Key Takeaways
- National average is $76,320. High School Teachers earn an average of $76,320 a year nationally (2025, BLS OEWS), with a median of $72,040.
- California pays the most. California leads at $105,880 — about 2.0x what the lowest-paying state offers.
- Mississippi pays the least. Mississippi is lowest at $53,690. Pay broadly tracks local cost of living.
- Location matters. The same job can pay tens of thousands more depending on the state — before adjusting for how far that money goes locally.
How much do high school teachers earn — and where are they paid the most? Using the latest wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, here is the average high school teacher salary in every state, mapped and ranked. Nationally, high school teachers earn an average of $76,320 a year.
High School Teacher salary by state, mapped
Highest and lowest-paying states
California pays high school teachers the most at an average of $105,880, while Mississippi pays the least at $53,690 — a gap of roughly 2.0x. Remember that higher-paying states also tend to have a higher cost of living.
Full table: salary by state
Average and median annual salary plus total employment for all 50 states and D.C. — sortable and searchable.
| Rank | State | Avg salary | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $105,880 | $101,370 | 99,230 |
| 2 | Washington | $99,350 | $102,670 | 14,880 |
| 3 | New York | $97,220 | $97,070 | 70,660 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $90,270 | $95,260 | 28,460 |
| 5 | Illinois | $89,320 | $79,990 | 44,670 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $88,460 | $82,750 | 2,800 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $87,100 | $82,200 | 38,140 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $84,460 | $80,970 | 14,800 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $84,120 | $92,610 | 4,910 |
| 10 | Alaska | $82,460 | $79,650 | 2,790 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $80,020 | $76,460 | 16,020 |
| 12 | Maryland | $79,820 | $78,670 | 16,640 |
| 13 | Oregon | $79,050 | $79,570 | 11,730 |
| 14 | Ohio | $78,110 | $78,800 | 49,540 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $77,650 | $78,800 | 52,240 |
| 16 | Utah | $75,460 | $76,330 | 11,030 |
| 17 | Virginia | $75,060 | $72,170 | 31,100 |
| 18 | Delaware | $74,240 | $77,960 | 5,360 |
| 19 | Colorado | $73,330 | $72,900 | 18,310 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $73,230 | $74,310 | 5,590 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $72,920 | $75,900 | 8,120 |
| 22 | Vermont | $72,350 | $76,220 | 2,450 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $72,040 | $77,060 | 5,860 |
| 24 | Georgia | $72,000 | $75,480 | 25,730 |
| 25 | Michigan | $71,200 | $66,030 | 25,540 |
| 26 | Nevada | $68,570 | $65,520 | 8,920 |
| 27 | Indiana | $67,640 | $61,880 | 20,430 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $66,880 | $62,870 | 15,910 |
| 29 | Maine | $66,820 | $64,880 | 5,540 |
| 30 | Idaho | $66,470 | $61,690 | 6,570 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $66,020 | $62,690 | 1,600 |
| 32 | Texas | $65,740 | $63,590 | 111,660 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $65,520 | $63,450 | 7,170 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $65,340 | $62,580 | 16,080 |
| 35 | Arizona | $64,440 | $58,360 | 21,190 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $63,450 | $61,560 | 12,780 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $62,950 | $61,860 | 21,230 |
| 38 | Alabama | $62,280 | $61,990 | 15,880 |
| 39 | Iowa | $61,860 | $61,200 | 12,310 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $61,830 | $61,210 | 3,070 |
| 41 | Florida | $61,570 | $60,410 | 49,810 |
| 42 | Montana | $61,550 | $60,990 | 3,670 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $61,170 | $59,850 | 15,210 |
| 44 | Missouri | $60,310 | $59,240 | 24,380 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $59,710 | $59,660 | 12,890 |
| 46 | Kansas | $58,930 | $59,920 | 10,860 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $56,630 | $56,610 | 3,590 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $55,760 | $57,650 | 28,620 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $54,950 | $48,710 | 15,480 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $53,960 | $51,050 | 3,360 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $53,690 | $50,980 | 10,400 |
About the data
Figures are average (mean) and median annual wages from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, 2025 estimates, for the “High School Teachers” occupation. OEWS is released annually. Wages are gross, before tax, and not adjusted for state cost-of-living differences.
Data and references:
