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 2023, at $94,600. Mississippi had the lowest, at $48,840. The median was $63,250 and the figure for the United States was $70,740. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest94,600New York
Lowest48,840Mississippi
Median63,25051 states
United States70,740History

Map of states, 2023

Alabama: 56,260 USDAlaska: 73,860 USDArizona: 56,860 USDArkansas: 54,120 USDCalifornia: 93,880 USDColorado: 63,250 USDConnecticut: 88,520 USDDelaware: 68,720 USDDistrict of Columbia: 88,700 USDFlorida: 60,370 USDGeorgia: 70,700 USDHawaii: 62,930 USDIdaho: 61,670 USDIllinois: 70,880 USDIndiana: 57,090 USDIowa: 57,850 USDKansas: 54,170 USDKentucky: 57,370 USDLouisiana: 55,210 USDMaine: 63,100 USDMaryland: 73,500 USDMassachusetts: 85,650 USDMichigan: 66,110 USDMinnesota: 67,250 USDMississippi: 48,840 USDMissouri: 55,530 USDMontana: 62,350 USDNebraska: 59,920 USDNevada: 62,720 USDNew Hampshire: 65,890 USDNew Jersey: 79,050 USDNew Mexico: 65,690 USDNew York: 94,600 USDNorth Carolina: 52,560 USDNorth Dakota: 58,430 USDOhio: 71,970 USDOklahoma: 51,330 USDOregon: 82,260 USDPennsylvania: 73,100 USDRhode Island: 79,790 USDSouth Carolina: 57,450 USDSouth Dakota: 50,290 USDTennessee: 55,240 USDTexas: 62,130 USDUtah: 66,660 USDVermont: 66,110 USDVirginia: 68,340 USDWashington: 91,390 USDWest Virginia: 51,700 USDWisconsin: 63,360 USDWyoming: 63,280 USD
  • Under 55K
  • 55K to 59K
  • 59K to 63K
  • 63K to 68K
  • 68K to 77K
  • 77K and over
USD, 2023. 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, 2023

New York: 94,600 USDNew York94,600California: 93,880 USDCalifornia93,880Washington: 91,390 USDWashington91,390District of Columbia: 88,700 USDDistrict of Columbia88,700Connecticut: 88,520 USDConnecticut88,520Massachusetts: 85,650 USDMassachusetts85,650Oregon: 82,260 USDOregon82,260Rhode Island: 79,790 USDRhode Island79,790New Jersey: 79,050 USDNew Jersey79,050Alaska: 73,860 USDAlaska73,860Maryland: 73,500 USDMaryland73,500Pennsylvania: 73,100 USDPennsylvania73,100Ohio: 71,970 USDOhio71,970Illinois: 70,880 USDIllinois70,880Georgia: 70,700 USDGeorgia70,700Delaware: 68,720 USDDelaware68,720Virginia: 68,340 USDVirginia68,340Minnesota: 67,250 USDMinnesota67,250Utah: 66,660 USDUtah66,660Michigan: 66,110 USDMichigan66,110Vermont: 66,110 USDVermont66,110New Hampshire: 65,890 USDNew Hampshire65,890New Mexico: 65,690 USDNew Mexico65,690Wisconsin: 63,360 USDWisconsin63,360Wyoming: 63,280 USDWyoming63,280Colorado: 63,250 USDColorado63,250Maine: 63,100 USDMaine63,100Hawaii: 62,930 USDHawaii62,930Nevada: 62,720 USDNevada62,720Montana: 62,350 USDMontana62,350Texas: 62,130 USDTexas62,130Idaho: 61,670 USDIdaho61,670Florida: 60,370 USDFlorida60,370Nebraska: 59,920 USDNebraska59,920North Dakota: 58,430 USDNorth Dakota58,430Iowa: 57,850 USDIowa57,850South Carolina: 57,450 USDSouth Carolina57,450Kentucky: 57,370 USDKentucky57,370Indiana: 57,090 USDIndiana57,090Arizona: 56,860 USDArizona56,860Alabama: 56,260 USDAlabama56,260Missouri: 55,530 USDMissouri55,530Tennessee: 55,240 USDTennessee55,240Louisiana: 55,210 USDLouisiana55,210Kansas: 54,170 USDKansas54,170Arkansas: 54,120 USDArkansas54,120North Carolina: 52,560 USDNorth Carolina52,560West Virginia: 51,700 USDWest Virginia51,700Oklahoma: 51,330 USDOklahoma51,330South Dakota: 50,290 USDSouth Dakota50,290Mississippi: 48,840 USDMississippi48,840New York: 94,600 USDNew York94,600California: 93,880 USDCalifornia93,880Washington: 91,390 USDWashington91,390District of Columbia: 88,700 USDDistrict of Columbia88,700Connecticut: 88,520 USDConnecticut88,520Massachusetts: 85,650 USDMassachusetts85,650Oregon: 82,260 USDOregon82,260Rhode Island: 79,790 USDRhode Island79,790New Jersey: 79,050 USDNew Jersey79,050Alaska: 73,860 USDAlaska73,860Maryland: 73,500 USDMaryland73,500Pennsylvania: 73,100 USDPennsylvania73,100Ohio: 71,970 USDOhio71,970Illinois: 70,880 USDIllinois70,880Georgia: 70,700 USDGeorgia70,700Delaware: 68,720 USDDelaware68,720Virginia: 68,340 USDVirginia68,340Minnesota: 67,250 USDMinnesota67,250Utah: 66,660 USDUtah66,660Michigan: 66,110 USDMichigan66,110Vermont: 66,110 USDVermont66,110New Hampshire: 65,890 USDNew Hampshire65,890New Mexico: 65,690 USDNew Mexico65,690Wisconsin: 63,360 USDWisconsin63,360Wyoming: 63,280 USDWyoming63,280Colorado: 63,250 USDColorado63,250Maine: 63,100 USDMaine63,100Hawaii: 62,930 USDHawaii62,930Nevada: 62,720 USDNevada62,720Montana: 62,350 USDMontana62,350Texas: 62,130 USDTexas62,130Idaho: 61,670 USDIdaho61,670Florida: 60,370 USDFlorida60,370Nebraska: 59,920 USDNebraska59,920North Dakota: 58,430 USDNorth Dakota58,430Iowa: 57,850 USDIowa57,850South Carolina: 57,450 USDSouth Carolina57,450Kentucky: 57,370 USDKentucky57,370Indiana: 57,090 USDIndiana57,090Arizona: 56,860 USDArizona56,860Alabama: 56,260 USDAlabama56,260Missouri: 55,530 USDMissouri55,530Tennessee: 55,240 USDTennessee55,240Louisiana: 55,210 USDLouisiana55,210Kansas: 54,170 USDKansas54,170Arkansas: 54,120 USDArkansas54,120North Carolina: 52,560 USDNorth Carolina52,560West Virginia: 51,700 USDWest Virginia51,700Oklahoma: 51,330 USDOklahoma51,330South Dakota: 50,290 USDSouth Dakota50,290Mississippi: 48,840 USDMississippi48,840
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

