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 2021, at $87,700. Mississippi had the lowest, at $45,760. The median was $60,300 and the figure for the United States was $67,080. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest87,700New York
Lowest45,760Mississippi
Median60,30051 states
United States67,080History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 53,110 USDAlaska: 71,790 USDArizona: 51,150 USDArkansas: 50,250 USDCalifornia: 86,470 USDColorado: 59,270 USDConnecticut: 82,140 USDDelaware: 64,410 USDDistrict of Columbia: 78,010 USDFlorida: 61,510 USDGeorgia: 63,930 USDHawaii: 64,240 USDIdaho: 51,120 USDIllinois: 67,810 USDIndiana: 53,100 USDIowa: 55,470 USDKansas: 56,060 USDKentucky: 55,020 USDLouisiana: 51,450 USDMaine: 57,940 USDMaryland: 71,790 USDMassachusetts: 83,790 USDMichigan: 65,760 USDMinnesota: 67,300 USDMississippi: 45,760 USDMissouri: 54,010 USDMontana: 54,970 USDNebraska: 61,510 USDNevada: 59,230 USDNew Hampshire: 61,580 USDNew Jersey: 73,120 USDNew Mexico: 58,720 USDNew York: 87,700 USDNorth Carolina: 50,530 USDNorth Dakota: 55,940 USDOhio: 67,850 USDOklahoma: 52,950 USDOregon: 73,860 USDPennsylvania: 70,200 USDRhode Island: 72,510 USDSouth Carolina: 55,210 USDSouth Dakota: 47,670 USDTennessee: 54,290 USDTexas: 59,210 USDUtah: 60,300 USDVermont: 63,520 USDVirginia: 74,920 USDWashington: 83,010 USDWest Virginia: 50,130 USDWisconsin: 60,080 USDWyoming: 61,100 USD
  • Under 53K
  • 53K to 56K
  • 56K to 60K
  • 60K to 65K
  • 65K to 73K
  • 73K and over
USD, 2021. 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, 2021

New York: 87,700 USDNew York87,700California: 86,470 USDCalifornia86,470Massachusetts: 83,790 USDMassachusetts83,790Washington: 83,010 USDWashington83,010Connecticut: 82,140 USDConnecticut82,140District of Columbia: 78,010 USDDistrict of Columbia78,010Virginia: 74,920 USDVirginia74,920Oregon: 73,860 USDOregon73,860New Jersey: 73,120 USDNew Jersey73,120Rhode Island: 72,510 USDRhode Island72,510Alaska: 71,790 USDAlaska71,790Maryland: 71,790 USDMaryland71,790Pennsylvania: 70,200 USDPennsylvania70,200Ohio: 67,850 USDOhio67,850Illinois: 67,810 USDIllinois67,810Minnesota: 67,300 USDMinnesota67,300Michigan: 65,760 USDMichigan65,760Delaware: 64,410 USDDelaware64,410Hawaii: 64,240 USDHawaii64,240Georgia: 63,930 USDGeorgia63,930Vermont: 63,520 USDVermont63,520New Hampshire: 61,580 USDNew Hampshire61,580Florida: 61,510 USDFlorida61,510Nebraska: 61,510 USDNebraska61,510Wyoming: 61,100 USDWyoming61,100Utah: 60,300 USDUtah60,300Wisconsin: 60,080 USDWisconsin60,080Colorado: 59,270 USDColorado59,270Nevada: 59,230 USDNevada59,230Texas: 59,210 USDTexas59,210New Mexico: 58,720 USDNew Mexico58,720Maine: 57,940 USDMaine57,940Kansas: 56,060 USDKansas56,060North Dakota: 55,940 USDNorth Dakota55,940Iowa: 55,470 USDIowa55,470South Carolina: 55,210 USDSouth Carolina55,210Kentucky: 55,020 USDKentucky55,020Montana: 54,970 USDMontana54,970Tennessee: 54,290 USDTennessee54,290Missouri: 54,010 USDMissouri54,010Alabama: 53,110 USDAlabama53,110Indiana: 53,100 USDIndiana53,100Oklahoma: 52,950 USDOklahoma52,950Louisiana: 51,450 USDLouisiana51,450Arizona: 51,150 USDArizona51,150Idaho: 51,120 USDIdaho51,120North Carolina: 50,530 USDNorth Carolina50,530Arkansas: 50,250 USDArkansas50,250West Virginia: 50,130 USDWest Virginia50,130South Dakota: 47,670 USDSouth Dakota47,670Mississippi: 45,760 USDMississippi45,760New York: 87,700 USDNew York87,700California: 86,470 USDCalifornia86,470Massachusetts: 83,790 USDMassachusetts83,790Washington: 83,010 USDWashington83,010Connecticut: 82,140 USDConnecticut82,140District of Columbia: 78,010 USDDistrict of Columbia78,010Virginia: 74,920 USDVirginia74,920Oregon: 73,860 USDOregon73,860New Jersey: 73,120 USDNew Jersey73,120Rhode Island: 72,510 USDRhode Island72,510Alaska: 71,790 USDAlaska71,790Maryland: 71,790 USDMaryland71,790Pennsylvania: 70,200 USDPennsylvania70,200Ohio: 67,850 USDOhio67,850Illinois: 67,810 USDIllinois67,810Minnesota: 67,300 USDMinnesota67,300Michigan: 65,760 USDMichigan65,760Delaware: 64,410 USDDelaware64,410Hawaii: 64,240 USDHawaii64,240Georgia: 63,930 USDGeorgia63,930Vermont: 63,520 USDVermont63,520New Hampshire: 61,580 USDNew Hampshire61,580Florida: 61,510 USDFlorida61,510Nebraska: 61,510 USDNebraska61,510Wyoming: 61,100 USDWyoming61,100Utah: 60,300 USDUtah60,300Wisconsin: 60,080 USDWisconsin60,080Colorado: 59,270 USDColorado59,270Nevada: 59,230 USDNevada59,230Texas: 59,210 USDTexas59,210New Mexico: 58,720 USDNew Mexico58,720Maine: 57,940 USDMaine57,940Kansas: 56,060 USDKansas56,060North Dakota: 55,940 USDNorth Dakota55,940Iowa: 55,470 USDIowa55,470South Carolina: 55,210 USDSouth Carolina55,210Kentucky: 55,020 USDKentucky55,020Montana: 54,970 USDMontana54,970Tennessee: 54,290 USDTennessee54,290Missouri: 54,010 USDMissouri54,010Alabama: 53,110 USDAlabama53,110Indiana: 53,100 USDIndiana53,100Oklahoma: 52,950 USDOklahoma52,950Louisiana: 51,450 USDLouisiana51,450Arizona: 51,150 USDArizona51,150Idaho: 51,120 USDIdaho51,120North Carolina: 50,530 USDNorth Carolina50,530Arkansas: 50,250 USDArkansas50,250West Virginia: 50,130 USDWest Virginia50,130South Dakota: 47,670 USDSouth Dakota47,670Mississippi: 45,760 USDMississippi45,760
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

