Teacher salaries are rising but inflation is rising faster : NPR

Key Points:

• The average salary for U.S. public school teachers rose to $74,495 in the 2024-25 school year, a 3.5% increase from the previous year, but when adjusted for inflation, real teacher earnings have declined nearly 5% since 2017.
• Teacher pay varies significantly by state, with California ($103,552), New York ($98,655), and Washington ($96,589) at the top, while Mississippi ($54,975), Florida ($56,663), and Louisiana ($56,785) are at the lower end; these figures do not account for regional cost-of-living differences.
• New teachers earned an average starting salary of $48,112 in 2024-25, with the highest starting salaries in the District of Columbia, Washington, and California; however, inflation-adjusted growth for new teacher pay remains below 1%.
• Public school support staff averaged $36,360 in salary for 2024-25, a nominal increase over the prior year, but their real earnings have declined by about $2,344 since 2016.
• States with collective bargaining laws generally offer higher starting and top teacher salaries and better pay for support staff, although causation is unclear; meanwhile, public school enrollment continues to decline, dropping 3.6% since 2016, and school funding remains primarily state and locally sourced, with federal contributions accounting for less than 8%.