Salaries & Jobs

Teacher Salary Cost by City

Average annual salary for K-12 teachers. Compare costs across 300 US cities.

National Average
$40,000$70,000
$/yr
Cities
300+
Cheapest
Bloomington
Most Expensive
Aspen
Spread
$36K$105K

How much does teacher salary cost by city? The honest answer: it depends entirely on where you live. National averages ($40,000 to $70,000) mask enormous regional variation driven by local labor costs, regulations, and market competition. This page ranks every city in our database from cheapest to most expensive.

Why Teacher Salary Costs Vary by City

1

Employer competition for talent in specialized industries

2

Remote work availability — roles that can be done remotely are converging on national rates, while on-site roles retain geographic premiums

3

Cost-of-living adjustments baked into compensation packages

4

Union presence and collective bargaining, which raises wages 10-30% in represented industries

5

Remote work impact — geographic pay differentials are shrinking for some roles

Cheapest and Most Expensive Cities for Teacher Salary

Compare Teacher Salary Prices Across 300 Cities

#CityStateLowAverageHighvs National
1BloomingtonIL$26,330$36,204$46,078-34%
2LansingMI$26,726$36,749$46,771-33%
3FriscoTX$27,866$38,316$48,766-30%
4ClevelandOH$28,054$38,574$49,094-30%
5MemphisTN$28,088$38,621$49,154-30%
6ChampaignIL$28,374$39,014$49,654-29%
7IndianapolisIN$28,480$39,160$49,840-29%
8McAllenTX$28,662$39,411$50,159-28%
9Fort WorthTX$28,666$39,416$50,166-28%
10ArlingtonTX$28,924$39,771$50,617-28%
11South BendIN$29,120$40,040$50,960-27%
12AkronOH$29,356$40,365$51,373-27%
13Little RockAR$29,374$40,389$51,404-27%
14BirminghamAL$29,380$40,398$51,415-27%
15Daytona BeachFL$29,526$40,599$51,671-26%
16TulsaOK$29,716$40,860$52,003-26%
17Des MoinesIA$29,776$40,942$52,108-26%
18MontgomeryAL$29,816$40,997$52,178-25%
19WichitaKS$29,890$41,099$52,308-25%
20ColumbiaSC$30,120$41,415$52,710-25%
21RockfordIL$30,166$41,479$52,791-25%
22San AntonioTX$30,280$41,635$52,990-24%
23MidlandTX$30,466$41,891$53,315-24%
24Grand RapidsMI$30,550$42,007$53,463-24%
25Warner RobinsGA$30,576$42,042$53,508-24%
26MurfreesboroTN$30,748$42,279$53,809-23%
27PuebloCO$30,784$42,328$53,872-23%
28HoustonTX$30,854$42,425$53,995-23%
29BismarckND$31,326$43,074$54,821-22%
30MilwaukeeWI$31,504$43,318$55,132-21%
31KnoxvilleTN$31,568$43,406$55,244-21%
32MinneapolisMN$31,684$43,566$55,447-21%
33HuntsvilleAL$31,724$43,621$55,517-21%
34Terre HauteIN$31,742$43,646$55,549-21%
35Kansas CityMO$31,926$43,899$55,871-20%
36JacksonvilleFL$31,984$43,978$55,972-20%
37SpringfieldIL$32,078$44,107$56,136-20%
38Bowling GreenKY$32,186$44,256$56,326-20%
39LaredoTX$32,328$44,451$56,574-19%
40St. PaulMN$32,430$44,592$56,753-19%
41ClarksvilleTN$32,502$44,691$56,879-19%
42AllentownPA$32,594$44,817$57,040-19%
43New OrleansLA$32,598$44,823$57,047-19%
44Palm BayFL$32,604$44,831$57,057-18%
45LakelandFL$32,658$44,905$57,152-18%
46IndependenceMO$32,826$45,136$57,446-18%
47TampaFL$32,848$45,166$57,484-18%
48JacksonMS$33,050$45,444$57,838-17%
49SavannahGA$33,358$45,868$58,377-17%
50North CharlestonSC$33,430$45,967$58,503-16%
51JolietIL$33,484$46,041$58,597-16%
52AbileneTX$33,598$46,198$58,797-16%
53College StationTX$33,682$46,313$58,944-16%
