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 2022, at $90,470. Mississippi had the lowest, at $45,650. The median was $60,580 and the figure for the United States was $68,000. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest90,470California
Lowest45,650Mississippi
Median60,58051 states
United States68,000History

Map of states, 2022

Alabama: 53,620 USDAlaska: 67,980 USDArizona: 51,180 USDArkansas: 50,610 USDCalifornia: 90,470 USDColorado: 59,170 USDConnecticut: 84,580 USDDelaware: 64,100 USDDistrict of Columbia: 82,340 USDFlorida: 59,240 USDGeorgia: 65,070 USDHawaii: 63,220 USDIdaho: 58,890 USDIllinois: 67,840 USDIndiana: 54,200 USDIowa: 57,720 USDKansas: 55,060 USDKentucky: 55,650 USDLouisiana: 51,350 USDMaine: 60,470 USDMaryland: 70,660 USDMassachusetts: 82,690 USDMichigan: 66,130 USDMinnesota: 64,720 USDMississippi: 45,650 USDMissouri: 56,150 USDMontana: 60,200 USDNebraska: 57,570 USDNevada: 60,670 USDNew Hampshire: 63,010 USDNew Jersey: 75,150 USDNew Mexico: 61,890 USDNew York: 89,580 USDNorth Carolina: 49,560 USDNorth Dakota: 55,530 USDOhio: 68,880 USDOklahoma: 50,290 USDOregon: 79,910 USDPennsylvania: 69,700 USDRhode Island: 72,720 USDSouth Carolina: 54,140 USDSouth Dakota: 48,390 USDTennessee: 53,030 USDTexas: 59,790 USDUtah: 60,030 USDVermont: 64,340 USDVirginia: 72,600 USDWashington: 85,580 USDWest Virginia: 49,890 USDWisconsin: 60,960 USDWyoming: 60,580 USD
  • Under 53K
  • 53K to 58K
  • 58K to 61K
  • 61K to 65K
  • 65K to 73K
  • 73K and over
USD, 2022. 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, 2022

California: 90,470 USDCalifornia90,470New York: 89,580 USDNew York89,580Washington: 85,580 USDWashington85,580Connecticut: 84,580 USDConnecticut84,580Massachusetts: 82,690 USDMassachusetts82,690District of Columbia: 82,340 USDDistrict of Columbia82,340Oregon: 79,910 USDOregon79,910New Jersey: 75,150 USDNew Jersey75,150Rhode Island: 72,720 USDRhode Island72,720Virginia: 72,600 USDVirginia72,600Maryland: 70,660 USDMaryland70,660Pennsylvania: 69,700 USDPennsylvania69,700Ohio: 68,880 USDOhio68,880Alaska: 67,980 USDAlaska67,980Illinois: 67,840 USDIllinois67,840Michigan: 66,130 USDMichigan66,130Georgia: 65,070 USDGeorgia65,070Minnesota: 64,720 USDMinnesota64,720Vermont: 64,340 USDVermont64,340Delaware: 64,100 USDDelaware64,100Hawaii: 63,220 USDHawaii63,220New Hampshire: 63,010 USDNew Hampshire63,010New Mexico: 61,890 USDNew Mexico61,890Wisconsin: 60,960 USDWisconsin60,960Nevada: 60,670 USDNevada60,670Wyoming: 60,580 USDWyoming60,580Maine: 60,470 USDMaine60,470Montana: 60,200 USDMontana60,200Utah: 60,030 USDUtah60,030Texas: 59,790 USDTexas59,790Florida: 59,240 USDFlorida59,240Colorado: 59,170 USDColorado59,170Idaho: 58,890 USDIdaho58,890Iowa: 57,720 USDIowa57,720Nebraska: 57,570 USDNebraska57,570Missouri: 56,150 USDMissouri56,150Kentucky: 55,650 USDKentucky55,650North Dakota: 55,530 USDNorth Dakota55,530Kansas: 55,060 USDKansas55,060Indiana: 54,200 USDIndiana54,200South Carolina: 54,140 USDSouth Carolina54,140Alabama: 53,620 USDAlabama53,620Tennessee: 53,030 USDTennessee53,030Louisiana: 51,350 USDLouisiana51,350Arizona: 51,180 USDArizona51,180Arkansas: 50,610 USDArkansas50,610Oklahoma: 50,290 USDOklahoma50,290West Virginia: 49,890 USDWest Virginia49,890North Carolina: 49,560 USDNorth Carolina49,560South Dakota: 48,390 USDSouth Dakota48,390Mississippi: 45,650 USDMississippi45,650California: 90,470 USDCalifornia90,470New York: 89,580 USDNew York89,580Washington: 85,580 USDWashington85,580Connecticut: 84,580 USDConnecticut84,580Massachusetts: 82,690 USDMassachusetts82,690District of Columbia: 82,340 USDDistrict of Columbia82,340Oregon: 79,910 USDOregon79,910New Jersey: 75,150 USDNew Jersey75,150Rhode Island: 72,720 USDRhode Island72,720Virginia: 72,600 USDVirginia72,600Maryland: 70,660 USDMaryland70,660Pennsylvania: 69,700 USDPennsylvania69,700Ohio: 68,880 USDOhio68,880Alaska: 67,980 USDAlaska67,980Illinois: 67,840 USDIllinois67,840Michigan: 66,130 USDMichigan66,130Georgia: 65,070 USDGeorgia65,070Minnesota: 64,720 USDMinnesota64,720Vermont: 64,340 USDVermont64,340Delaware: 64,100 USDDelaware64,100Hawaii: 63,220 USDHawaii63,220New Hampshire: 63,010 USDNew Hampshire63,010New Mexico: 61,890 USDNew Mexico61,890Wisconsin: 60,960 USDWisconsin60,960Nevada: 60,670 USDNevada60,670Wyoming: 60,580 USDWyoming60,580Maine: 60,470 USDMaine60,470Montana: 60,200 USDMontana60,200Utah: 60,030 USDUtah60,030Texas: 59,790 USDTexas59,790Florida: 59,240 USDFlorida59,240Colorado: 59,170 USDColorado59,170Idaho: 58,890 USDIdaho58,890Iowa: 57,720 USDIowa57,720Nebraska: 57,570 USDNebraska57,570Missouri: 56,150 USDMissouri56,150Kentucky: 55,650 USDKentucky55,650North Dakota: 55,530 USDNorth Dakota55,530Kansas: 55,060 USDKansas55,060Indiana: 54,200 USDIndiana54,200South Carolina: 54,140 USDSouth Carolina54,140Alabama: 53,620 USDAlabama53,620Tennessee: 53,030 USDTennessee53,030Louisiana: 51,350 USDLouisiana51,350Arizona: 51,180 USDArizona51,180Arkansas: 50,610 USDArkansas50,610Oklahoma: 50,290 USDOklahoma50,290West Virginia: 49,890 USDWest Virginia49,890North Carolina: 49,560 USDNorth Carolina49,560South Dakota: 48,390 USDSouth Dakota48,390Mississippi: 45,650 USDMississippi45,650
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

RankStates2022
USD		Change on 2021
1California90,470+4.6%
2New York89,580+2.1%
3Washington85,580+3.1%
4Connecticut84,580+3%
5Massachusetts82,690-1.3%
6District of Columbia82,340+5.6%
7Oregon79,910+8.2%
8New Jersey75,150+2.8%
9Rhode Island72,720+0.3%
10Virginia72,600-3.1%
11Maryland70,660-1.6%
12Pennsylvania69,700-0.7%
13Ohio68,880+1.5%
14Alaska67,980-5.3%
15Illinois67,8400%
16Michigan66,130+0.6%
17Georgia65,070+1.8%
18Minnesota64,720-3.8%
19Vermont64,340+1.3%
20Delaware64,100-0.5%
21Hawaii63,220-1.6%
22New Hampshire63,010+2.3%
23New Mexico61,890+5.4%
24Wisconsin60,960+1.5%
25Nevada60,670+2.4%
26Wyoming60,580-0.9%
27Maine60,470+4.4%
28Montana60,200+9.5%
29Utah60,030-0.4%
30Texas59,790+1%
31Florida59,240-3.7%
32Colorado59,170-0.2%
33Idaho58,890+15.2%
34Iowa57,720+4.1%
35Nebraska57,570-6.4%
36Missouri56,150+4%
37Kentucky55,650+1.1%
38North Dakota55,530-0.7%
39Kansas55,060-1.8%
40Indiana54,200+2.1%
41South Carolina54,140-1.9%
42Alabama53,620+1%
43Tennessee53,030-2.3%
44Louisiana51,350-0.2%
45Arizona51,180+0.1%
46Arkansas50,610+0.7%
47Oklahoma50,290-5%
48West Virginia49,890-0.5%
49North Carolina49,560-1.9%
50South Dakota48,390+1.5%
51Mississippi45,650-0.2%

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/oesm22st.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, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22st.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, 2022. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2022. 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, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2022.

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, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_elementary_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2022. 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/oesm22st.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, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2022.
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/oesm22st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

California, with $90,470 in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Mississippi, with $45,650 in 2022.

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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