151 metro areas
Education Teacher, Postsecondary Salary by City (2026)
Education teachers earn the most in San Jose, CA, an average of $130,400 a year, against $79,350 nationally. After local prices, pay goes furthest in Houma, LA ($151,240 in national-average dollars). Every metro area with its own BLS estimate is ranked below.
- US average (mean)
- $79,350BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Highest-paying city
- $130,400San Jose, CA
- Best after cost of living
- $151,240Houma, LA
- Metro areas
- 151With their own estimate
Top cities
Highest-paying cities for education teachers
Top 10 metro areas
- San Jose, CA$130,400
- Houma, LA$128,710
- Eugene, OR$124,780
- Riverside, CA$124,070
- San Diego, CA$122,520
- Ann Arbor, MI$113,890
- Los Angeles, CA$110,600
- San Francisco, CA$108,550
- Ithaca, NY$106,960
- New Orleans, LA$106,310
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $130,400 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | $128,710 |
| Eugene-Springfield, OR | $124,780 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $124,070 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $122,520 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $113,890 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $110,600 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $108,550 |
| Ithaca, NY | $106,960 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $106,310 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Mean wage ÷ BEA price level
- Houma, LA$128,710 nominal$151,240
- Eugene, OR$124,780 nominal$122,850
- San Jose, CA$130,400 nominal$118,090
- Riverside, CA$124,070 nominal$116,560
- College Station, TX$105,560 nominal$116,060
- New Orleans, LA$106,310 nominal$114,810
- Ann Arbor, MI$113,890 nominal$112,900
- San Diego, CA$122,520 nominal$109,500
- Fargo, ND-MN$98,750 nominal$108,670
- Ithaca, NY$106,960 nominal$103,530
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | $151,240 |
| Eugene-Springfield, OR | $122,850 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $118,090 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $116,560 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | $116,060 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $114,810 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $112,900 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $109,500 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | $108,670 |
| Ithaca, NY | $103,530 |
Source: BLS OEWS 2025 · BEA RPP 2024
Every city
Education Teacher, Postsecondary salary in every metro area
Mean annual wage, with the Department of Labor's entry (Level I) and experienced (Level IV) prevailing-wage benchmarks for the same metro, and the mean at national-average prices. Sorted by mean pay.
| # | Metro area | Mean | Entry (Level I) | Experienced (Level IV) | At US prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $130,400 | $89,460 | $150,560 | $118,090 |
| 2 | Houma, LA | $128,710 | $59,820 | $162,630 | $151,240 |
| 3 | Eugene, OR | $124,780 | $73,850 | $149,860 | $122,850 |
| 4 | Riverside, CA | $124,070 | $72,610 | $149,410 | $116,560 |
| 5 | San Diego, CA | $122,520 | $76,800 | $145,040 | $109,500 |
| 6 | Ann Arbor, MI | $113,890 | $66,470 | $137,250 | $112,900 |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA | $110,600 | $65,590 | $132,760 | $97,390 |
| 8 | San Francisco, CA | $108,550 | $67,460 | $128,790 | $93,890 |
| 9 | Ithaca, NY | $106,960 | $68,050 | $126,130 | $103,530 |
| 10 | New Orleans, LA | $106,310 | $47,260 | $135,390 | $114,810 |
| 11 | College Station, TX | $105,560 | $60,430 | $127,800 | $116,060 |
