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

US states by secondary school teacher mean annual wage

California had the highest secondary school teacher mean annual wage of 51 states in 2023, at $105,540. South Dakota had the lowest, at $51,650. The median was $66,490 and the figure for the United States was $73,800. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest105,540California
Lowest51,650South Dakota
Median66,49051 states
United States73,800History

Map of states, 2023

Alabama: 58,460 USDAlaska: 80,640 USDArizona: 66,290 USDArkansas: 57,420 USDCalifornia: 105,540 USDColorado: 66,050 USDConnecticut: 84,290 USDDelaware: 72,960 USDDistrict of Columbia: 84,180 USDFlorida: 64,390 USDGeorgia: 71,310 USDHawaii: 63,320 USDIdaho: 62,100 USDIllinois: 80,200 USDIndiana: 64,010 USDIowa: 60,820 USDKansas: 57,350 USDKentucky: 60,460 USDLouisiana: 59,000 USDMaine: 64,000 USDMaryland: 78,580 USDMassachusetts: 87,000 USDMichigan: 69,230 USDMinnesota: 70,170 USDMississippi: 52,220 USDMissouri: 63,500 USDMontana: 57,900 USDNebraska: 61,480 USDNevada: 67,570 USDNew Hampshire: 69,560 USDNew Jersey: 83,590 USDNew Mexico: 68,400 USDNew York: 96,400 USDNorth Carolina: 53,920 USDNorth Dakota: 60,370 USDOhio: 76,070 USDOklahoma: 56,120 USDOregon: 86,280 USDPennsylvania: 75,710 USDRhode Island: 77,870 USDSouth Carolina: 59,750 USDSouth Dakota: 51,650 USDTennessee: 59,440 USDTexas: 64,120 USDUtah: 70,050 USDVermont: 66,940 USDVirginia: 72,020 USDWashington: 94,780 USDWest Virginia: 55,590 USDWisconsin: 66,490 USDWyoming: 66,640 USD
  • Under 59K
  • 59K to 63K
  • 63K to 66K
  • 66K to 71K
  • 71K to 80K
  • 80K and over
USD, 2023. Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031). Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2023

