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2024 Reports Educator Pay in America

NEA's 2024 review quantifies teacher salary, education support professional pay, and student spending in every state.
Published: April 18, 2024 Last Updated: October 17, 2024

Key Takeaways

  1. Even with record-level increases in some states, average teacher pay has failed to keep up with inflation over the past decade. Adjusted for inflation, on average, teachers are making 5% less than they did 10 years ago.
  2. At 3.9%, the increase in the average starting salary was the largest in the 14 years that NEA has been tracking teacher salary benchmarks. However, when adjusted for inflation, the starting teacher salaries are now $4,273 below the 2008-2009 levels.  
  3. The union advantage: Teachers earn 26% more, on average, in states with collective bargaining, and education support professionals earn 16% more.

$44,530

National average starting teacher salary

$69,597

National Average Teacher Salary

2024 Reports

Educator Pay in Your State

Annual reports from NEA examine educator pay and school funding from pre-K through college show that salaries continue to lag woefully behind inflation over the past decade.

Low pay limits the ability to attract and retain quality educators in the profession amid a looming educator shortage and sagging educator morale due chiefly to low pay and poor working conditions.

The data shows that a combination of elected leaders in some states stepping up and the tireless advocacy of educators and their unions has resulted in the largest year-over-year teacher pay increase in over a decade.

However, despite this progress, much work remains to close the teacher pay penalty and address inadequate pay for all educators, and finally make the investments necessary at the state and local levels to attract and retain quality educators into community public schools.

The Union Difference

Report Highlights

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1
K-12 Teachers
  • The national average public school teacher salary in 2022-23 increased 4.2% from the previous year to $69,597 and is projected to grow a further 3.2% in 2023-24.
  • However, even with record-level increases in some states, average teacher pay has failed to keep up with inflation over the past decade. Adjusted for inflation, on average, teachers are making 5% less than they did 10 years ago.
  • The national average beginning teacher salary was $44,530.  At 3.9%, the increase in the average starting salary was the largest in the 14 years that NEA has been tracking teacher salary benchmarks. However, when adjusted for inflation, the starting teacher salaries are now $4,273 below the 2008-2009 levels.
  • Chronic low pay is plaguing the profession. A staggering 77% of U.S. school districts still pay a starting salary below $50,000 (28.6% start out teachers at less than $40,000), while teacher salaries top out over $100,000 in only 16.6% of districts.
  • The starting salary of teachers in states with a bargaining law is $1,653 more than in states without a bargaining law.
  • Top pay is $12,998 higher in states with a bargaining in states where there are bargaining laws covering ESPs, the average earnings is $38,167, compared to states where bargaining is prohibited, the average ESP earnings is $32,308.
2
Education Support Professionals
  • Among ESPs working full‐time, the average earnings in 2022‐23 was $35,995. This average was slightly lower for K–12 ($33,756) and higher in higher education ($44,898). 
  • Almost 38% of all full-time K-12 education support professionals earn less than $25,000 annually.
  • In states where there are bargaining laws covering ESPs, the average earnings is $38,167. In states that do not have a bargaining law but where bargaining may take place, the average ESP earnings is $33,831. In states where bargaining is prohibited, the average ESP earnings is $32,308.
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Higher Education
  • The average salary for full-time faculty on 9- or 10-month contracts was $97,762 in 2022-23, a 4% increase over 2021-22. Adjusting for inflation, faculty lost $1,611 of their purchasing power from the prior year, a cumulative loss since 2020-21 of 7%.
  • For every dollar a non-HBCU educator makes, faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities were paid just 75 cents in 2023.
teacher pay 2024

Our Reports

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Rankings & Estimates

Comparative state data and national averages on a host of important public education statistics, teacher salaries, student enrollment, and revenue and expenditures each year.
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Teacher Salary Benchmarks

Information from 12,000 local school districts on starting teacher salaries and salaries at other points of the teaching career continuum.
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Educator Support Professional Earnings

Educational support professional (ESP) earnings for K-12 and higher education.
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Higher Education Faculty Salaries

Faculty and graduate assistant salaries at the national, state, and institutional level.
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Want to Raise Educator Pay?

We need to elect candidates who will fund our public schools and give our students the resources they need to reach their full potential.
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Teacher Pay & Per Student Spending

Rankings & Estimates

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National Education Association

Great public schools for every student

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.