Teachers: They don’t get paid enough to put up with everything. Literally.
A Social Explorer analysis of 2020-24 American Community Survey (ACS) data and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI) finds that educators in only 30 states had post-COVID salaries either remain the same or increase after inflation. (Social Explorer’s extensive data library includes the ACS from 2006 to the latest 2024 releases, as well as the CPI from 1996 to 2026.)
The CPI, a standard measure of inflation, rose 21.1 percent between 2020 and 2024. Meanwhile, the median inflation-adjusted salary for educators nationwide rose just 1.1 percent from a median of $51,159 in 2020 to $51,756 in 2024. Educator salaries are far less than the median household income of $80,734, but they do exceed the national per-capita income of $44,673.
State-by-State Figures and Education Sector Earning Details:
Perhaps predictably, states where salaries for educators increased were generally given more favorable ratings than those where paychecks lost heavily due to inflation, with a few exceptions.
The ACS offers detailed data on earnings by industry for the civilian population. For this analysis, Social Explorer examined the Educational Services Industry (NAICS Code 61), which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, comprises establishments that provide instruction and training in a wide variety of subjects, such as schools, colleges, universities, and training centers.
A detailed Social Explorer report of median earnings for civilians by industry enables state-by-state comparisons. In Washington, educator salaries rose 8.7 percent, from an inflation-adjusted $53,720 in 2020 to $58,417 in 2024, the highest in the nation. The state had the sixth-best schools in the country, according to World Population Review, which included graduation rates, standardized test scores, teacher qualifications, per-pupil spending, student-to-teacher ratios, and school safety indicators as part of its assessment.
Meanwhile, Alaska, which the World Population Review website ranked 49th for quality, saw inflation-adjusted salaries plummet by 8.7 percent, from $59,679 in 2020 to $54,474 in 2024. The website noted that factors contributing to low school rankings include test performance, funding levels, teacher retention, and access to educational resources.
Although the Census Bureau survey offers school districts as a mappable geography, the data is incomplete in many states. Social Explorer also analyzed educator salaries for more than 400 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs):
- The change in inflation-adjusted median earnings for all 434 MSAs examined was the same as for the 50 states and District of Columbia: a 0.6 percent increase. The typical educator working in an MSA was paid $277 more in 2024 than in 2020.
- Educators in 204 of the 434 MSAs examined by Social Explorer were paid less in 2024 than in 2020, when adjusted for inflation. The biggest cut occurred in the Decatur, Ala., MSA, where inflation-adjusted salaries fell 20.7 percent to $42,247 – an $11,020 reduction from 2020. Educators in Parkersburg, W.Va., lost a median of 18.9 percent in real terms, with the typical salary falling to $40,244. Minot, N.D., teachers, administrators, and other staff posted a 17.3 percent post-inflation-adjusted loss, falling to a median of $47,320.
- Even after inflation was factored in, the typical educator in the Mankato, Minn., metro area saw a 56.4 percent increase in salary to $46,084, a $16,610 boost from pre-COVID levels. Lewiston, Idaho, educators saw a 43.5 percent increase to a median of $46,688. Teachers, administrators, and other educators in Prescott, Ariz., enjoyed a 26.2 percent hike to a median of $46,113.
The American Community Survey also tracks median earnings on a more granular level for the civilian workforce, including teachers by school level, special education teachers, teaching assistants, and more, However, this detailed data is only available at a national level. In 2024:
- The median income for the nation’s 1.45 million postsecondary teachers was $88,574, a 1.7 percent inflation-adjusted decline from 2020.
- The median income for 839,700 preschool and kindergarten teachers was $37,327, an 8.8 percent inflation-adjusted increase from 2020.
- The median income for the 3.11 million elementary and middle school teachers was $63,105, a 2.9 percent inflation-adjusted decrease from 2020.
- The median income for 1.3 million secondary school teachers was $68,844, a 0.9 percent inflation-adjusted drop from 2020.
- The median income for 443,400 special education teachers was $64,071, a 0.3 percent inflation-adjusted decline from 2020.
- The median income for 210,900 tutors was $36,512, 32.8 percent inflation-adjusted decrease from 2020.
- The median income for 767,400 other teachers and instructors was $59,022, a 1.4 percent inflation-adjusted drop from 2020.
- The median income for 1.49 million teaching assistants was $30,531, a 0.8 percent inflation-adjusted decline from 2020.
- The median income for 157,800 other educational instruction and library workers was $70,235, a 2.5 percent inflation-adjusted decrease from 2020.
- The median income for 1.04 million education and childcare administrators was $87,100, a 4.4 percent inflation-adjusted drop from 2020.
- The median income for 58,100 school psychologists was $87,430, a 2.8 percent inflation-adjusted decline from 2020.
- The median income for 85,700 child family and school social workers was $55,261, a 2.9 percent inflation-adjusted decrease from 2020.
More educator and related data available through Social Explorer:
Social Explorer’s data library and tools offer more ways to examine education, earnings, local differences, and related factors. Research more dimensions of the education sector and other industries with the following datasets available from Social Explorer:
Census Bureau, American Community Survey
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Employment by Industry
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Personal Income by County and MSA
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