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Research & Publications

NEA Research provides comparative state data and national averages on a host of important public education statistics, teacher salaries, student enrollment, and revenue and expenditures each year.

Trends

The Decline in Teacher Pay
1 OF 2
Teachers make on average $2,170 less than they did 10 years ago, adjusted for inflation.
The union advantage for teachers
2 OF 2
Teachers earn 25% more on average in states with collective bargaining.

Rankings & Estimates is an annual report that the National Education Association’s Research Department has produced for 70 years. The report consists of two parts:

  1. Rankings, which shows how states compare on a variety of education and funding measures, such as average teacher salaries, enrollment, student-teacher ratios, general financial resources, and revenue and expenditures for the most recent school year; and
  2. Estimates, which shows how education funding in each state has changed over time, plus presents projections of public school enrollment, personnel employment and compensation, and finances for the school year that is underway.

NEA collects the data for Rankings & Estimates from state affiliates and state departments of education.

A few of the key measures included in this report are:

  • Average teacher salaries and how these have changed over time
  • Which states had the largest increases, and which had the largest decreases, in average teacher salary over the past year
  • Revenues of state and local governments, generated through taxation, which provide insights into governmental financial resources that are available for financing public education
  • Current expenditures per student which are an indicator of state and local government “effort” to fund public education

Check out the downloads below to see the Rankings and Estimates reports, and email [email protected] for more information.

Average Teacher Salary

Since 2012-13, average educator pay has failed to keep up with inflation. In fact, teachers are making $2,179 less, on average, than they did 10 years ago, adjusted for inflation. Note: An updated estimate for the average teacher salary for 2021-22 in North Carolina is now available: $54,863. A revised report will be available soon.
 Salary 2019-20 Rank 2019-20 Salary 2020-21 Rank 2020-21 2019-20 to 2020-21 Percent Change 2019-20 to 2020-21 Change Rank
Alabama $54,095 34 $54,271 35 0.33% 45
Alaska $72,010 10 $73,061 10 1.46% 27
Arizona $50,782 46 $52,157 44 2.71% 11
Arkansas $50,456 47 $51,668 46 2.40% 16
California $84,531 3 $85,856 3 1.57% 26
Colorado $57,706 25 $58,183 26 0.83% 39
Connecticut $78,427 5 $79,742 5 1.68% 23
Delaware $65,116 15 $65,141 16 0.04% 48
District of Columbia $79,350 4 $80,659 4 1.65% 24
Florida $49,102 49 $51,009 48 3.88% 4
Georgia $60,578 20 $60,553 21 -0.04% 49
Hawaii $65,409 14 $70,922 12 8.43% 1
Idaho $52,875 39 $51,817 45 -2.00% 51
Illinois $68,083 12 $70,705 13 3.85% 5
Indiana $51,745 43 $53,072 41 2.56% 13
Iowa $58,184 24 $58,831 24 1.11% 34
Kansas $52,081 41 $53,619 37 2.95% 9
Kentucky $53,907 35 $54,139 36 0.43% 43
Louisiana $51,566 44 $52,472 43 1.76% 21
Maine $55,276 29 $57,167 30 3.42% 8
Maryland $73,444 9 $74,006 9 0.77% 40
Massachusetts $84,659 2 $86,755 2 2.48% 14
Michigan $63,568 16 $64,262 17 1.09% 35
Minnesota $62,695 17 $66,561 15 6.17% 2
Mississippi $46,843 51 $46,862 51 0.04% 47
Missouri $50,817 45 $51,557 47 1.46% 29
Montana $52,135 40 $53,133 40 1.91% 20
Nebraska $55,267 30 $56,463 31 2.16% 17
Nevada $56,672 28 $58,167 27 2.64% 12
New Hampshire $59,622 22 $61,849 20 3.74% 6
New Jersey $76,376 7 $77,677 7 1.70% 22
New Mexico $54,256 32 $54,923 32 1.23% 32
New York $88,381 1 $90,222 1 2.08% 18
North Carolina $53,273 38 $53,458 38 0.35% 44
North Dakota $53,525 36 $54,837 33 2.45% 15
Ohio $61,406 19 $63,082 18 2.73% 10
Oklahoma $54,096 33 $54,762 34 1.23% 31
Oregon $67,685 13 $68,565 14 1.30% 30
Pennsylvania $70,339 11 $71,479 11 1.62% 25
Rhode Island $75,336 8 $75,966 8 0.84% 38
South Carolina $53,329 37 $53,188 39 -0.26% 50
South Dakota $48,984 50 $49,547 50 1.15% 33
Tennessee $51,862 42 $52,871 42 1.95% 19
Texas $57,091 27 $57,641 28 0.96% 36
Utah $54,678 31 $57,226 29 4.66% 3
Vermont $62,135 18 $62,483 19 0.56% 42
Virginia $57,665 26 $58,506 25 1.46% 28
Washington $76,743 6 $79,388 6 3.45% 7
West Virginia $50,238 48 $50,261 49 0.05% 46
Wisconsin $59,431 23 $59,992 23 0.94% 37
Wyoming $59,786 21 $60,234 22 0.75% 41
United States $64,172 $65,293 1.75%
Note: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Montana, New Jersey, New York (2020-21 only), and Rhode Island salary averages are estimated.

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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.
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