Sort by any column. Employment is the number of middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Middle School Teacher Salary by State (2026)
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education earn the most in Washington at $102,140 a year and the least in Oklahoma at $48,440 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $64,370. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $102,140
- National median
- $64,370
- Lowest median
- $48,440
- States reporting
- 53
Washington
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Oklahoma
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
- 1. Washington$102,140 median · $95,446 adjusted · 10,510 employed
- 2. California$98,950 median · $89,370 adjusted · 37,300 employed
- 3. New York$94,840 median · $87,879 adjusted · 38,670 employed
- 4. Connecticut$93,610 median · $90,348 adjusted · 7,920 employed
- 5. Rhode Island$92,760 median · $90,692 adjusted · 2,370 employed
Lowest-paying states for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
- 53. Oklahoma$48,440 median · $55,144 adjusted · 7,620 employed
- 52. Mississippi$50,790 median · $58,411 adjusted · 6,260 employed
- 51. South Dakota$50,980 median · $57,549 adjusted · 2,130 employed
- 50. North Carolina$52,010 median · $55,139 adjusted · 20,650 employed
- 49. Puerto Rico$52,530 median · no price parity · 3,490 employed
Middle School Teacher salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $102,140 | $81,010 | $118,740 | 10,510 | $95,446 |
| 2 | California | $98,950 | $76,270 | $111,610 | 37,300 | $89,370 |
| 3 | New York | $94,840 | $75,990 | $124,280 | 38,670 | $87,879 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $93,610 | $65,240 | $102,380 | 7,920 | $90,348 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $92,760 | $63,160 | $95,610 | 2,370 | $90,692 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $89,450 | $76,190 | $100,980 | 16,570 | $84,581 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $79,900 | $78,130 | $96,830 | 1,540 | $72,702 |
| 8 | Utah | $79,180 | $62,880 | $97,910 | 5,960 | $80,090 |
| 9 | Alaska | $78,940 | $76,170 | $96,300 | 1,150 | $77,121 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $78,770 | $64,310 | $98,180 | 23,650 | $72,396 |
| 11 | Maryland | $78,510 | $62,660 | $101,450 | 14,530 | $74,801 |
| 12 | Oregon | $78,350 | $60,870 | $94,160 | 6,940 | $75,802 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $77,930 | $61,250 | $96,600 | 22,720 | $79,869 |
| 14 | Ohio | $77,090 | $55,620 | $93,520 | 30,450 | $83,094 |
| 15 | Illinois | $76,110 | $59,440 | $94,520 | 24,770 | $76,142 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $75,240 | $64,080 | $77,640 | 4,260 | $81,595 |
| 17 | Vermont | $73,940 | $60,830 | $81,630 | 1,620 | $75,481 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $71,140 | $58,840 | $80,570 | 3,120 | $68,295 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $69,230 | $59,150 | $79,220 | 2,480 | $62,964 |
| 20 | Delaware | $67,780 | $60,510 | $81,900 | 2,350 | $67,910 |
| 21 | Nevada | $66,300 | $61,050 | $79,630 | 3,910 | $66,314 |
| 22 | Georgia | $64,780 | $58,830 | $78,680 | 23,610 | $67,274 |
| 23 | Michigan | $63,790 | $50,630 | $79,150 | 15,420 | $66,298 |
| 24 | Colorado | $63,760 | $59,760 | $79,560 | 13,280 | $61,872 |
| 25 | Maine | $63,590 | $58,820 | $75,820 | 2,780 | $65,523 |
| 26 | Virginia | $63,520 | $59,850 | $78,440 | 18,290 | $62,826 |
| 27 | Texas | $63,390 | $61,140 | $69,340 | 80,160 | $65,312 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $62,640 | $50,480 | $81,390 | 8,890 | $63,516 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $62,510 | $51,310 | $76,530 | 4,150 | $69,376 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $62,480 | $60,550 | $74,060 | 1,290 | $67,407 |
| 31 | Guam | $62,020 | $46,250 | $76,050 | 510 | N/A |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $61,960 | $51,770 | $76,510 | 14,460 | $65,848 |
| 33 | Alabama | $61,770 | $49,240 | $63,760 | 10,000 | $69,543 |
| 34 | Montana | $61,550 | $47,730 | $75,900 | 1,980 | $65,032 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $61,120 | $48,870 | $65,150 | 8,040 | $67,791 |
| 36 | Idaho | $60,930 | $50,570 | $74,510 | 2,360 | $63,805 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $60,810 | $50,860 | $74,510 | 9,750 | $64,865 |
| 38 | Indiana | $60,700 | $50,170 | $74,450 | 11,700 | $65,039 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $60,690 | $50,780 | $64,650 | 13,060 | $66,061 |
| 40 | Kansas | $60,580 | $50,300 | $64,320 | 6,230 | $67,260 |
| 41 | Iowa | $60,450 | $47,780 | $73,900 | 6,270 | $68,879 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $60,100 | $50,420 | $62,750 | 1,400 | $67,559 |
| 43 | Arizona | $59,710 | $49,940 | $65,990 | 9,020 | $59,308 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $59,570 | $51,680 | $61,830 | 6,140 | $68,521 |
| 45 | Missouri | $59,310 | $47,670 | $73,640 | 11,330 | $65,307 |
| 46 | Florida | $58,940 | $51,750 | $63,220 | 31,370 | $56,994 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $58,760 | $48,790 | $62,310 | 5,560 | $66,616 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $57,210 | $54,620 | $59,850 | 4,090 | $63,924 |
| 49 | Puerto Rico | $52,530 | $50,930 | $60,960 | 3,490 | N/A |
| 50 | North Carolina | $52,010 | $47,050 | $59,110 | 20,650 | $55,139 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $50,980 | $48,030 | $58,320 | 2,130 | $57,549 |
| 52 | Mississippi | $50,790 | $47,260 | $59,340 | 6,260 | $58,411 |
| 53 | Oklahoma | $48,440 | $46,490 | $59,440 | 7,620 | $55,144 |
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 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $102,140, while Washington leads once prices are taken into account at $95,446.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Middle School Teacher pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education at $102,140 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by California ($98,950) and New York ($94,840).
Which state pays Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education the least?
Oklahoma reports the lowest median for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education at $48,440 a year, $53,700 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Washington first at $95,446 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $102,140. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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