| 12 | Sacramento, CA | $99,580 | $55,190 | $121,440 | $93,350 |
| 13 | Fargo, ND-MN | $98,750 | $69,960 | $112,930 | $108,670 |
| 14 | Hartford, CT | $97,540 | $59,040 | $116,500 | $94,930 |
| 15 | Buffalo, NY | $97,450 | $56,440 | $117,640 | $101,680 |
| 16 | Lansing, MI | $96,420 | $58,150 | $115,270 | $101,500 |
| 17 | New York, NY-NJ | $96,080 | $54,320 | $116,640 | $85,360 |
| 18 | Wilmington, NC | $94,630 | $59,220 | $112,080 | $98,140 |
| 19 | Reno, NV | $93,620 | $67,080 | $106,700 | $92,680 |
| 20 | Boston, MA-NH | $92,250 | $54,260 | $110,970 | $85,210 |
| 21 | Columbia, SC | $91,840 | $43,680 | $115,550 | $98,050 |
| 22 | Detroit, MI | $90,970 | $50,800 | $110,760 | $90,700 |
| 23 | Rochester, NY | $89,580 | $51,240 | $108,470 | $92,320 |
| 24 | Providence, RI-MA | $89,040 | $58,950 | $103,870 | $87,490 |
| 25 | Phoenix, AZ | $88,610 | $56,940 | $104,220 | $85,770 |
| 26 | Flagstaff, AZ | $88,500 | $65,040 | $100,060 | $88,210 |
| 27 | Amherst Town, MA | $88,100 | $60,120 | $101,880 | $87,890 |
| 28 | Portland, OR-WA | $87,570 | $57,080 | $102,590 | $83,070 |
| 29 | Grand Rapids, MI | $87,190 | $45,990 | $107,480 | $91,250 |
| 30 | New Haven, CT | $86,790 | $55,780 | $102,070 | $83,010 |
| 31 | Seattle, WA | $86,540 | $60,050 | $99,580 | $77,870 |
| 32 | Minneapolis, MN-WI | $85,510 | $53,470 | $101,280 | $81,580 |
| 33 | Knoxville, TN | $84,460 | $61,040 | $96,000 | $91,240 |
| 34 | Tucson, AZ | $84,210 | $59,130 | $96,560 | $86,910 |
| 35 | Austin, TX | $84,140 | $45,080 | $103,380 | $85,800 |
| 36 | Norwich, CT | $84,070 | $56,630 | $97,590 | $83,700 |
| 37 | Lincoln, NE | $84,020 | $56,790 | $97,430 | $91,740 |
| 38 | McAllen, TX | $83,640 | $47,680 | $101,350 | $97,370 |
| 39 | Harrisburg, PA | $83,440 | $53,560 | $98,160 | $84,580 |
| 40 | Mankato, MN | $83,070 | $50,840 | $98,950 | $91,330 |
| 41 | Worcester, MA | $82,820 | $57,140 | $95,460 | $80,780 |
| 42 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | $82,570 | $49,240 | $98,990 | $90,280 |
| 43 | Albany, NY | $82,490 | $54,610 | $96,230 | $82,850 |
| 44 | Grand Forks, ND-MN | $82,350 | $63,920 | $91,430 | $95,020 |
| 45 | Auburn, AL | $81,540 | $48,920 | $97,600 | $92,730 |
| 46 | Springfield, MA | $81,540 | $55,840 | $94,200 | $84,880 |
| 47 | Baltimore, MD | $81,500 | $43,830 | $100,060 | $78,000 |
| 48 | Portland, ME | $81,360 | $60,390 | $91,690 | $79,880 |
| 49 | Boulder, CO | $80,850 | $56,810 | $92,680 | $76,850 |
| 50 | Bridgeport, CT | $80,680 | $53,150 | $94,250 | $75,500 |
| 51 | Charleston, SC | $80,640 | $53,080 | $94,210 | $79,870 |
| 52 | St. Cloud, MN | $80,560 | $51,460 | $94,890 | $91,930 |
| 53 | Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV | $80,070 | $42,360 | $98,640 | $73,540 |
| 54 | Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $79,880 | $44,850 | $97,130 | $77,890 |
| 55 | Amarillo, TX | $79,220 | $43,550 | $96,800 | $86,280 |
| 56 | Beaumont, TX | $79,130 | $47,540 | $94,690 | $87,880 |
| 57 | Kenosha, WI | $78,970 | $55,310 | $90,620 | $78,100 |
| 58 | Burlington, VT | $78,830 | $50,840 | $92,620 | $78,090 |
| 59 | Syracuse, NY | $78,430 | $58,130 | $88,420 | $81,920 |
| 60 | Omaha, NE-IA | $78,230 | $51,960 | $91,170 | $85,110 |
| 61 | Nashville, TN | $77,960 | $50,440 | $91,520 | $80,920 |
| 62 | Houston, TX | $77,880 | $43,920 | $94,610 | $78,960 |
| 63 | Spokane, WA | $77,720 | $66,810 | $83,090 | $77,450 |
| 64 | Reading, PA | $77,600 | $52,460 | $89,990 | $79,950 |
| 65 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $77,520 | $59,820 | $86,230 | $84,100 |
| 66 | Kiryas Joel, NY | $77,060 | $57,580 | $86,650 | $70,420 |
| 67 | Bangor, ME | $76,830 | $47,760 | $91,150 | $79,610 |
