How much does a an Elementary School Teacher make a year?

The U.S. median annual wage is $63,970: half of the people in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less. Source: BLS OES May 2025.

What do the highest- and lowest-paid Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn?

Nationally, the top 10% earn more than $104,340 a year, and the bottom 10% earn less than $47,960. The middle half sit between $57,710 and $81,450.

Which state has the highest median wage for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education?

Washington (WA) has the highest published median, $102,350 — about 60% above the national median. 54 of the 54 areas in the survey publish a figure for this occupation.

How many Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education work in the United States?

1,388,390 people worked in this occupation in the May 2025 BLS OES survey.

What education do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education need?

O*NET rates the education this occupation requires as: Bachelor's. That is a rating of the job, not a survey of what the people doing it studied. O*NET also places the occupation in Job Zone 4 (Considerable preparation).

Elementary School Teacher Salary by State

How much does a an Elementary School Teacher make?

U.S. median, per year: $63,970
Middle 50% of workers: $57,710 to $81,450
Employed in the U.S.: 1,388,390 people
Hourly median: Not published
Range of state medians: $48,200 to $102,350

Source: BLS OES May 2025 · retrieved 2026-09-15

The full pay ladder

Percentiles split the people doing this job into ten equal groups. P10 is the point that the lowest-paid 10% fall below; P90 is the point only the top 10% rise above. These are national figures, published by BLS.

	Annual	Hourly
P10 — bottom 10%	$47,960	Not published
P25 — bottom quarter	$57,710	Not published
Median (P50)	$63,970	Not published
P75 — top quarter	$81,450	Not published
P90 — top 10%	$104,340	Not published
Average (mean)	$72,650	Not published

P90 is about 2.2 times P10. That is a ratio between two points on the distribution, not between two groups of people.

The state table below is annual: we downloaded only the annual figures for the states. BLS also publishes state hourly wages, and we have not loaded those yet.

Elementary School Teacher pay across the 54 areas in the BLS survey

All 54 areas in the BLS survey, ranked by median annual wage. 54 publish a figure for this occupation.

Washington (WA)$102,350
+60%#1Employed: 28,980
California (CA)$99,650
+56%#2Employed: 155,160
District of Columbia (DC)$96,580
+51%#3Employed: 3,750
Massachusetts (MA)$94,000
+47%#4Employed: 29,930
Rhode Island (RI)$90,930
+42%#5Employed: 3,830
New York (NY)$85,760
+34%#6Employed: 101,410
Connecticut (CT)$80,600
+26%#7Employed: 16,330
Alaska (AK)$79,260
+24%#8Employed: 3,500
New Jersey (NJ)$78,200
+22%#9Employed: 40,300
Maryland (MD)$77,680
+21%#10Employed: 29,610
Ohio (OH)$77,370
+21%#11Employed: 47,870
Oregon (OR)$77,130
+21%#12Employed: 12,600
Pennsylvania (PA)$77,060
+20%#13Employed: 48,370
Minnesota (MN)$76,350
+19%#14Employed: 26,640
Delaware (DE)$75,920
+19%#15Employed: 2,900
Illinois (IL)$75,320
+18%#16Employed: 61,520
Utah (UT)$74,810
+17%#17Employed: 14,820
New Mexico (NM)$74,550
+17%#18Employed: 6,210
New Hampshire (NH)$72,410
+13%#19Employed: 5,190
Georgia (GA)$72,290
+13%#20Employed: 43,820
Hawaii (HI)$71,410
+12%#21Employed: 6,040
Virginia (VA)$65,550
+2%#22Employed: 37,880
Michigan (MI)$65,110
+2%#23Employed: 40,910
Nevada (NV)$65,040
+2%#24Employed: 9,550
Colorado (CO)$63,410
−1%#25Employed: 24,860
Vermont (VT)$63,070
−1%#26Employed: 3,610
Texas (TX)$62,760
−2%#27Employed: 116,260
Maine (ME)$62,390
−2%#28Employed: 7,490
Nebraska (NE)$62,380
−2%#29Employed: 8,710
Guam (GU)$62,240
−3%#30Employed: 1,000
Idaho (ID)$61,600
−4%#31Employed: 6,850
Alabama (AL)$61,380
−4%#32Employed: 22,030
Wisconsin (WI)$61,210
−4%#33Employed: 24,920
Wyoming (WY)$61,150
−4%#34Employed: 2,600
South Carolina (SC)$60,820
−5%#35Employed: 25,030
Kentucky (KY)$60,610
−5%#36Employed: 19,080
Iowa (IA)$60,580
−5%#37Employed: 17,300
Virgin Islands (VI)$60,560
−5%#38Employed: 630
North Dakota (ND)$60,030
−6%#39Employed: 4,430
Tennessee (TN)$59,980
−6%#40Employed: 28,240
Indiana (IN)$59,700
−7%#41Employed: 27,720
Florida (FL)$58,930
−8%#42Employed: 79,090
Louisiana (LA)$58,770
−8%#43Employed: 22,060
Montana (MT)$57,530
−10%#44Employed: 4,960
Arizona (AZ)$56,590
−12%#45Employed: 24,240
Kansas (KS)$56,450
−12%#46Employed: 14,350
West Virginia (WV)$55,630
−13%#47Employed: 5,420
North Carolina (NC)$54,930
−14%#48Employed: 42,410
Arkansas (AR)$52,700
−18%#49Employed: 12,590
Puerto Rico (PR)$51,540
−19%#50Employed: 4,370
Missouri (MO)$50,910
−20%#51Employed: 33,180
South Dakota (SD)$50,130
−22%#52Employed: 4,290
Mississippi (MS)$49,790
−22%#53Employed: 11,060
Oklahoma (OK)$48,200
−25%#54Employed: 18,500