54SpringfieldMO$33,938$46,665$59,391-15%
55LafayetteLA$33,964$46,701$59,437-15%
56AugustaME$33,994$46,742$59,490-15%
57Winston-SalemNC$34,050$46,819$59,588-15%
58VictorvilleCA$34,132$46,932$59,731-15%
59Corpus ChristiTX$34,192$47,014$59,836-15%
60PocatelloID$34,224$47,058$59,892-14%
61Great FallsMT$34,262$47,110$59,958-14%
62Sandy SpringsGA$34,362$47,248$60,134-14%
63KalamazooMI$34,516$47,460$60,403-14%
64Cedar RapidsIA$34,592$47,564$60,536-14%
65La CrosseWI$34,616$47,597$60,578-13%
66DecaturIL$34,662$47,661$60,659-13%
67KennewickWA$34,996$48,120$61,243-13%
68HattiesburgMS$35,182$48,376$61,569-12%
69DoverDE$35,334$48,585$61,835-12%
70CaryNC$35,336$48,587$61,838-12%
71SpokaneWA$35,552$48,884$62,216-11%
72YakimaWA$35,682$49,063$62,444-11%
73NashvilleTN$35,706$49,096$62,486-11%
74RogersAR$35,802$49,228$62,654-10%
75Green BayWI$35,822$49,256$62,689-10%
76TopekaKS$35,826$49,261$62,695-10%
77CharlestonSC$36,052$49,572$63,091-10%
78Cape CoralFL$36,060$49,583$63,105-10%
79El PasoTX$36,084$49,616$63,147-10%
80BoiseID$36,126$49,674$63,221-10%
81CasperWY$36,138$49,690$63,242-10%
82LubbockTX$36,206$49,784$63,361-9%
83Sioux FallsSD$36,248$49,841$63,434-9%
84MaconGA$36,510$50,202$63,893-9%
85BiloxiMS$36,536$50,237$63,938-9%
86DallasTX$36,614$50,345$64,075-8%
87DavenportIA$36,716$50,485$64,253-8%
88WarwickRI$36,722$50,493$64,264-8%
89AlbuquerqueNM$36,832$50,644$64,456-8%
90PeoriaAZ$36,918$50,763$64,607-8%
91Baton RougeLA$36,940$50,793$64,645-8%
92JanesvilleWI$37,124$51,046$64,967-7%
93ChandlerAZ$37,190$51,137$65,083-7%
94AppletonWI$37,260$51,233$65,205-7%
95VisaliaCA$37,268$51,244$65,219-7%
96MontpelierVT$37,308$51,299$65,289-7%
97DurhamNC$37,312$51,304$65,296-7%
98Oklahoma CityOK$37,368$51,381$65,394-7%
99BillingsMT$37,454$51,500$65,545-6%
100NorfolkVA$37,564$51,651$65,737-6%
101CheyenneWY$37,590$51,687$65,783-6%
102Moreno ValleyCA$37,602$51,703$65,804-6%
103MobileAL$37,692$51,827$65,961-6%
104WilmingtonDE$37,738$51,890$66,042-6%
105EvansvilleIN$37,748$51,904$66,059-6%
106ConwayAR$37,888$52,096$66,304-5%
107ChattanoogaTN$38,264$52,613$66,962-4%
108BethlehemPA$38,302$52,666$67,029-4%
109BloomingtonIN$38,322$52,693$67,064-4%
110EugeneOR$38,428$52,839$67,249-4%
111New BedfordMA$38,432$52,844$67,256-4%
112LakewoodNJ$38,488$52,921$67,354-4%
113Jefferson CityMO$38,566$53,029$67,491-4%
114ProvidenceRI$38,572$53,037$67,501-4%
115Salt Lake CityUT$38,630$53,117$67,603-3%
116PatersonNJ$38,682$53,188$67,694-3%
117Saratoga SpringsNY$38,708$53,224$67,739-3%
118BakersfieldCA$38,730$53,254$67,778-3%
119GlendaleAZ$38,788$53,334$67,879-3%
120Eau ClaireWI$39,034$53,672$68,310-2%
121AmarilloTX$39,056$53,702$68,348-2%
122Santa FeNM$39,128$53,801$68,474-2%
123GreensboroNC$39,262$53,986$68,709-2%
124HendersonNV$39,268$53,994$68,719-2%
125RiversideCA$39,280$54,010$68,740-2%
126FrankfortKY$39,444$54,236$69,027-1%
127MesaAZ$39,484$54,291$69,097-1%
128HarrisburgPA$39,520$54,340$69,160-1%
129PhoenixAZ$39,522$54,343$69,164-1%
130RacineWI$39,594$54,442$69,290-1%
131SarasotaFL$39,598$54,448$69,297-1%
132PittsburghPA$39,632$54,494$69,356-1%
133CharlotteNC$39,708$54,599$69,489-1%
134Traverse CityMI$39,718$54,613$69,507-1%
135LincolnNE$39,774$54,690$69,605-1%
136ShreveportLA$39,798$54,723$69,647-1%
137BellinghamWA$39,836$54,775$69,7130%
138RichmondVA$39,870$54,822$69,7730%
