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

US states by elementary school teacher mean annual wage

California had the highest elementary school teacher mean annual wage of 51 states in 2020, at $85,110. Mississippi had the lowest, at $43,280. The median was $59,300 and the figure for the United States was $65,420. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest85,110California
Lowest43,280Mississippi
Median59,30051 states
United States65,420History

Map of states, 2020

Alabama: 51,280 USDAlaska: 74,720 USDArizona: 47,910 USDArkansas: 49,380 USDCalifornia: 85,110 USDColorado: 56,150 USDConnecticut: 79,610 USDDelaware: 66,140 USDDistrict of Columbia: 78,840 USDFlorida: 57,520 USDGeorgia: 61,290 USDHawaii: 65,060 USDIdaho: 50,850 USDIllinois: 66,140 USDIndiana: 53,650 USDIowa: 55,040 USDKansas: 54,460 USDKentucky: 52,950 USDLouisiana: 49,620 USDMaine: 53,640 USDMaryland: 77,470 USDMassachusetts: 84,810 USDMichigan: 68,850 USDMinnesota: 62,560 USDMississippi: 43,280 USDMissouri: 52,050 USDMontana: 50,270 USDNebraska: 61,890 USDNevada: 56,780 USDNew Hampshire: 60,730 USDNew Jersey: 73,330 USDNew Mexico: 60,740 USDNew York: 84,380 USDNorth Carolina: 50,130 USDNorth Dakota: 55,850 USDOhio: 64,700 USDOklahoma: 48,570 USDOregon: 71,420 USDPennsylvania: 69,410 USDRhode Island: 71,640 USDSouth Carolina: 52,960 USDSouth Dakota: 44,790 USDTennessee: 53,430 USDTexas: 56,760 USDUtah: 59,680 USDVermont: 62,750 USDVirginia: 72,620 USDWashington: 74,400 USDWest Virginia: 47,780 USDWisconsin: 58,340 USDWyoming: 59,300 USD
  • Under 50K
  • 50K to 54K
  • 54K to 59K
  • 59K to 65K
  • 65K to 73K
  • 73K and over
USD, 2020. 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, 2020

