 71,990 USDSouth Carolina: 51,240 USDSouth Dakota: 43,140 USDTennessee: 52,610 USDTexas: 56,520 USDUtah: 59,880 USDVermont: 62,430 USDVirginia: 67,610 USDWashington: 65,180 USDWest Virginia: 44,890 USDWisconsin: 56,770 USDWyoming: 58,940 USD
  • Under 49K
  • 49K to 53K
  • 53K to 57K
  • 57K to 62K
  • 62K to 70K
  • 70K and over
USD, 2018. 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, 2018

New York: 83,010 USDNew York83,010Massachusetts: 82,600 USDMassachusetts82,600California: 80,100 USDCalifornia80,100District of Columbia: 79,480 USDDistrict of Columbia79,480Connecticut: 75,480 USDConnecticut75,480Alaska: 74,070 USDAlaska74,070Rhode Island: 71,990 USDRhode Island71,990Maryland: 71,060 USDMaryland71,060New Jersey: 70,660 USDNew Jersey70,660Oregon: 67,910 USDOregon67,910Virginia: 67,610 USDVirginia67,610Pennsylvania: 66,860 USDPennsylvania66,860Michigan: 66,180 USDMichigan66,180Washington: 65,180 USDWashington65,180Minnesota: 64,950 USDMinnesota64,950Delaware: 63,040 USDDelaware63,040Ohio: 62,430 USDOhio62,430Vermont: 62,430 USDVermont62,430Illinois: 62,140 USDIllinois62,140Hawaii: 61,240 USDHawaii61,240Utah: 59,880 USDUtah59,880Wyoming: 58,940 USDWyoming58,940New Hampshire: 58,230 USDNew Hampshire58,230Nebraska: 57,490 USDNebraska57,490Nevada: 56,970 USDNevada56,970Wisconsin: 56,770 USDWisconsin56,770Texas: 56,520 USDTexas56,520Georgia: 56,360 USDGeorgia56,360North Dakota: 55,860 USDNorth Dakota55,860New Mexico: 55,390 USDNew Mexico55,390Iowa: 54,500 USDIowa54,500Kentucky: 53,830 USDKentucky53,830Maine: 53,570 USDMaine53,570Colorado: 53,400 USDColorado53,400Tennessee: 52,610 USDTennessee52,610Indiana: 52,360 USDIndiana52,360Montana: 52,360 USDMontana52,360South Carolina: 51,240 USDSouth Carolina51,240Kansas: 51,020 USDKansas51,020Florida: 50,070 USDFlorida50,070Missouri: 49,860 USDMissouri49,860Alabama: 49,850 USDAlabama49,850Idaho: 48,990 USDIdaho48,990Louisiana: 48,740 USDLouisiana48,740Arkansas: 48,560 USDArkansas48,560North Carolina: 46,500 USDNorth Carolina46,500West Virginia: 44,890 USDWest Virginia44,890Arizona: 44,430 USDArizona44,430Mississippi: 43,860 USDMississippi43,860South Dakota: 43,140 USDSouth Dakota43,140Oklahoma: 40,450 USDOklahoma40,450New York: 83,010 USDNew York83,010Massachusetts: 82,600 USDMassachusetts82,600California: 80,100 USDCalifornia80,100District of Columbia: 79,480 USDDistrict of Columbia79,480Connecticut: 75,480 USDConnecticut75,480Alaska: 74,070 USDAlaska74,070Rhode Island: 71,990 USDRhode Island71,990Maryland: 71,060 USDMaryland71,060New Jersey: 70,660 USDNew Jersey70,660Oregon: 67,910 USDOregon67,910Virginia: 67,610 USDVirginia67,610Pennsylvania: 66,860 USDPennsylvania66,860Michigan: 66,180 USDMichigan66,180Washington: 65,180 USDWashington65,180Minnesota: 64,950 USDMinnesota64,950Delaware: 63,040 USDDelaware63,040Ohio: 62,430 USDOhio62,430Vermont: 62,430 USDVermont62,430Illinois: 62,140 USDIllinois62,140Hawaii: 61,240 USDHawaii61,240Utah: 59,880 USDUtah59,880Wyoming: 58,940 USDWyoming58,940New Hampshire: 58,230 USDNew Hampshire58,230Nebraska: 57,490 USDNebraska57,490Nevada: 56,970 USDNevada56,970Wisconsin: 56,770 USDWisconsin56,770Texas: 56,520 USDTexas56,520Georgia: 56,360 USDGeorgia56,360North Dakota: 55,860 USDNorth Dakota55,860New Mexico: 55,390 USDNew Mexico55,390Iowa: 54,500 USDIowa54,500Kentucky: 53,830 USDKentucky53,830Maine: 53,570 USDMaine53,570Colorado: 53,400 USDColorado53,400Tennessee: 52,610 USDTennessee52,610Indiana: 52,360 USDIndiana52,360Montana: 52,360 USDMontana52,360South Carolina: 51,240 USDSouth Carolina51,240Kansas: 51,020 USDKansas51,020Florida: 50,070 USDFlorida50,070Missouri: 49,860 USDMissouri49,860Alabama: 49,850 USDAlabama49,850Idaho: 48,990 USDIdaho48,990Louisiana: 48,740 USDLouisiana48,740Arkansas: 48,560 USDArkansas48,560North Carolina: 46,500 USDNorth Carolina46,500West Virginia: 44,890 USDWest Virginia44,890Arizona: 44,430 USDArizona44,430Mississippi: 43,860 USDMississippi43,860South Dakota: 43,140 USDSouth Dakota43,140Oklahoma: 40,450 USDOklahoma40,450
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

