Teacher salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026
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Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Teacher pay ranges from about $49,460 in Tucson, AZ to $105,100 in San Diego, CA (median wage). The U.S. national average for this role is about $73,800.
The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.
| City | Median | 10th %ile | 90th %ile | Cost of living (US = 100) | Real pay (COL-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA | $105,100 | $63,890 | $212,730 | 111.9 | $93,923 |
| Sacramento, CA | $104,080 | $64,030 | $128,960 | 106.7 | $97,545 |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,010 | $64,460 | $168,010 | 115.6 | $89,109 |
| Oakland, CA | $103,010 | $64,460 | $168,010 | 115.6 | $89,109 |
| San Jose, CA | $102,460 | $74,390 | $163,730 | 110.4 | $92,808 |
| Fresno, CA | $101,980 | $65,200 | $142,690 | 102.2 | $99,785 |
| Seattle, WA | $101,560 | $66,470 | $124,820 | 111.1 | $91,413 |
| New York, NY | $100,880 | $62,940 | $137,000 | 112.6 | $89,591 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $99,820 | $63,910 | $170,190 | 113.6 | $87,870 |
| Long Beach, CA | $99,820 | $63,910 | $170,190 | 113.6 | $87,870 |
| Portland, OR | $97,760 | $60,370 | $128,530 | 105.4 | $92,751 |
| Boston, MA | $83,966 | $44,894 | $111,316 | 108.3 | $77,531 |
| Cleveland, OH | $81,080 | $48,770 | $102,610 | — | — |
| Washington, DC | $80,570 | $54,930 | $115,650 | 108.9 | $73,985 |
| Chicago, IL | $80,560 | $50,580 | $131,310 | 103.6 | $77,761 |
| Columbus, OH | $80,000 | $48,770 | $106,140 | 95.5 | $83,770 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $79,500 | $51,170 | $102,240 | 102.6 | $77,485 |
| Baltimore, MD | $75,350 | $50,950 | $101,130 | 104.5 | $72,105 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $69,180 | $50,950 | $78,980 | 99.5 | $69,528 |
| Denver, CO | $67,460 | $49,370 | $98,970 | 105.8 | $63,762 |
| Atlanta, GA | $67,360 | $47,540 | $103,630 | 100.1 | $67,293 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $67,090 | $51,050 | $106,610 | 96.9 | $69,236 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $67,040 | $49,220 | $100,290 | 104.8 | $63,969 |
| Houston, TX | $66,260 | $58,040 | $78,590 | 98.6 | $67,201 |
| Dallas, TX | $65,940 | $58,770 | $79,610 | 103.1 | $63,957 |
| Arlington, TX | $65,940 | $58,770 | $79,610 | — | — |
| Detroit, MI | $64,910 | $48,540 | $97,380 | 100.3 | $64,716 |
| Fort Worth, TX | $64,851 | $34,154 | $86,338 | 103.1 | $62,901 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $64,530 | $50,730 | $80,680 | 95.5 | $67,571 |
| Louisville, KY | $64,390 | $47,430 | $83,810 | 93.1 | $69,162 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $63,610 | $48,100 | $98,950 | 95.7 | $66,468 |
| Austin, TX | $63,270 | $55,130 | $82,740 | 98.1 | $64,495 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $63,080 | $48,670 | $103,420 | 103.3 | $61,065 |
| Mesa, AZ | $63,080 | $48,670 | $103,420 | 103.3 | $61,065 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $62,970 | $52,720 | $79,960 | 100.2 | $62,844 |
| Nashville, TN | $62,850 | $48,790 | $77,580 | 96.3 | $65,265 |
| San Antonio, TX | $62,340 | $53,020 | $82,520 | 94.7 | $65,829 |
| Omaha, NE | $62,230 | $45,910 | $78,320 | 91.9 | $67,715 |
| El Paso, TX | $62,040 | $49,680 | $64,180 | 89.9 | $69,010 |
| Memphis, TN | $61,730 | $49,050 | $76,100 | 92.2 | $66,952 |
| Wichita, KS | $61,470 | $48,130 | $73,260 | 88.9 | $69,145 |
| New Orleans, LA | $60,680 | $49,630 | $66,640 | 92.6 | $65,529 |
| Kansas City, MO | $60,490 | $46,970 | $78,690 | 92.5 | $65,395 |
| Charlotte, NC | $59,390 | $46,680 | $75,640 | 97.3 | $61,038 |
| Tulsa, OK | $59,200 | $41,930 | $81,170 | 89.2 | $66,368 |
| Miami, FL | $57,190 | $50,750 | $78,700 | 114.2 | $50,079 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $56,200 | $40,880 | $80,370 | 100.7 | $55,809 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $51,900 | $42,330 | $84,010 | 90.4 | $57,412 |
| Raleigh, NC | $50,330 | $47,160 | $64,510 | 98.2 | $51,253 |
| Tucson, AZ | $49,460 | $42,540 | $64,000 | 96.9 | $51,042 |
“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.
The national average for Teachers is $73,800 per year, based on BLS OEWS wage data. Metro-level pay varies widely: across the 50 cities we track, average pay runs from $49,460 in Tucson to $105,100 in San Diego.
Fresno leads after adjusting for the local cost of living: its $101,980 average pay is worth about $99,785 in national-average dollars, ahead of Sacramento at $97,545.
Real pay divides the metro's average wage by its Regional Price Parity from the BEA, so expensive and cheap cities can be compared directly. Fresno's index is 102.2, so its $101,980 average equals about $99,785 in national buying power.
Self-reported by readers, unverified, moderated for spam — a complement to the BLS data above, not a substitute. No email or name is collected; IPs are stored only as a hash for rate-limiting.
| City | Annual salary | Years | Level | Reported |
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