A new NEA report shows average public school teacher salaries vary widely by state in 2024-2025. California led the ranking with $103,552, while Nevada posted the largest year-over-year raise—about $8,000, or 11.8%. A 2025 Gallup poll also found many educators
In classrooms across the country, many public school teachers are carrying a second job—sometimes literally. A 2025 Gallup poll found 21% of K-12 educators said they were “finding it difficult to get by on their present income. ” while 52% said they were just getting by rather than living comfortably. The pressure doesn’t stay in people’s bank accounts; it follows them home.
A third of K-12 teachers told the poll they had non-teaching-related jobs “such as ride-sharing. food service or running a side business.” And when lawmakers talk about recruiting and retention. the basic question is hard to ignore: if salaries don’t stretch far enough. what happens to the workforce that schools depend on?.
The National Education Association’s Rankings of the States 2025 and Estimates of School Statistics 2026 report attempts to answer that question with state-by-state pay figures. It includes data such as the number of school districts. student enrollment and attendance. and education expenditures in every state and Washington. DC. It also lists average salaries of public school teachers in 2024-2025. along with the change in pay from the previous year. For Connecticut, Montana, and Rhode Island, and for Washington, DC, the NEA relied on salary estimates.
California came out on top. Its average public school teacher salary in 2024-2025 was $103,552, with a 2.4% increase from 2023-2024. The report ranks that as No. 1 in the country.
At the other end, Mississippi recorded the lowest average pay. Mississippi’s average public school teacher salary in 2024-2025 was $54,975, up 2.4% from 2023-2024, and ranked No. 51.
The raises tell another story—one marked by uneven urgency. Nevada had the largest average year-over-year increase. Nevada’s average salary in 2024-2025 ranked 17th nationwide at $74,812, but it grew by roughly $8,000, or about 11.8%, from 2023-24. Oklahoma, by contrast, showed a near-flat increase: teachers there saw a 1% average raise, about $600.
The figures also show just how sharply pay can shift across nearby places. New York averaged $98,655 in 2024-2025 (a 3.2% increase, ranked No. 2). Washington averaged $96,589 (a 5.3% increase, ranked No. 3). Washington, DC averaged $95,077 (a 9.7% increase, ranked No. 4). At the high end, Rhode Island averaged $85,772 (a 4.4% increase, ranked No. 8). At the low end, Florida averaged $56,663 (a 3.3% increase, ranked No. 50), and Louisiana averaged $56,785 (a 1.6% increase, ranked No. 49).
Even where pay was higher, the growth rates weren’t uniform. Colorado averaged $72,781 (a 6% increase, ranked No. 19), while Minnesota averaged $76,234 (a 5.3% increase, ranked No. 15). Delaware averaged $76,570 (a 7.6% increase, ranked No. 14). For states where the NEA relied on estimates, Connecticut averaged $89,593 (a 3.6% increase, ranked No. 6), Montana averaged $59,305 (a 3% increase, ranked No. 44), Rhode Island averaged $85,772 (a 4.4% increase, ranked No. 8), and Washington, DC averaged $95,077 (a 9.7% increase, ranked No. 4).
A picture of teacher pay in 2024-2025 emerges across every state and Washington, DC—alongside what changed from 2023-2024.
Alabama: $62,985; 1.73% increase; rank 35. Alaska: $81,450; 4.1% increase; rank 11. Arizona: $64,291; 2.5% increase; rank 31. Arkansas: $59,193; 1.5% increase; rank 45. California: $103,552; 2.4% increase; rank 1. Colorado: $72,781; 6% increase; rank 19. Connecticut: $89,593; 3.6% increase; rank 6. Delaware: $76,570; 7.6% increase; rank 14. Florida: $56,663; 3.3% increase; rank 50. Georgia: $71,524; 5.7% increase; rank 21. Hawaii: $75,860; 2.2% increase; rank 16. Idaho: $62,786; 2.1% increase; rank 36. Illinois: $78,495; 3.3%
increase; rank 13. Indiana: $61,661; 5.2% increase; rank 38. Iowa: $65,312; 4.7% increase; rank 30. Kansas: $61,470; 5.5% increase; rank 39. Kentucky: $60,594; 3.9% increase; rank 42. Louisiana: $56,785; 1.6% increase; rank 49. Maine: $65,621; 4.9% increase; rank 29. Maryland: $87,409; 3.6% increase; rank 7. Massachusetts: $93,554; 2.8% increase; rank 5. Michigan: $71,023; 2.8% increase; rank 22. Minnesota: $76,234; 5.3% increase; rank 15. Mississippi: $54,975; 2.4% increase; rank 51. Missouri: $57,366; 4% increase; rank 48.
Montana: $59,305; 3% increase; rank 44. Nebraska: $63,326; 5.1% increase; rank 34. Nevada: $74,812; 11.8% increase; rank 17. New Hampshire: $69,432; 3.4% increase; rank 25. New Jersey: $84,974; 2.5% increase; rank 9. New Mexico: $69,736; 1.9% increase; rank 24. New York: $98,655; 3.2% increase; rank 2. North Carolina: $60,323; 3.5% increase; rank 43. North Dakota: $60,704; 3.6% increase; rank 41. Ohio: $70,586; 3.4% increase; rank 23. Oklahoma: $61,931; 1% increase; rank 37. Oregon: $81,657; 5.9%
increase; rank 10. Pennsylvania: $79,078; 2.8% increase; rank 12. Rhode Island: $85,772; 4.4% increase; rank 8. South Carolina: $64,050; 5.4% increase; rank 32. South Dakota: $58,486; 3.8% increase; rank 46. Tennessee: $61,222; 4.5% increase; rank 40. Texas: $63,749; 2.1% increase; rank 33. Utah: $72,882; 5.4% increase; rank 18. Vermont: $71,871; 3.3% increase; rank 20. Virginia: $69,254; 4.4% increase; rank 26. Washington: $96,589; 5.3% increase; rank 3. Washington, DC: $95,077; 9.7% increase; rank 4. West Virginia:
$58,099; 5.1% increase; rank 47. Wisconsin: $67,794; 3.1% increase; rank 27. Wyoming: $65,668; 3.1% increase; rank 28.
The numbers line up with what Gallup found: many educators are not insulated from the economics around them, and affordability can reshape how far a paycheck goes—even when “average salary” looks solid on paper. In some places, salaries climbed fast; in others, they barely moved.
For teachers trying to plan their futures, that gap is more than a ranking. It is the difference between relying on a second income and banking on a single one—between teaching full-time and searching for work beyond the classroom.
teacher salaries by state NEA Rankings of the States 2025 public school teacher pay 2024-2025 Nevada salary increase Gallup poll K-12 educators education expenditures school district enrollment