| 68 | Salt Lake City, UT | $76,780 | $45,070 | $92,400 | $76,120 |
| 69 | Richmond, VA | $76,720 | $44,200 | $92,740 | $78,400 |
| 70 | Oshkosh, WI | $76,620 | $70,030 | $79,860 | $82,450 |
| 71 | Las Vegas, NV | $76,470 | $47,360 | $90,810 | $76,310 |
| 72 | Denver, CO | $76,240 | $39,290 | $94,430 | $72,070 |
| 73 | Toledo, OH | $75,920 | $43,470 | $91,910 | $83,010 |
| 74 | Akron, OH | $75,670 | $42,890 | $91,820 | $81,040 |
| 75 | Greensboro, NC | $75,660 | $52,430 | $87,100 | $81,470 |
| 76 | Pittsburgh, PA | $75,560 | $44,860 | $90,680 | $79,810 |
| 77 | Virginia Beach, VA-NC | $75,470 | $45,600 | $90,190 | $77,060 |
| 78 | Waterbury, CT | $75,190 | $51,880 | $86,670 | $75,360 |
| 79 | Harrisonburg, VA | $75,070 | $59,760 | $82,610 | $79,110 |
| 80 | Columbia, MO | $74,790 | $47,140 | $88,400 | $83,620 |
| 81 | Albuquerque, NM | $73,990 | $41,860 | $89,810 | $77,440 |
| 82 | Tuscaloosa, AL | $73,960 | $49,610 | $85,950 | $84,310 |
| 83 | Terre Haute, IN | $73,900 | $40,840 | $90,190 | $84,170 |
| 84 | Tyler, TX | $73,710 | $42,850 | $88,900 | $79,980 |
| 85 | Indianapolis, IN | $73,530 | $47,770 | $86,220 | $76,840 |
| 86 | Dallas, TX | $73,000 | $43,050 | $87,750 | $70,810 |
| 87 | Fort Wayne, IN | $72,940 | $41,610 | $88,370 | $78,790 |
| 88 | Tulsa, OK | $72,910 | $39,500 | $89,370 | $81,720 |
| 89 | Huntington, WV-KY-OH | $72,800 | $48,610 | $84,710 | $82,330 |
| 90 | Evansville, IN | $72,780 | $47,030 | $85,460 | $79,520 |
| 91 | San Juan, PR | $72,750 | $45,930 | $85,950 | N/A |
| 92 | La Crosse, WI-MN | $72,540 | $56,290 | $80,550 | $79,050 |
| 93 | Springfield, MO | $72,390 | $45,560 | $85,610 | $81,720 |
| 94 | Milwaukee, WI | $72,210 | $41,830 | $87,170 | $74,490 |
| 95 | Birmingham, AL | $72,150 | $52,260 | $81,950 | $78,730 |
| 96 | Greenville, SC | $72,150 | $44,440 | $85,800 | $77,360 |
| 97 | South Bend, IN-MI | $71,770 | $48,870 | $83,060 | $77,290 |
| 98 | Lexington, KY | $71,650 | $39,560 | $87,450 | $77,140 |
| 99 | Fort Collins, CO | $71,580 | $48,850 | $82,780 | $70,780 |
| 100 | Charlotte, NC-SC | $71,510 | $40,550 | $86,750 | $73,460 |
| 101 | Wichita, KS | $71,330 | $42,210 | $85,670 | $80,190 |
| 102 | Salem, OR | $71,190 | $32,690 | $90,150 | $68,680 |
| 103 | Erie, PA | $71,100 | $41,420 | $85,720 | $78,170 |
| 104 | Brownsville, TX | $71,080 | $58,950 | $77,050 | $82,680 |
| 105 | Cleveland, OH | $70,980 | $44,460 | $84,050 | $75,570 |
| 106 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $70,950 | $43,200 | $84,620 | $74,620 |
| 107 | Miami, FL | $70,760 | $46,090 | $82,910 | $61,990 |
| 108 | Columbus, OH | $70,630 | $35,720 | $87,820 | $73,980 |
| 109 | Duluth, MN-WI | $70,530 | $57,080 | $77,160 | $79,450 |
| 110 | Montgomery, AL | $69,960 | $47,590 | $80,990 | $78,010 |
| 111 | Boise City, ID | $69,420 | $47,780 | $80,080 | $70,560 |
| 112 | Bloomington, IL | $68,890 | $53,050 | $76,690 | $73,650 |
| 113 | Jacksonville, FL | $68,550 | $50,910 | $77,240 | $68,910 |
| 114 | San Antonio, TX | $68,290 | $38,710 | $82,860 | $72,100 |
| 115 | Charleston, WV | $68,190 | $42,070 | $81,050 | $76,860 |
| 116 | Raleigh, NC | $67,940 | $39,680 | $81,860 | $69,220 |
| 117 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $67,920 | $38,270 | $82,530 | $73,390 |
| 118 | Augusta, GA-SC | $67,790 | $43,480 | $79,760 | $73,760 |
| 119 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $67,770 | $42,180 | $80,380 | $72,810 |
| 120 | Fayetteville, NC | $67,730 | $43,850 | $79,490 | $73,640 |
| 121 | Deltona, FL | $67,240 | $43,300 | $79,030 | $67,670 |
| 122 | Chicago, IL-IN | $66,660 | $41,960 | $78,820 | $64,350 |
| 123 | Orlando, FL | $66,200 | $47,770 | $75,270 | $65,270 |
