Pay by state · 51 states
Substitute Teacher, Short-Term Salary by State (2026)
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term earn the most in Alaska at $66,920 a year and the least in Mississippi at $22,340 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $41,670. All 51 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $66,920Alaska
- National median
- $41,670BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $22,340Mississippi
- States reporting
- 51of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Substitute Teacher, Short-Term salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of substitute teachers, short-term OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AKAlaska | $66,920 | $46,950 | $95,330 | 1,420 | $65,378 |
| 2 | CACalifornia | $60,300 | $49,210 | $68,280 | 115,660 | $54,462 |
| 3 | HIHawaii | $58,530 | $46,220 | $58,720 | 3,990 | $53,233 |
| 4 | OROregon | $58,280 | $57,450 | $65,590 | 8,090 | $56,385 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $55,740 | $51,120 | $60,780 | 14,820 | $52,087 |
| 6 | MNMinnesota | $50,390 | $41,770 | $61,340 | 8,660 | $51,095 |
| 7 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $49,790 | $49,790 | $49,790 | 750 | $45,304 |
| 8 | WVWest Virginia | $49,020 | $45,580 | $60,140 | 4,840 | $54,773 |
| 9 | MDMaryland | $46,470 | $37,090 | $46,470 | 7,610 | $44,274 |
| 10 | RIRhode Island | $45,590 | $43,210 | $52,450 | 1,910 | $44,574 |
| 11 | PAPennsylvania | $44,870 | $35,920 | $47,710 | 22,360 | $45,987 |
| 12 | WIWisconsin | $43,950 | $37,710 | $50,040 | 8,420 | $46,708 |
| 13 | NJNew Jersey | $43,780 | $36,380 | $47,460 | 17,100 | $40,237 |
| 14 | NYNew York | $43,490 | $37,650 | $49,400 | 36,090 | $40,298 |
| 15 | NDNorth Dakota | $42,570 | $35,560 | $45,970 | 420 | $47,854 |
| 16 | MAMassachusetts | $41,350 | $36,600 | $48,600 | 8,410 | $39,099 |
| 17 | MIMichigan | $39,500 | $34,490 | $49,300 | 3,600 | $41,053 |
| 18 | ILIllinois | $39,410 | $34,500 | $46,710 | 17,220 | $39,427 |
| 19 | VAVirginia | $39,020 | $32,270 | $45,800 | 24,350 | $38,594 |
| 20 | GAGeorgia | $38,870 | $29,560 | $39,890 | 16,400 | $40,366 |
| 21 | AZArizona | $38,500 | $34,250 | $42,040 | 4,710 | $38,241 |
| 22 | CTConnecticut | $38,460 | $36,590 | $46,450 | 5,950 | $37,120 |
| 23 | VTVermont | $38,200 | $36,400 | $46,660 | 1,400 | $38,996 |
| 24 | NENebraska | $37,690 | $32,940 | $44,920 | 3,430 | $41,830 |
| 25 | MEMaine | $37,440 | $33,880 | $42,220 | N/A | $38,578 |
| 26 | IAIowa | $37,230 | $36,330 | $39,270 | 7,300 | $42,422 |
| 27 | OHOhio | $37,150 | $31,920 | $43,080 | 9,140 | $40,044 |
| 28 | FLFlorida | $37,080 | $32,060 | $50,370 | 25,270 | $35,856 |
| 29 | WYWyoming | $36,990 | $34,170 | $43,870 | 2,230 | $39,907 |
| 30 | DEDelaware | $36,510 | $34,550 | $44,030 | N/A | $36,580 |
| 31 | UTUtah | $36,490 | $30,730 | $43,040 | 4,710 | $36,909 |
| 32 | NMNew Mexico | $36,400 | $31,470 | $38,920 | 3,510 | $39,474 |
| 33 | INIndiana | $36,360 | $30,700 | $41,710 | 9,920 | $38,959 |
| 34 | KSKansas | $36,190 | $32,510 | $41,960 | 9,360 | $40,181 |
| 35 | NHNew Hampshire | $34,990 | $31,910 | $43,220 | 1,070 | $33,591 |
| 36 | MOMissouri | $34,790 | $30,610 | $37,690 | 11,480 | $38,308 |
| 37 | IDIdaho | $34,080 | $30,610 | $34,960 | 1,800 | $35,688 |
| 38 | NCNorth Carolina | $33,780 | $30,190 | $37,760 | 20,360 | $35,812 |
| 39 | TXTexas | $32,040 | $26,700 | $34,580 | 29,150 | $33,012 |
| 40 | SCSouth Carolina | $30,400 | $27,530 | $39,140 | 7,700 | $32,427 |
| 41 | KYKentucky | $29,730 | $26,880 | $45,350 | 320 | $32,975 |
| 42 | TNTennessee | $29,500 | $25,520 | $32,960 | 7,690 | $32,111 |
| 43 | ARArkansas | $29,230 | $27,190 | $34,570 | 2,560 | $33,622 |
| 44 | MTMontana | $28,050 | $26,590 | $30,830 | 2,370 | $29,637 |
| 45 | SDSouth Dakota | $27,840 | $26,220 | $30,310 | 1,610 | $31,427 |
| 46 | LALouisiana | $27,370 | $26,890 | $33,960 | 1,090 | $31,029 |
| 47 | GUGuam | $27,210 | $27,210 | $37,220 | 780 | N/A |
| 48 | ALAlabama | $25,340 | $23,060 | $30,020 | 9,290 | $28,529 |
| 49 | NVNevada | $24,960 | $24,960 | $24,960 | 6,600 | $24,965 |
| 50 | OKOklahoma | $23,770 | $21,320 | $28,560 | 4,990 | $27,060 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $22,340 | $19,720 | $28,380 | 2,390 | $25,692 |
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 Substitute Teachers, Short-Term, that changes the ranking: Alaska leads on raw pay at $66,920, while Alaska leads once prices are taken into account at $65,378.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Substitute Teacher, Short-Term pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Substitute Teachers, Short-Term the most?
Alaska reports the highest median wage for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term at $66,920 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by California ($60,300) and Hawaii ($58,530).
Which state pays Substitute Teachers, Short-Term the least?
Mississippi reports the lowest median for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term at $22,340 a year, $44,580 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Substitute Teachers, Short-Term earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Alaska first at $65,378 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $66,920. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.