Average Teacher Salaries in the U.S.
Teach salaries vary widely across the United States. The median or mean teacher salary in the U.S. varies depending on the source you use. The two most reputable sources for teacher salary estimates are the U.S. Census and the American Federation of Teachers, which is a U.S. teachers union that represents most of the educators in America.
Charter vs. Public
Charter school teachers generally have lower starting salaries than public school teachers on average. According to the American Federation of Teachers, the average starting salary of charter school teachers in 2006 and 2007 was lower than public school teachers. Starting charter school teachers earned an average of $34,817 for their beginning salaries. In comparison, average starting salaries for public school teachers were $41,106 during this same period.
Census.gov Estimates
According to Census.gov, the U.S. census website, the average pay for classroom teachers in 2009 was $52,900. Teacher pay has increased dramatically over time. Census.gov has evaluated teacher pay and found that it has increased on average from $23,587 in 1985, to $37,264 in 1995, to $45,884 in 2005 and $52,900 in 2009. So, not accounting for inflation, classroom teacher pay has almost doubled in 25 years. Meanwhile, salaries for principals and administrators have almost tripled in some cases. Superintendents who made on average $56,954 in 1985 now make $155,634 on average as of 2009.
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers, posted its own teacher salary estimates in 2007. The American Federation of Teachers estimates that after 15 years of relative stagnation in teacher pay, teacher salaries have been on the rise during the first half of the last decade. The mean teacher salary, according to the American Federation of Teachers during 2006 to 2007 was $51,009. Salaries have generally remained frozen during the current financial recession.
High Paying States and Low Paying States
Teacher pay, as mentioned earlier, varies a lot depending on which state you teach in. California ranks number 1 in teacher pay with an average pay of $63,640. South Dakota ranks 50th in average teacher pay with an abysmal $35,378.
High School vs. Middle School vs. Elementary School
The data on average teacher salary comparisons between elementary school, middle school and high school teachers is spotty at best. Payscale.com estimates that high school teachers have the highest salaries of the three on average, followed by middle school teachers and finally elementary school teachers. According to Payscale.com, high school teachers are paid an average $43,386, middle school teachers $41,762 and elementary school teachers $40,060. These data are significantly lower than those reported by the American Federation of Teachers or the US census, so take the results with a grain of salt. The most important pattern to understand here is that that high school teachers have the highest salaries on average, followed by middle school teachers and finally elementary school teachers. However, the pay differences are not terribly significant on the whole.
