Teachers in public schools - average salary 2022

During the academic year of 2021-22, public school teachers in the United States made an average of 66,397 U.S. dollars per year. This is a significant increase from the 1979-80 school year, when the average annual wage for public school teachers was 15,970 U.S. dollars.

Stagnating wages

While the American economy is doing well, wages have been stagnating in recent years. The federal minimum wage, which currently stands at 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour, has not been raised since July 2009, meaning that minimum wage has not increased with inflation. Although minimum wage varies by state, the federal minimum wage prevails in many states. Additionally, median hourly earnings for workers, while increasing steadily, have not seen any significant jumps in recent years.

Fair pay for teachers

The majority of Americans believe that teachers are not paid fairly for the work that they do. Full-time public elementary and secondary school teachers in the U.S. have the highest salary in New York state, but the lowest salary in Mississippi.