Pay by state · 53 areas
Education Administrator, Kindergarten through Secondary Salary by State (2026)
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary earn the most in Washington at $166,590 a year and the least in West Virginia at $80,650 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $105,870. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $166,590Washington
- National median
- $105,870BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $80,650West Virginia
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Washington$166,590
- 2California$159,950
- 3Connecticut$156,240
- 4New York$138,830
- 5District of Columbia$137,470
Lowest median pay
- 1West Virginia$80,650
- 2Mississippi$82,800
- 3North Carolina$83,180
- 4Louisiana$83,360
- 5Arkansas$86,330
All states
Education Administrator, Kindergarten through Secondary salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of education administrators, kindergarten through secondary OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $166,590 | $139,390 | $180,540 | 6,470 | $155,673 |
| 2 | CACalifornia | $159,950 | $130,110 | $169,350 | 31,370 | $144,464 |
| 3 | CTConnecticut | $156,240 | $124,030 | $171,910 | 4,610 | $150,796 |
| 4 | NYNew York | $138,830 | $106,920 | $171,530 | 19,210 | $128,640 |
| 5 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $137,470 | $114,760 | $166,300 | 1,930 | $125,085 |
| 6 | NJNew Jersey | $137,440 | $126,710 | $168,680 | 11,450 | $126,318 |
| 7 | DEDelaware | $132,710 | $125,720 | $136,950 | 1,100 | $132,965 |
| 8 | MDMaryland | $131,510 | $103,570 | $159,630 | 7,200 | $125,297 |
| 9 | OROregon | $130,050 | $101,540 | $153,670 | 4,160 | $125,821 |
| 10 | UTUtah | $128,880 | $103,020 | $138,850 | 2,940 | $130,361 |
| 11 | MAMassachusetts | $128,430 | $103,440 | $138,380 | 10,570 | $121,439 |
| 12 | MNMinnesota | $127,000 | $100,000 | $137,720 | 4,120 | $128,776 |
| 13 | HIHawaii | $126,760 | $101,370 | $132,550 | 1,910 | $115,288 |
| 14 | AKAlaska | $125,520 | $108,710 | $131,520 | 890 | $122,627 |
| 15 | RIRhode Island | $119,980 | $103,400 | $129,130 | 1,160 | $117,305 |
| 16 | PAPennsylvania | $118,710 | $98,570 | $133,380 | 14,460 | $121,664 |
| 17 | WIWisconsin | $117,010 | $101,480 | $128,980 | 4,030 | $124,353 |
| 18 | ILIllinois | $113,360 | $96,130 | $137,200 | 14,850 | $113,408 |
| 19 | NENebraska | $110,580 | $99,700 | $128,910 | 1,860 | $122,726 |
| 20 | COColorado | $110,530 | $101,100 | $134,770 | 5,760 | $107,257 |
| 21 | NVNevada | $109,420 | $89,120 | $132,450 | 2,490 | $109,443 |
| 22 | NDNorth Dakota | $107,940 | $94,990 | $134,670 | 810 | $121,337 |
| 23 | NMNew Mexico | $107,720 | $98,970 | $129,070 | 2,290 | $116,818 |
| 24 | VAVirginia | $106,100 | $90,740 | $134,240 | 8,470 | $104,941 |
| 25 | WYWyoming | $105,480 | $100,290 | $109,940 | 410 | $113,797 |
| 26 | VTVermont | $105,350 | $96,370 | $123,780 | 1,000 | $107,546 |
| 27 | NHNew Hampshire | $104,910 | $97,030 | $122,960 | 1,590 | $100,715 |
| 28 | IAIowa | $104,260 | $97,830 | $130,000 | 3,310 | $118,799 |
| 29 | MIMichigan | $104,020 | $95,110 | $126,630 | 9,610 | $108,110 |
| 30 | GAGeorgia | $103,360 | $93,980 | $126,630 | 7,530 | $107,339 |
| 31 | MEMaine | $102,890 | $93,080 | $124,050 | 1,710 | $106,018 |
| 32 | SCSouth Carolina | $102,440 | $84,720 | $122,580 | 5,000 | $109,270 |
| 33 | IDIdaho | $101,090 | $82,470 | $118,490 | 1,830 | $105,860 |
| 34 | KSKansas | $100,530 | $83,090 | $107,140 | 2,520 | $111,616 |
| 35 | MOMissouri | $100,400 | $80,580 | $122,810 | 7,120 | $110,552 |
| 36 | KYKentucky | $99,920 | $83,770 | $110,210 | 4,940 | $110,826 |
| 37 | OHOhio | $99,590 | $81,240 | $119,230 | 12,480 | $107,347 |
| 38 | INIndiana | $98,770 | $80,820 | $120,160 | 6,990 | $105,830 |
| 39 | TNTennessee | $97,590 | $83,050 | $108,690 | 6,180 | $106,226 |
| 40 | ALAlabama | $97,480 | $82,000 | $105,450 | 3,020 | $109,746 |
| 41 | AZArizona | $97,480 | $80,120 | $106,750 | 5,270 | $96,824 |
| 42 | FLFlorida | $96,490 | $78,590 | $108,680 | 16,960 | $93,305 |
| 43 | MTMontana | $95,700 | $79,800 | $111,860 | 930 | $101,115 |
| 44 | TXTexas | $93,910 | $80,500 | $104,370 | 37,140 | $96,758 |
| 45 | SDSouth Dakota | $88,390 | $78,940 | $104,660 | 680 | $99,779 |
| 46 | OKOklahoma | $86,630 | $79,010 | $100,980 | 4,320 | $98,619 |
| 47 | ARArkansas | $86,330 | $80,670 | $102,440 | 2,760 | $99,302 |
| 48 | LALouisiana | $83,360 | $75,740 | $101,490 | 5,080 | $94,505 |
| 49 | NCNorth Carolina | $83,180 | $75,460 | $102,260 | 11,220 | $88,184 |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $82,800 | $78,350 | $96,780 | 3,170 | $95,224 |
| 51 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $80,910 | $73,050 | $103,600 | 140 | N/A |
| 52 | WVWest Virginia | $80,650 | $73,410 | $92,260 | 1,480 | $90,115 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $80,130 | $64,420 | $83,840 | 1,160 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For education administrators, kindergarten through secondary, the adjustment does not change the leader: Washington is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $155,673.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Education Administrator, Kindergarten through Secondary pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays education administrators, kindergarten through secondary the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary at $166,590 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by California ($159,950) and Connecticut ($156,240).
Which state pays education administrators, kindergarten through secondary the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, West Virginia reports the lowest median for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary at $80,650 a year, $85,940 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $80,910 and Puerto Rico reports $80,130.
In which states do education administrators, kindergarten through secondary earn over $100,000?
35 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is Washington; the lowest of them is Missouri at $100,400. The rest report less, down to $80,650 in West Virginia.
Is the highest-paying state the best for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary after cost of living?
Yes. Washington stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $155,673 in national-average dollars from a raw $166,590. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.