The 10 US states with the lowest salaries for public school teachers
Madison Hoff
- Salaries for New York and California teachers in public elementary and secondary schools are two of the highest salaries for this occupation in the US, according to 2018-2019 data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
- But there are quite a few states that make low pay relative to other states and DC.
- In the 2018-2019 school year, teachers in Mississippi made an average of $45,574, the lowest average annual salary for public school teachers nationwide.
The average annual salaries of public school teachers differs from state to state, ranging from a little over $45,500 in Mississippi to nearly $86,000 in New York.
After recently ranking the teacher salaries in every state and DC and with the school year beginning around the country, Business Insider decided to look at what are the 10 states where public school teachers make the lowest. To do this, we used 2018-2019 average salaries of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools from the National Center for Education Statistics. This is the most recent academic year with available data.
The US average salary for 2018-2019 was $61,730, same as the previous year. At the state level, 36 states have an annual average less than this US figure. Mississippi had an average salary of $45,574 in 2018-2019, the lowest among the states and DC. When adjusting for inflation, this state's salary decreased by 4.4% from the average salary of $47,659 in 1990-200 and decreased by 14.6% from the average salary of $53,338 in 2009-2010.
Florida was another state where teachers do not make as much compared to the salaries of other states and DC. The current average annual salary in this state is low compared to figures from the past two decades. The average annual salary in Florida declined by 11.9% from the inflation-adjusted salary of 1999-2000 and 11.3% from the inflation-adjusted salary of 2009-2010 to $48,395 average salary in 2018-2019.
Some schools in Florida have already reopened for in-person schooling. The Washington Post recently shared a tweeted photo of crowded students in a Florida high school.
Utah is another state with a low average teacher salary relative to other states and DC. School plans vary throughout the state with some using a hybrid model of in-person and virtual learning. The Salt Lake Tribune compiled a list of the varying plans from some of the state's largest districts.
The following are the 10 states where public school teachers earned the lowest average salaries during the 2018-2019 academic year. We also included total amount spent per pupil during the 2018 fiscal year in each state using public school data from the US Census Bureau.
10. South Carolina
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,395
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.6%
State spending per student: $10,856
9. Utah
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,342
Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -3.7%
State spending per student: $7,628
8. Missouri
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,064
Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.1%
State spending per student: $10,810
7. Arizona
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $49,892
Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -9.6%
State spending per student: $8,239
6. Kansas
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $49,800
Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.8%
State spending per student: $11,653
5. South Dakota
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $48,786
Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 12.2%
State spending per student: $10,073
4. Florida
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $48,395
Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -11.9%
State spending per student: $9,346
3. New Mexico
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $47,826
Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -1.8%
State spending per student: $9,582
2. West Virginia
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $47,681
Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -9.0%
State spending per student: $11,334
1. Mississippi
2018-2019 average teacher salary: $45,574
Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.4%
State spending per student: $8,935
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