RankStates2023
USD		Change on 2022
1New York94,600+5.6%
2California93,880+3.8%
3Washington91,390+6.8%
4District of Columbia88,700+7.7%
5Connecticut88,520+4.7%
6Massachusetts85,650+3.6%
7Oregon82,260+2.9%
8Rhode Island79,790+9.7%
9New Jersey79,050+5.2%
10Alaska73,860+8.6%
11Maryland73,500+4%
12Pennsylvania73,100+4.9%
13Ohio71,970+4.5%
14Illinois70,880+4.5%
15Georgia70,700+8.7%
16Delaware68,720+7.2%
17Virginia68,340-5.9%
18Minnesota67,250+3.9%
19Utah66,660+11%
20Michigan66,110-0%
20Vermont66,110+2.8%
22New Hampshire65,890+4.6%
23New Mexico65,690+6.1%
24Wisconsin63,360+3.9%
25Wyoming63,280+4.5%
26Colorado63,250+6.9%
27Maine63,100+4.3%
28Hawaii62,930-0.5%
29Nevada62,720+3.4%
30Montana62,350+3.6%
31Texas62,130+3.9%
32Idaho61,670+4.7%
33Florida60,370+1.9%
34Nebraska59,920+4.1%
35North Dakota58,430+5.2%
36Iowa57,850+0.2%
37South Carolina57,450+6.1%
38Kentucky57,370+3.1%
39Indiana57,090+5.3%
40Arizona56,860+11.1%
41Alabama56,260+4.9%
42Missouri55,530-1.1%
43Tennessee55,240+4.2%
44Louisiana55,210+7.5%
45Kansas54,170-1.6%
46Arkansas54,120+6.9%
47North Carolina52,560+6.1%
48West Virginia51,700+3.6%
49Oklahoma51,330+2.1%
50South Dakota50,290+3.9%
51Mississippi48,840+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/oesm23st.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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23st.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, 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2023. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_elementary_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2023. 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/oesm23st.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, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/elementary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2023.
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/oesm23st.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 $94,600 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Mississippi, with $48,840 in 2023.

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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