RankStates2018
USD		Change on 2017
1New York83,010+3.1%
2Massachusetts82,600+7.8%
3California80,100+2.7%
4District of Columbia79,480+3.3%
5Connecticut75,480-3.1%
6Alaska74,070-3.8%
7Rhode Island71,990+5.9%
8Maryland71,060+5.5%
9New Jersey70,660+1.7%
10Oregon67,910+3.5%
11Virginia67,610-1.2%
12Pennsylvania66,860+2.3%
13Michigan66,180+5.5%
14Washington65,180+4.2%
15Minnesota64,950+2.3%
16Delaware63,040+4%
17Ohio62,430+4.1%
17Vermont62,430+2.2%
19Illinois62,140-0.8%
20Hawaii61,240+2.4%
21Utah59,880+9.4%
22Wyoming58,940+0.9%
23New Hampshire58,230+1.3%
24Nebraska57,490+2.5%
25Nevada56,970+2.3%
26Wisconsin56,770-0.3%
27Texas56,520-0.4%
28Georgia56,360+2.7%
29North Dakota55,860+9.3%
30New Mexico55,390-6.2%
31Iowa54,500+1.5%
32Kentucky53,830+1.3%
33Maine53,570+0.7%
34Colorado53,400+1.9%
35Tennessee52,610+4.6%
36Indiana52,360+4.1%
36Montana52,360-0.5%
38South Carolina51,240+1.4%
39Kansas51,020+1.6%
40Florida50,070+3.6%
41Missouri49,860-5.4%
42Alabama49,850+1.7%
43Idaho48,990+2.9%
44Louisiana48,740+0.9%
45Arkansas48,560+0.9%
46North Carolina46,500+1.8%
47West Virginia44,890-1.4%
48Arizona44,430+0.5%
49Mississippi43,860-0.8%
50South Dakota43,140+3.8%
51Oklahoma40,450-0.2%

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/oesm18st.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, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.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, 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2018. 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, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2018.

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, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_elementary_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2018. 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/oesm18st.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, 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2018.
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/oesm18st.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 $83,010 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Oklahoma, with $40,450 in 2018.

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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