State or territory	Median annual wage	vs U.S. median	Employed	Rank
Washington (WA)	$102,350	+60%	28,980	1
California (CA)	$99,650	+56%	155,160	2
District of Columbia (DC)	$96,580	+51%	3,750	3
Massachusetts (MA)	$94,000	+47%	29,930	4
Rhode Island (RI)	$90,930	+42%	3,830	5
New York (NY)	$85,760	+34%	101,410	6
Connecticut (CT)	$80,600	+26%	16,330	7
Alaska (AK)	$79,260	+24%	3,500	8
New Jersey (NJ)	$78,200	+22%	40,300	9
Maryland (MD)	$77,680	+21%	29,610	10
Ohio (OH)	$77,370	+21%	47,870	11
Oregon (OR)	$77,130	+21%	12,600	12
Pennsylvania (PA)	$77,060	+20%	48,370	13
Minnesota (MN)	$76,350	+19%	26,640	14
Delaware (DE)	$75,920	+19%	2,900	15
Illinois (IL)	$75,320	+18%	61,520	16
Utah (UT)	$74,810	+17%	14,820	17
New Mexico (NM)	$74,550	+17%	6,210	18
New Hampshire (NH)	$72,410	+13%	5,190	19
Georgia (GA)	$72,290	+13%	43,820	20
Hawaii (HI)	$71,410	+12%	6,040	21
Virginia (VA)	$65,550	+2%	37,880	22
Michigan (MI)	$65,110	+2%	40,910	23
Nevada (NV)	$65,040	+2%	9,550	24
Colorado (CO)	$63,410	−1%	24,860	25
Vermont (VT)	$63,070	−1%	3,610	26
Texas (TX)	$62,760	−2%	116,260	27
Maine (ME)	$62,390	−2%	7,490	28
Nebraska (NE)	$62,380	−2%	8,710	29
Guam (GU)	$62,240	−3%	1,000	30
Idaho (ID)	$61,600	−4%	6,850	31
Alabama (AL)	$61,380	−4%	22,030	32
Wisconsin (WI)	$61,210	−4%	24,920	33
Wyoming (WY)	$61,150	−4%	2,600	34
South Carolina (SC)	$60,820	−5%	25,030	35
Kentucky (KY)	$60,610	−5%	19,080	36
Iowa (IA)	$60,580	−5%	17,300	37
Virgin Islands (VI)	$60,560	−5%	630	38
North Dakota (ND)	$60,030	−6%	4,430	39
Tennessee (TN)	$59,980	−6%	28,240	40
Indiana (IN)	$59,700	−7%	27,720	41
Florida (FL)	$58,930	−8%	79,090	42
Louisiana (LA)	$58,770	−8%	22,060	43
Montana (MT)	$57,530	−10%	4,960	44
Arizona (AZ)	$56,590	−12%	24,240	45
Kansas (KS)	$56,450	−12%	14,350	46
West Virginia (WV)	$55,630	−13%	5,420	47
North Carolina (NC)	$54,930	−14%	42,410	48
Arkansas (AR)	$52,700	−18%	12,590	49
Puerto Rico (PR)	$51,540	−19%	4,370	50
Missouri (MO)	$50,910	−20%	33,180	51
South Dakota (SD)	$50,130	−22%	4,290	52
Mississippi (MS)	$49,790	−22%	11,060	53
Oklahoma (OK)	$48,200	−25%	18,500	54

Highest: Washington (WA) at $102,350. Lowest: Oklahoma (OK) at $48,200.