California: 85,110 USDCalifornia85,110Massachusetts: 84,810 USDMassachusetts84,810New York: 84,380 USDNew York84,380Connecticut: 79,610 USDConnecticut79,610District of Columbia: 78,840 USDDistrict of Columbia78,840Maryland: 77,470 USDMaryland77,470Alaska: 74,720 USDAlaska74,720Washington: 74,400 USDWashington74,400New Jersey: 73,330 USDNew Jersey73,330Virginia: 72,620 USDVirginia72,620Rhode Island: 71,640 USDRhode Island71,640Oregon: 71,420 USDOregon71,420Pennsylvania: 69,410 USDPennsylvania69,410Michigan: 68,850 USDMichigan68,850Delaware: 66,140 USDDelaware66,140Illinois: 66,140 USDIllinois66,140Hawaii: 65,060 USDHawaii65,060Ohio: 64,700 USDOhio64,700Vermont: 62,750 USDVermont62,750Minnesota: 62,560 USDMinnesota62,560Nebraska: 61,890 USDNebraska61,890Georgia: 61,290 USDGeorgia61,290New Mexico: 60,740 USDNew Mexico60,740New Hampshire: 60,730 USDNew Hampshire60,730Utah: 59,680 USDUtah59,680Wyoming: 59,300 USDWyoming59,300Wisconsin: 58,340 USDWisconsin58,340Florida: 57,520 USDFlorida57,520Nevada: 56,780 USDNevada56,780Texas: 56,760 USDTexas56,760Colorado: 56,150 USDColorado56,150North Dakota: 55,850 USDNorth Dakota55,850Iowa: 55,040 USDIowa55,040Kansas: 54,460 USDKansas54,460Indiana: 53,650 USDIndiana53,650Maine: 53,640 USDMaine53,640Tennessee: 53,430 USDTennessee53,430South Carolina: 52,960 USDSouth Carolina52,960Kentucky: 52,950 USDKentucky52,950Missouri: 52,050 USDMissouri52,050Alabama: 51,280 USDAlabama51,280Idaho: 50,850 USDIdaho50,850Montana: 50,270 USDMontana50,270North Carolina: 50,130 USDNorth Carolina50,130Louisiana: 49,620 USDLouisiana49,620Arkansas: 49,380 USDArkansas49,380Oklahoma: 48,570 USDOklahoma48,570Arizona: 47,910 USDArizona47,910West Virginia: 47,780 USDWest Virginia47,780South Dakota: 44,790 USDSouth Dakota44,790Mississippi: 43,280 USDMississippi43,280California: 85,110 USDCalifornia85,110Massachusetts: 84,810 USDMassachusetts84,810New York: 84,380 USDNew York84,380Connecticut: 79,610 USDConnecticut79,610District of Columbia: 78,840 USDDistrict of Columbia78,840Maryland: 77,470 USDMaryland77,470Alaska: 74,720 USDAlaska74,720Washington: 74,400 USDWashington74,400New Jersey: 73,330 USDNew Jersey73,330Virginia: 72,620 USDVirginia72,620Rhode Island: 71,640 USDRhode Island71,640Oregon: 71,420 USDOregon71,420Pennsylvania: 69,410 USDPennsylvania69,410Michigan: 68,850 USDMichigan68,850Delaware: 66,140 USDDelaware66,140Illinois: 66,140 USDIllinois66,140Hawaii: 65,060 USDHawaii65,060Ohio: 64,700 USDOhio64,700Vermont: 62,750 USDVermont62,750Minnesota: 62,560 USDMinnesota62,560Nebraska: 61,890 USDNebraska61,890Georgia: 61,290 USDGeorgia61,290New Mexico: 60,740 USDNew Mexico60,740New Hampshire: 60,730 USDNew Hampshire60,730Utah: 59,680 USDUtah59,680Wyoming: 59,300 USDWyoming59,300Wisconsin: 58,340 USDWisconsin58,340Florida: 57,520 USDFlorida57,520Nevada: 56,780 USDNevada56,780Texas: 56,760 USDTexas56,760Colorado: 56,150 USDColorado56,150North Dakota: 55,850 USDNorth Dakota55,850Iowa: 55,040 USDIowa55,040Kansas: 54,460 USDKansas54,460Indiana: 53,650 USDIndiana53,650Maine: 53,640 USDMaine53,640Tennessee: 53,430 USDTennessee53,430South Carolina: 52,960 USDSouth Carolina52,960Kentucky: 52,950 USDKentucky52,950Missouri: 52,050 USDMissouri52,050Alabama: 51,280 USDAlabama51,280Idaho: 50,850 USDIdaho50,850Montana: 50,270 USDMontana50,270North Carolina: 50,130 USDNorth Carolina50,130Louisiana: 49,620 USDLouisiana49,620Arkansas: 49,380 USDArkansas49,380Oklahoma: 48,570 USDOklahoma48,570Arizona: 47,910 USDArizona47,910West Virginia: 47,780 USDWest Virginia47,780South Dakota: 44,790 USDSouth Dakota44,790Mississippi: 43,280 USDMississippi43,280
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

RankStates2020
USD		Change on 2019
1California85,110+3.1%
2Massachusetts84,810+2.9%
3New York84,380+1.9%
4Connecticut79,610+2%
5District of Columbia78,840-0.7%
6Maryland77,470+2.8%
7Alaska74,720-1.5%
8Washington74,400+7.2%
9New Jersey73,330+2%
10Virginia72,620+4.2%
11Rhode Island71,640-0.9%
12Oregon71,420+2.1%
13Pennsylvania69,410-0.3%
14Michigan68,850-0.3%
15Delaware66,140+3.4%
15Illinois66,140+4.5%
17Hawaii65,060+2.7%
18Ohio64,700+1%
19Vermont62,750-1.1%
20Minnesota62,560-1.1%
21Nebraska61,890+2.5%
22Georgia61,290+5.3%
23New Mexico60,740+5.9%
24New Hampshire60,730+1.3%
25Utah59,680-1.6%
26Wyoming59,300+0.6%
27Wisconsin58,340+0.6%
28Florida57,520+4.2%
29Nevada56,780-0.4%
30Texas56,760+0.9%
31Colorado56,150+2.7%
32North Dakota55,850+0.4%
33Iowa55,040+2%
34Kansas54,460+7.5%
35Indiana53,650+2.1%
36Maine53,640+1.5%
37Tennessee53,430-0.2%
38South Carolina52,960-0.9%
39Kentucky52,950+0.6%
40Missouri52,050+2.2%
41Alabama51,280+2%
42Idaho50,850+4%
43Montana50,270-3.6%
44North Carolina50,130+3.2%
45Louisiana49,620+2%
46Arkansas49,380+1.2%
47Oklahoma48,570+5.7%
48Arizona47,910+5.1%
49West Virginia47,780+5.3%
50South Dakota44,790+1.5%
51Mississippi43,280-1.8%

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/oesm20st.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, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.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, 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2020. 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, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2020.

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, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_elementary_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2020. 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/oesm20st.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, 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2020.
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/oesm20st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

California, with $85,110 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Mississippi, with $43,280 in 2020.

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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