2026 Reports Educator Pay in America

NEA's 2026 Educator Pay reports show that all too often, decision-makers underfund the public education system and let educator wages stagnate. This places extraordinary pressure on individual educators to take on additional responsibilities at school and find additional jobs.

In most places, even when educators win modest increases, pay is not keeping up with soaring inflation. Low pay limits the ability to attract and retain quality educators in the profession. Too many potential educators never enter the classroom, in part because of low starting salaries and a widening wage gap between teaching and other professions requiring similar education.

Other talented, passionate educators leave the profession due to low wages. On average, teacher salaries are 27% lower than those of their similarly educated peers. Educators should not be punished financially for their dedication to our children.

If we want strong public schools, we must ensure educators are paid fairly and empowered in their work and their ability to collaborate with parents. Competitive wages are how we ensure that talented, passionate professionals don’t have to take on second jobs or are forced out of public-school classrooms, hallways, buses, and cafeterias entirely.

Rather than working to address educator shortages by ensuring educators have the support, respect, and professional pay they deserve, too many politicians are instead sowing chaos and hurting students’ opportunities to learn and grow by dismantling federal supports for public education and encouraging states to take part in the federal voucher scheme that is designed to suck more resources out of public education.

When educators come together through their union, they win improvements in pay, working conditions, and support systems that help them stay in the profession—and help students reach their full potential.