RankStates2021
USD		Change on 2020
1New York87,700+3.9%
2California86,470+1.6%
3Massachusetts83,790-1.2%
4Washington83,010+11.6%
5Connecticut82,140+3.2%
6District of Columbia78,010-1.1%
7Virginia74,920+3.2%
8Oregon73,860+3.4%
9New Jersey73,120-0.3%
10Rhode Island72,510+1.2%
11Alaska71,790-3.9%
11Maryland71,790-7.3%
13Pennsylvania70,200+1.1%
14Ohio67,850+4.9%
15Illinois67,810+2.5%
16Minnesota67,300+7.6%
17Michigan65,760-4.5%
18Delaware64,410-2.6%
19Hawaii64,240-1.3%
20Georgia63,930+4.3%
21Vermont63,520+1.2%
22New Hampshire61,580+1.4%
23Florida61,510+6.9%
23Nebraska61,510-0.6%
25Wyoming61,100+3%
26Utah60,300+1%
27Wisconsin60,080+3%
28Colorado59,270+5.6%
29Nevada59,230+4.3%
30Texas59,210+4.3%
31New Mexico58,720-3.3%
32Maine57,940+8%
33Kansas56,060+2.9%
34North Dakota55,940+0.2%
35Iowa55,470+0.8%
36South Carolina55,210+4.2%
37Kentucky55,020+3.9%
38Montana54,970+9.3%
39Tennessee54,290+1.6%
40Missouri54,010+3.8%
41Alabama53,110+3.6%
42Indiana53,100-1%
43Oklahoma52,950+9%
44Louisiana51,450+3.7%
45Arizona51,150+6.8%
46Idaho51,120+0.5%
47North Carolina50,530+0.8%
48Arkansas50,250+1.8%
49West Virginia50,130+4.9%
50South Dakota47,670+6.4%
51Mississippi45,760+5.7%

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/oesm21st.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, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.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, 2021. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2021. 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, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2021.

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, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_elementary_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2021. 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/oesm21st.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, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2021.
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/oesm21st.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 $87,700 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Mississippi, with $45,760 in 2021.

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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