| 124 | Allentown, PA-NJ | $65,850 | $42,040 | $77,580 | $65,870 |
| 125 | Lakeland, FL | $65,740 | $48,510 | $74,220 | $67,670 |
| 126 | Jackson, MS | $65,540 | $43,720 | $76,290 | $73,600 |
| 127 | Corvallis, OR | $65,050 | $42,420 | $76,200 | $62,540 |
| 128 | El Paso, TX | $65,050 | $38,630 | $78,060 | $72,350 |
| 129 | Mobile, AL | $65,010 | $53,810 | $70,530 | $73,790 |
| 130 | Huntsville, AL | $64,300 | $46,050 | $73,290 | $69,090 |
| 131 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $64,190 | $24,270 | $83,850 | $67,310 |
| 132 | Lubbock, TX | $63,350 | $30,180 | $79,690 | $69,370 |
| 133 | Laredo, TX | $62,840 | $42,290 | $72,960 | $72,270 |
| 134 | Winston, NC | $62,290 | $29,380 | $78,490 | $67,670 |
| 135 | Asheville, NC | $62,100 | $36,320 | $74,810 | $64,350 |
| 136 | Spartanburg, SC | $61,830 | $48,740 | $68,270 | $67,910 |
| 137 | Oklahoma City, OK | $61,820 | $31,150 | $76,920 | $68,380 |
| 138 | Tampa, FL | $61,720 | $43,380 | $70,760 | $61,180 |
| 139 | Trenton, NJ | $60,700 | $32,220 | $74,730 | $58,830 |
| 140 | Roanoke, VA | $60,000 | $39,830 | $69,930 | $64,090 |
| 141 | Colorado Springs, CO | $59,890 | $32,000 | $73,620 | $59,470 |
| 142 | Atlanta, GA | $58,690 | $17,450 | $78,990 | $58,660 |
| 143 | Abilene, TX | $58,300 | $39,360 | $67,640 | $64,520 |
| 144 | Davenport, IA-IL | $57,740 | $40,070 | $66,450 | $64,820 |
| 145 | Yakima, WA | $57,190 | $51,340 | $60,070 | $59,860 |
| 146 | Scranton, PA | $55,220 | $35,910 | $64,730 | $59,020 |
| 147 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $55,090 | $35,610 | $64,690 | $61,920 |
| 148 | Manchester, NH | $54,580 | $45,730 | $58,930 | $51,660 |
| 149 | Des Moines, IA | $53,580 | $29,460 | $65,460 | $58,430 |
| 150 | Greeley, CO | $53,500 | $41,050 | $59,630 | $53,410 |
| 151 | North Port, FL | $46,570 | $31,420 | $54,030 | $45,470 |
More
More on education teachers
Method
About these numbers
- Mean wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 estimates for each metropolitan statistical area, as published in the Department of Labor’s 2026–27 OFLC prevailing-wage file. Only metros with their own BLS estimate are listed.
- Entry (Level I) and experienced (Level IV) are the Department of Labor’s prevailing-wage levels for the occupation in that metro, used for employer visa filings. They are benchmarks from the same OEWS survey, not percentiles.
- OEWS top-codes wages at $115 an hour ($239,200 a year); top-coded means are shown as "$239,200+" and left out of rankings.
- At US prices divides the mean by the metro’s BEA Regional Price Parity (2024) over 100, a NueCareer calculation.
Questions
Education Teacher, Postsecondary salary by city: FAQ
Which city pays education teachers the most?
San Jose, CA, where the average (mean) wage is $130,400 a year, followed by Houma, LA ($128,710), Eugene, OR ($124,780), Riverside, CA ($124,070). The national mean is $79,350 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do education teachers earn the most after cost of living?
Divided by each metro's BEA price level, pay goes furthest in Houma, LA ($151,240 at national prices, $128,710 nominal), Eugene, OR ($122,850 at national prices, $124,780 nominal), San Jose, CA ($118,090 at national prices, $130,400 nominal).
How much do education teachers make in the biggest cities?
New York, NY-NJ: $96,080; Los Angeles, CA: $110,600; Chicago, IL-IN: $66,660; Dallas, TX: $73,000; Houston, TX: $77,880 (mean annual wage, BLS OEWS May 2025).
Where do education teachers earn the least?
Of the 151 metro areas with their own estimate, North Port, FL has the lowest mean wage, $46,570. At local prices that is worth $45,470.