California: 105,540 USDCalifornia105,540New York: 96,400 USDNew York96,400Washington: 94,780 USDWashington94,780Massachusetts: 87,000 USDMassachusetts87,000Oregon: 86,280 USDOregon86,280Connecticut: 84,290 USDConnecticut84,290District of Columbia: 84,180 USDDistrict of Columbia84,180New Jersey: 83,590 USDNew Jersey83,590Alaska: 80,640 USDAlaska80,640Illinois: 80,200 USDIllinois80,200Maryland: 78,580 USDMaryland78,580Rhode Island: 77,870 USDRhode Island77,870Ohio: 76,070 USDOhio76,070Pennsylvania: 75,710 USDPennsylvania75,710Delaware: 72,960 USDDelaware72,960Virginia: 72,020 USDVirginia72,020Georgia: 71,310 USDGeorgia71,310Minnesota: 70,170 USDMinnesota70,170Utah: 70,050 USDUtah70,050New Hampshire: 69,560 USDNew Hampshire69,560Michigan: 69,230 USDMichigan69,230New Mexico: 68,400 USDNew Mexico68,400Nevada: 67,570 USDNevada67,570Vermont: 66,940 USDVermont66,940Wyoming: 66,640 USDWyoming66,640Wisconsin: 66,490 USDWisconsin66,490Arizona: 66,290 USDArizona66,290Colorado: 66,050 USDColorado66,050Florida: 64,390 USDFlorida64,390Texas: 64,120 USDTexas64,120Indiana: 64,010 USDIndiana64,010Maine: 64,000 USDMaine64,000Missouri: 63,500 USDMissouri63,500Hawaii: 63,320 USDHawaii63,320Idaho: 62,100 USDIdaho62,100Nebraska: 61,480 USDNebraska61,480Iowa: 60,820 USDIowa60,820Kentucky: 60,460 USDKentucky60,460North Dakota: 60,370 USDNorth Dakota60,370South Carolina: 59,750 USDSouth Carolina59,750Tennessee: 59,440 USDTennessee59,440Louisiana: 59,000 USDLouisiana59,000Alabama: 58,460 USDAlabama58,460Montana: 57,900 USDMontana57,900Arkansas: 57,420 USDArkansas57,420Kansas: 57,350 USDKansas57,350Oklahoma: 56,120 USDOklahoma56,120West Virginia: 55,590 USDWest Virginia55,590North Carolina: 53,920 USDNorth Carolina53,920Mississippi: 52,220 USDMississippi52,220South Dakota: 51,650 USDSouth Dakota51,650California: 105,540 USDCalifornia105,540New York: 96,400 USDNew York96,400Washington: 94,780 USDWashington94,780Massachusetts: 87,000 USDMassachusetts87,000Oregon: 86,280 USDOregon86,280Connecticut: 84,290 USDConnecticut84,290District of Columbia: 84,180 USDDistrict of Columbia84,180New Jersey: 83,590 USDNew Jersey83,590Alaska: 80,640 USDAlaska80,640Illinois: 80,200 USDIllinois80,200Maryland: 78,580 USDMaryland78,580Rhode Island: 77,870 USDRhode Island77,870Ohio: 76,070 USDOhio76,070Pennsylvania: 75,710 USDPennsylvania75,710Delaware: 72,960 USDDelaware72,960Virginia: 72,020 USDVirginia72,020Georgia: 71,310 USDGeorgia71,310Minnesota: 70,170 USDMinnesota70,170Utah: 70,050 USDUtah70,050New Hampshire: 69,560 USDNew Hampshire69,560Michigan: 69,230 USDMichigan69,230New Mexico: 68,400 USDNew Mexico68,400Nevada: 67,570 USDNevada67,570Vermont: 66,940 USDVermont66,940Wyoming: 66,640 USDWyoming66,640Wisconsin: 66,490 USDWisconsin66,490Arizona: 66,290 USDArizona66,290Colorado: 66,050 USDColorado66,050Florida: 64,390 USDFlorida64,390Texas: 64,120 USDTexas64,120Indiana: 64,010 USDIndiana64,010Maine: 64,000 USDMaine64,000Missouri: 63,500 USDMissouri63,500Hawaii: 63,320 USDHawaii63,320Idaho: 62,100 USDIdaho62,100Nebraska: 61,480 USDNebraska61,480Iowa: 60,820 USDIowa60,820Kentucky: 60,460 USDKentucky60,460North Dakota: 60,370 USDNorth Dakota60,370South Carolina: 59,750 USDSouth Carolina59,750Tennessee: 59,440 USDTennessee59,440Louisiana: 59,000 USDLouisiana59,000Alabama: 58,460 USDAlabama58,460Montana: 57,900 USDMontana57,900Arkansas: 57,420 USDArkansas57,420Kansas: 57,350 USDKansas57,350Oklahoma: 56,120 USDOklahoma56,120West Virginia: 55,590 USDWest Virginia55,590North Carolina: 53,920 USDNorth Carolina53,920Mississippi: 52,220 USDMississippi52,220South Dakota: 51,650 USDSouth Dakota51,650
USD. Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2023
USD		Change on 2022
1California105,540+13.5%
2New York96,400+5.6%
3Washington94,780+7.1%
4Massachusetts87,000+4.9%
5Oregon86,280+8.1%
6Connecticut84,290+5.1%
7District of Columbia84,180+10%
8New Jersey83,590+5.2%
9Alaska80,640+7.7%
10Illinois80,200+10.7%
11Maryland78,580+6.6%
12Rhode Island77,870+4.3%
13Ohio76,070+8.2%
14Pennsylvania75,710+2.6%
15Delaware72,960+6%
16Virginia72,020-2.8%
17Georgia71,310+5.6%
18Minnesota70,170+8.8%
19Utah70,050+5.7%
20New Hampshire69,560+1.9%
21Michigan69,230+3.6%
22New Mexico68,400+9.4%
23Nevada67,570+1.4%
24Vermont66,940+7.4%
25Wyoming66,640+4.6%
26Wisconsin66,490+6.4%
27Arizona66,290+11.4%
28Colorado66,050+5.3%
29Florida64,390+1.4%
30Texas64,120+4.8%
31Indiana64,010+9.1%
32Maine64,000+8%
33Missouri63,500+12.8%
34Hawaii63,320+4.2%
35Idaho62,100+7.5%
36Nebraska61,480+2%
37Iowa60,820+0.5%
38Kentucky60,460+4%
39North Dakota60,370+6.8%
40South Carolina59,750+7.3%
41Tennessee59,440+6.3%
42Louisiana59,000+8.7%
43Alabama58,460+6.2%
44Montana57,900+6%
45Arkansas57,420+8.2%
46Kansas57,350+1.3%
47Oklahoma56,120+2.4%
48West Virginia55,590+9.5%
49North Carolina53,920+4.6%
50Mississippi52,220+4.9%
51South Dakota51,650+5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average (mean) annual wage of secondary school teachers, except special and career or technical education (Standard Occupational Classification 25-2031), in US dollars, from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public and private high 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, career and technical education and middle school teachers. Up to May 2009 the occupation was defined under the 2000 classification, which excluded vocational education 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, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031). 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, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031) (US states by secondary 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, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031), US states by secondary 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/secondary-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, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031). US states by secondary 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/secondary-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, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031), US states by secondary school teacher mean annual wage, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/secondary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_secondary_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual mean wage, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031): US states by secondary 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/secondary-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, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031). 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, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031): US states by secondary 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/secondary-teacher-salary/us-states?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/secondary-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, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

California, with $105,540 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

South Dakota, with $51,650 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, secondary school teachers except special and career or technical education (25-2031). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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