These are survey estimates, not counts: two neighbouring ranks are not necessarily a real difference. No median or percentile figure on this page carries a relative standard error — the OES data we download has no such field for them — and the state-level relative standard errors are not downloaded either. BLS measures the reliability of an estimate with the relative standard error; its own definition: “The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.”

Nominal wages, with no adjustment for cost of living. A higher state median does not mean a higher standard of living, and it is not a forecast of what any one person would earn.

What the job usually takes

O*NET's preparation level for this occupation, its rated education requirement, and what the people in the occupation reported. These describe the typical route in — they are not requirements you have to meet.

Preparation level (O*NET Job Zone): Zone 4 — Considerable preparation
Usually a bachelor's degree plus several years of related experience.
Rated education requirement: Bachelor's

31.0 · rated by people doing the job · 21 respondents · collected 08/2024

What people in this occupation reported

Bachelor's — 78.2%
Master's — 21.8%

Its Holland code is S

O*NET gives every occupation an interest code: the RIASEC directions its work draws on most. This one is S — Social.

SSocial

An occupation's code and a person's code are not the same measurement. The questionnaire asks how much you like an activity; the occupation profile describes how much of that interest area the work contains. No equivalence study links the two, so a match is a starting point for research, not a verdict that this job suits you.

More occupations whose code starts with S

Find your own code

O*NET's own relatedness ranking for this occupation: the occupations it judges similar in what workers do, know and are called. It is not a record of who moved where.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationSocial
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationSocial · Artistic
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language InstructorsSocial · Artistic
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special EducationSocial · Artistic
TutorsSocial

Names are O*NET's official occupation titles — the ones used in U.S. labour-market data.

Common questions

How much does a an Elementary School Teacher make a year?: The U.S. median annual wage is $63,970: half of the people in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less. Source: BLS OES May 2025.
What do the highest- and lowest-paid Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn?: Nationally, the top 10% earn more than $104,340 a year, and the bottom 10% earn less than $47,960. The middle half sit between $57,710 and $81,450.
Which state has the highest median wage for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education?: Washington (WA) has the highest published median, $102,350 — about 60% above the national median. 54 of the 54 areas in the survey publish a figure for this occupation.
How many Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education work in the United States?: 1,388,390 people worked in this occupation in the May 2025 BLS OES survey.
What education do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education need?: O*NET rates the education this occupation requires as: Bachelor's. That is a rating of the job, not a survey of what the people doing it studied. O*NET also places the occupation in Job Zone 4 (Considerable preparation).

Where these numbers come from

O*NET Database 31.0 (CC BY 4.0) — occupation names, interest (Holland) codes, Job Zone and the rated education requirement. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), May 2025 release — every wage and employment figure on this page. Retrieved 2026-09-15. Public domain. OES does not include self-employed workers, and annual figures are hourly figures multiplied by 2,080 hours where hourly ones are published.
For these figures, BLS publishes a relative standard error:
- U.S. employment: 1,388,390 — BLS relative standard error 0.8%
- National average annual wage (mean): $72,650 — BLS relative standard error 0.4%
This is BLS's own definition: “The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.”A relative standard error belongs to the figure it is listed against, and to that figure only. The median and the percentile figures on this page have none — the OES data we download carries no relative standard error for them — and the state-level relative standard errors are not downloaded, so no state figure carries one.
O*NET and BLS both use the same SOC occupation code, so the join here is exact: BLS publishes this occupation's wages under 25-2021.

How to cite this page

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education salary data, Career Interest Test, from O*NET 31.0 and BLS OES May 2025, exported 2026-09-16.

We are not licensed career counselors. The figures on this page are occupation-level statistics published by the U.S. government: they describe what people in this job earn, not what any one person would earn.

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education