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Employment and annual wages for preschool, primary, middle, and secondary school teachers

May 05, 2015

Each year, National Teacher Appreciation Day occurs on the Tuesday of Teacher Appreciation Week, the first full week of May. On this day, students and parents thank and honor teachers for their hard work and dedication. In May 2014, there were around 4 million preschool, primary, secondary, and special education teachers in the United States. The average annual wage for these teachers was $55,510.

In May 2014, there were about 1.4 million elementary school teachers, except special education—the largest group among teachers. These teachers had an average annual wage of $56,830 in May 2014.

Employment and average annual wages of preschool, primary, secondary, and special education school teachers, May 2014
Occupation Employment Average annual wage

Preschool teachers, except special education

352,420 $32,040

Kindergarten teachers, except special education

158,240 53,480

Elementary school teachers, except special education

1,353,020 56,830

Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education

630,620 57,620

Career/technical education teachers, middle school

14,000 56,970

Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education

960,380 59,330

Career/technical education teachers, secondary school

81,560 57,370

Special education teachers, preschool

24,080 57,860

Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school

200,820 57,140

Special education teachers, middle school

94,820 59,590

Special education teachers, secondary school

135,520 61,350

Special education teachers, all other

39,620 57,820

Substitute teachers

622,600 29,790

Special education teachers had higher wages than other teachers. Special education teachers in middle school earned a wage of $59,590, on average, in May 2014. The average annual wage of special education teachers in secondary school (high school) was $61,350—the highest among all teachers.

Preschool, except special education, and substitute teachers earned far less than other teachers, with average annual wages around $30,000 in May 2014.

Average annual wages of elementary school teachers, except special education, ranged from around $41,000 in Mississippi and South Dakota and to over $70,000 in Connecticut, Alaska, and New York.

Average annual wages for elementary school teachers, except special education, May 2014


$63,000 and higher
 
$56,000 to $62,999
 
$50,000 to $55,999
 
$47,000 to $49,999
 
$46,999 and lower
 
Hover over a state to see data.
Hover over legend items to see states in a category.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. To learn more about preschool, primary, secondary, and special education school teachers, see Education, Training, and Library Occupation Profiles.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employment and annual wages for preschool, primary, middle, and secondary school teachers at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/employment-and-annual-wages-for-preschool-primary-middle-and-secondary-school-teachers.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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