National median: $62K (range: 42K–92K). Salaries adjusted by state cost index. Ranked by cost-adjusted purchasing power. The difference between the best and worst state is $8,714/year in real purchasing power.
Teacher salaries vary more than almost any profession by state. A teacher earning $92K in the highest-paying state would earn only $42K in the lowest. After taxes and cost of living, the real purchasing power gap is even more dramatic.
The highest-paying state for teachers is Hawaii with an estimated salary of $119K and take-home of $83,983. But the best purchasing power goes to Texas \u2014 where a $58K salary, after taxes and cost adjustment, buys what $52,455 would buy nationally.
Regional averages show where teachers earn the most and where their money goes furthest:
| # | State | Est. Salary | Tax Rate | Take-Home | Monthly | Eff. Rate | Cost-Adj. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $58K | 0% | $48,783 | $4,065 | 15.9% | $52,455 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $56K | 0% | $47,176 | $3,931 | 15.8% | $52,418 |
| 3 | Nevada | $63K | 0% | $52,801 | $4,400 | 16.2% | $52,278 |
| 4 | South Dakota | $57K | 0% | $47,980 | $3,998 | 15.8% | $52,152 |
| 5 | Florida | $62K | 0% | $51,997 | $4,333 | 16.1% | $51,997 |
| 6 | Wyoming | $58K | 0% | $48,783 | $4,065 | 15.9% | $51,897 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $67K | 0% | $55,910 | $4,659 | 16.6% | $51,768 |
| 8 | Washington | $68K | 0% | $56,613 | $4,718 | 16.7% | $51,466 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $57K | 2.5% | $47,053 | $3,921 | 17.5% | $51,145 |
| 10 | Ohio | $56K | 2.75% | $45,636 | $3,803 | 18.5% | $50,707 |
| 11 | Alaska | $79K | 0% | $64,352 | $5,363 | 18.5% | $50,670 |
| 12 | Alabama | $55K | 5% | $44,585 | $3,715 | 18.9% | $50,665 |
| 13 | Indiana | $56K | 2.95% | $45,524 | $3,794 | 18.7% | $50,582 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | $54K | 4.5% | $43,990 | $3,666 | 18.5% | $50,563 |
| 15 | Arkansas | $53K | 3.9% | $43,422 | $3,618 | 18.1% | $50,491 |
| 16 | Arizona | $60K | 2.5% | $48,890 | $4,074 | 18.5% | $50,402 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $61K | 3.07% | $49,321 | $4,110 | 19.1% | $50,327 |
| 18 | Kentucky | $56K | 3.5% | $45,216 | $3,768 | 19.3% | $50,240 |
| 19 | Kansas | $56K | 5.58% | $45,145 | $3,762 | 19.4% | $50,161 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $51K | 4.82% | $41,561 | $3,463 | 18.5% | $50,073 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $56K | 4.55% | $45,520 | $3,793 | 18.7% | $50,022 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $56K | 3% | $45,496 | $3,791 | 18.8% | $49,996 |
| 23 | Iowa | $55K | 3.8% | $44,283 | $3,690 | 19.5% | $49,756 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $57K | 6% | $45,757 | $3,813 | 19.7% | $49,735 |
| 25 | Virginia | $64K | 5.75% | $51,212 | $4,268 | 20.0% | $49,720 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $59K | 3.99% | $47,232 | $3,936 | 19.9% | $49,718 |
| 27 | Montana | $60K | 5.65% | $48,187 | $4,016 | 19.7% | $49,677 |
| 28 | Missouri | $55K | 4% | $44,173 | $3,681 | 19.7% | $49,632 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $51K | 4% | $41,119 | $3,427 | 19.4% | $49,540 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $56K | 5.9% | $45,028 | $3,752 | 19.6% | $49,482 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $65K | 5.99% | $51,877 | $4,323 | 20.2% | $49,406 |
| 32 | Illinois | $58K | 4.95% | $45,912 | $3,826 | 20.8% | $49,368 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $58K | 7.65% | $45,899 | $3,825 | 20.9% | $49,354 |
| 34 | Maine | $61K | 7.15% | $48,359 | $4,030 | 20.7% | $49,345 |
| 35 | Michigan | $56K | 4.25% | $44,796 | $3,733 | 20.0% | $49,226 |
| 36 | Georgia | $58K | 5.19% | $45,773 | $3,814 | 21.1% | $49,218 |
| 37 | Delaware | $63K | 6.6% | $50,098 | $4,175 | 20.5% | $49,115 |
| 38 | Colorado | $65K | 4.4% | $51,548 | $4,296 | 20.7% | $49,093 |
| 39 | Utah | $61K | 4.45% | $48,479 | $4,040 | 20.5% | $48,969 |
| 40 | Idaho | $59K | 5.3% | $46,460 | $3,872 | 21.3% | $48,905 |
| 41 | Maryland | $69K | 5.75% | $54,738 | $4,561 | 20.7% | $48,873 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $69K | 6.99% | $54,181 | $4,515 | 21.5% | $48,812 |
| 43 | Vermont | $65K | 8.75% | $50,711 | $4,226 | 22.0% | $48,296 |
| 44 | Massachusetts | $73K | 5% | $56,481 | $4,707 | 22.6% | $47,865 |
| 45 | Minnesota | $61K | 9.85% | $47,288 | $3,941 | 22.5% | $47,766 |
| 46 | Oregon | $68K | 9.9% | $52,237 | $4,353 | 23.2% | $47,488 |
| 47 | New Jersey | $71K | 10.75% | $53,762 | $4,480 | 24.3% | $46,750 |
| 48 | New York | $78K | 10.9% | $58,122 | $4,843 | 25.5% | $46,497 |
| 49 | California | $88K | 13.3% | $63,075 | $5,256 | 28.3% | $44,419 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $119K | 11% | $83,983 | $6,999 | 29.4% | $43,741 |