- The average salary for a public school teacher was $59,850 during the 2016-2017 academic year.
- Teachers have gone on strike in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Kentucky to encourage salary increases.
- The average teacher salary has dropped the most in Colorado, where educators earn 15% less than they did about 20 years ago when adjusted for inflation.
Teachers have gone on strike in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Kentucky — this is how much money teachers make in every state
Teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Kentucky have gone on strike for better pay. Nationwide, teacher salaries have decreased over the past two decades.
Teachers across the US want a raise. And in some states — West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Kentucky — they're walking out of the classroom to demand it.
Nationwide, the average public school teacher salary for the 2016-2017 school year was $59,850. While the nominal teacher salary has increased, when adjusted for inflation, average salary has dropped over time —about 1.6% lower than the $41,407 average in the 1999-2000 school year.
In February, West Virginia's public school teachers went on strike to protest the 1% and 2% salary increases scheduled over the next few years. After nine days, state legislators approved a 5% raise.
The West Virginia teacher walkout has encouraged other states to follow suit. (Technically, these are called "walkouts" because teacher strikes are illegal.)
Teachers in Oklahoma — where 20% of school districts have four-day school weeks due to budget restrictions — went on strike April 2 after a new budget was passed. Teachers haven't gotten a raise there since 2008, while class sizes are larger than the legally allowed maximum of 20 students per room.
Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin told CBS News that "teachers want more, but it's kind of like having a teenage kid that wants a better car."
In Kentucky, teachers are protesting too — fighting budget cuts and a plan to make teacher retirement pensions more like 401(k) accounts, according to The New York Times. In Arizona, teachers are asking for a 20% salary increase and are preparing for public protests.
States provide 46% of education funding and local governments are on the hook for the remaining 45.6% of costs, based on data from the National Education Association (NEA). Only 8.4% of all education funding for public schools comes from the federal government.
Education funding for schools and students varies widely from state to state. In Utah, $6,575 is spent on each student, while in New York spends $21,000 per pupil. The relationship between spending more money on education and higher academic achievement has been supported and opposed, with no clear answer available.
Teacher salaries have dropped the most in Colorado where educators earn 15% less now than they did about 20 years ago, when adjusted for inflation. On the flip side, Wyoming teachers have seen the largest pay raise with a salary about 20% higher than it would have been had it merely increased along with inflation.
Below, find out how much teachers make in each state. Salary data comes from the NEA, and inflation-adjusted salary increases were calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics. The amount spent per student comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2015 total public school spending per state.
51. South Dakota
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $42,668
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 2.4%
State spending per student: $8,937
50. Mississippi
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $42,925
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.0%
State spending per student: $8,456
49. Oklahoma
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $45,245
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 0.9%
State spending per student: $8,082
48. West Virginia
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $45,701
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -8.9%
State spending per student: $11,359
47. Colorado
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $46,506
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -15.0%
State spending per student: $9,245
46. Utah
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $47,244
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -5.7%
State spending per student: $6,575
45. Arizona
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $47,403
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -10.4%
State spending per student: $7,489
44. New Mexico
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $47,500
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 1.8%
State spending per student: $9,752
43. Idaho
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $47,504
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 2.4%
State spending per student: $8,937
42. Kansas
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $47,984
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.3%
State spending per student: $10,040
41. Missouri
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $48,293
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -5.5%
State spending per student: $10,147
40. Tennessee
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $448,456
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.9%
State spending per student: $8,726
39. South Carolina
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $48,598
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.0%
State spending per student: $9,953
38. Arkansas
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $48,616
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 1.6%
State spending per student: $9,694
37. Alabama
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $48,868
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -7.1%
State spending per student: $9,128
36. Florida
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $49,407
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.1%
State spending per student: $8,881
35. North Carolina
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $49,837
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -11.8%
State spending per student: $8,687
34. Louisiana
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $50,000
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 5.4%
State spending per student: $11,010
33. Indiana
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $50,554
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -15.7%
State spending per student: $9,687
32. Virginia
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $51,049
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -8.1%
State spending per student: $11,237
31. Maine
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $51,077
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 0.2%
State spending per student: $13,257
30. Montana
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $51,422
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 11.7%
State spending per student: $11,028
29. North Dakota
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $51,618
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 20.6%
State spending per student: $13,320
28. Nebraska
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $52,338
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 9.9%
State spending per student: $11,946
27. Kentucky
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $52,339
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 0.4%
State spending per student: $9,630
26. Texas
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $52,575
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -2.4%
State spending per student: $8,861
25. Washington
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $54,147
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -8.0%
State spending per student: $10,735
24. Georgia
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $54,602
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -7.1%
State spending per student: $9,427
23. Wisconsin
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $54,998
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.8%
State spending per student: $11,375
22. Iowa
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $55,443
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 8.4%
State spending per student: $10,944
21. Ohio
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $57,000
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.0%
State spending per student: $11,637
20. New Hampshire
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $57,253
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 5.9%
State spending per student: $14,697
19. Minnesota
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $57,346
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 0.5%
State spending per student: $11,949
18. Nevada
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $57,376
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 1.6%
State spending per student: $8,615
17. Hawaii
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $57,674
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -0.8%
State spending per student: $12,855
16. Wyoming
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $58,650
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 19.9%
State spending per student: $16,055
15. Vermont
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $60,187
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 11.2%
State spending per student: $18,039
14. Delaware
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $60,214
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -5.5%
State spending per student: $14,120
13. Illinois
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $61,602
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -7.5%
State spending per student: $13,755
12. Oregon
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $61,631
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 1.6%
State spending per student: $10,442
11. Michigan
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $62,200
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -11.5%
State spending per student: $11,482
10. Pennsylvania
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $62,200
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -11.5%
State spending per student: $11,482
9. Rhode Island
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $66,477
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -1.4%
State spending per student: $15,179
8. Maryland
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $66,961
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 6.1%
State spending per student: $14,192
7. Alaska
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $68,138
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 2.3%
State spending per student: $20,172
6. New Jersey
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $69,623
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.6%
State spending per student: $18,235
5. Connecticut
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $72,561
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -2.2%
State spending per student: $18,377
4. Washington, DC
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $76,131
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 12.8%
State spending per student: $19,396
3. Massachusetts
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $77,804
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 16.5%
State spending per student: $15,592
2. California
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $78,711
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 15.2%
State spending per student: $10,467
1. New York
2016-2017 average teacher salary: $79,637
Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 8.9%
State spending per student: $21,206