State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
High School Teacher Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education earn a median of $72,040 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 1.6% through 2034, with about 66,200 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 25-2031Educational Instruction and LibraryLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $72,040
- Projected growth
- -1.6%
- Openings a year
- 66,200
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Art Teacher, English Teacher, Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher), Music Teacher, PE Teacher (Physical Education Teacher), Science Teacher.
How much do Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education make?
10th percentile$48,780
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$59,980
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$72,040
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$92,570
Upper quartile
90th percentile$107,600
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $72,040 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | N/A |
| Mean annual wage | $76,320 |
| People employed | 1,065,210 |
Versus all US occupations
At $72,040, Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education earn 41% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $21,060 a year.
Versus educational instruction and library occupations
Inside the Educational Instruction and Library group, where the middle occupation pays $77,355, this is 7% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $107,600 or more while the bottom 10% earn $48,780, a gap of 2.2×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 56% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Washington pays the most at $102,670, and still leads at $95,942 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $102,670 | $95,942 | 14,880 |
| California | $101,370 | $91,555 | 99,230 |
| New York | $97,070 | $89,945 | 70,660 |
| Massachusetts | $95,260 | $90,074 | 28,460 |
| Rhode Island | $92,610 | $90,546 | 4,910 |
| District of Columbia | $82,750 | $75,295 | 2,800 |
| New Jersey | $82,200 | $75,548 | 38,140 |
| Connecticut | $80,970 | $78,149 | 14,800 |
| Illinois | $79,990 | $80,024 | 44,670 |
| Alaska | $79,650 | $77,814 | 2,790 |
Is High School Teacher a growing career?
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education-1.6%
All US occupations3.1%
-1.6% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education to change -1.6% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 17,800 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 66,200 openings are projected each year, 6.0% of the 1,094,500 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment growth for public high school teachers may depend on state and local government budgets. If state and local governments experience budget deficits, school boards may lay off employees, including teachers. As a result, these budget deficits may limit the employment growth projected for high school teachers. Conversely, budget surpluses at the state and local level could lead to additional employment growth for high school teachers.
Projected declines over the decade in both the school-aged demographic and student enrollment should constrain demand for high school teachers.
How to become a High School Teacher
High school teachers typically must have at least a bachelor’s degree. In addition, public school teachers must have a state-issued certification or license.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education.
- Bachelor's Degree77.0%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate7.8%
- Post-Master's Certificate7.8%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)4.0%
- Master's Degree3.5%
What does a High School Teacher do?
Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.
High school teachers help prepare students for life after graduation. They teach academic lessons and various skills that students will need to attend college or to enter the job market.
Day-to-day tasks
- Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
- Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education work
| Elementary and secondary schools; local | 81% |
|---|---|
| Elementary and secondary schools; private | 16% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Learning Strategies4.0/5
- Critical Thinking3.9/5
- Monitoring3.9/5
- Active Learning3.8/5
- Writing3.6/5
Transferable skills
- Instructing4.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.9/5
- Coordination3.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.4/5
- Time Management3.3/5
- Persuasion3.0/5
- Negotiation3.0/5
Tools and software
- Document management software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
- Computer based training software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Development environment software
- Electronic mail software
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a High School Teacher?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.7
Investigative3.2
Artisticprimary3.8
Socialprimary7.0
Enterprising2.9
Conventionalprimary3.6
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
High School Teacher: frequently asked questions
How much do Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education make?
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education earn a median of $72,040 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 41% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. The middle half earn between $59,980 and $92,570. The top 10% earn $107,600 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a High School Teacher?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 77.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is High School Teacher a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 1.6% over 2024–2034, a loss of 17,800 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 66,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a High School Teacher do?
High school teachers help prepare students for life after graduation. A core O*NET task: prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks. Employers most often ask for Document management software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education the most?
The highest state medians for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education are Washington ($102,670), California ($101,370), New York ($97,070) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a High School Teacher?
O*NET scores Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education highest on the Social, Artistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFP, ENFJ, ENFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.