139EriePA$39,928$54,901$69,8740%
140SpringfieldMA$39,938$54,915$69,8920%
141OdessaTX$39,962$54,948$69,9340%
142CharlestonWV$40,064$55,088$70,1120%
143FlintMI$40,104$55,143$70,1820%
144BrownsvilleTX$40,240$55,330$70,420+1%
145HartfordCT$40,242$55,333$70,424+1%
146LouisvilleKY$40,256$55,352$70,448+1%
147OshkoshWI$40,396$55,545$70,693+1%
148SchenectadyNY$40,400$55,550$70,700+1%
149Fort CollinsCO$40,422$55,581$70,739+1%
150TylerTX$40,426$55,586$70,746+1%
151ColumbusOH$40,438$55,603$70,767+1%
152MiamiFL$40,492$55,677$70,861+1%
153WacoTX$40,498$55,685$70,871+1%
154MeridianID$40,568$55,781$70,994+1%
155Colorado SpringsCO$40,580$55,798$71,015+1%
156Jersey CityNJ$40,620$55,853$71,085+2%
157FayettevilleAR$40,656$55,902$71,148+2%
158GilbertAZ$40,692$55,952$71,211+2%
159MissoulaMT$40,692$55,952$71,211+2%
160OlympiaWA$40,770$56,059$71,348+2%
161StocktonCA$40,792$56,089$71,386+2%
162ChesapeakeVA$40,970$56,334$71,698+2%
163PierreSD$41,020$56,403$71,785+3%
164DaytonOH$41,108$56,524$71,939+3%
165PensacolaFL$41,198$56,648$72,097+3%
166BeaumontTX$41,248$56,716$72,184+3%
167St. JosephMO$41,272$56,749$72,226+3%
168ScrantonPA$41,614$57,219$72,824+4%
169CincinnatiOH$41,616$57,222$72,828+4%
170SyracuseNY$41,648$57,266$72,884+4%
171RaleighNC$41,730$57,379$73,028+4%
172PhiladelphiaPA$41,788$57,459$73,129+4%
173KenoshaWI$41,808$57,486$73,164+5%
174AshevilleNC$41,852$57,547$73,241+5%
175IthacaNY$41,900$57,613$73,325+5%
176Rapid CitySD$41,918$57,638$73,357+5%
177AustinTX$41,958$57,693$73,427+5%
178Sugar LandTX$41,966$57,704$73,441+5%
179OmahaNE$42,010$57,764$73,518+5%
180OrlandoFL$42,014$57,769$73,524+5%
181BurlingtonVT$42,042$57,808$73,574+5%
182GainesvilleFL$42,104$57,893$73,682+5%
183AuroraCO$42,158$57,968$73,777+5%
184San JuanPR$42,182$58,000$73,818+5%
185FargoND$42,356$58,240$74,123+6%
186McKinneyTX$42,382$58,276$74,169+6%
187FlagstaffAZ$42,620$58,603$74,585+7%
188NaplesFL$42,680$58,685$74,690+7%
189AtlantaGA$42,878$58,958$75,037+7%
190Elk GroveCA$42,998$59,123$75,247+7%
191Las VegasNV$43,056$59,202$75,348+8%
192LexingtonKY$43,072$59,224$75,376+8%
193St. LouisMO$43,108$59,274$75,439+8%
194ColumbiaMD$43,130$59,304$75,478+8%
195LaramieWY$43,156$59,340$75,523+8%
196DentonTX$43,158$59,343$75,527+8%
197DuluthMN$43,334$59,585$75,835+8%
198TallahasseeFL$43,344$59,598$75,852+8%
199RenoNV$43,482$59,788$76,094+9%
200North Las VegasNV$43,700$60,088$76,475+9%
201CranstonRI$43,714$60,107$76,500+9%
202MadisonWI$43,836$60,275$76,713+10%
203AnchorageAK$43,948$60,429$76,909+10%
204RosevilleCA$44,094$60,630$77,165+10%
205ColumbiaMO$44,152$60,709$77,266+10%
206ReddingCA$44,156$60,715$77,273+10%
207ModestoCA$44,164$60,726$77,287+10%
208BuffaloNY$44,226$60,811$77,396+11%
209Virginia BeachVA$44,290$60,899$77,508+11%
210CorvallisOR$44,312$60,929$77,546+11%
211PlanoTX$44,550$61,257$77,963+11%
212LowellMA$44,600$61,325$78,050+12%
213NampaID$44,644$61,386$78,127+12%
214Ann ArborMI$44,798$61,598$78,397+12%
215Fort LauderdaleFL$44,888$61,721$78,554+12%
216NapervilleIL$44,942$61,796$78,649+12%
217Newport NewsVA$44,996$61,870$78,743+12%
218BostonMA$45,188$62,134$79,079+13%
219FontanaCA$45,308$62,299$79,289+13%
220ClearwaterFL$45,338$62,340$79,342+13%
221BendOR$45,370$62,384$79,398+13%
222Idaho FallsID$45,470$62,522$79,573+14%
223RochesterNY$46,200$63,525$80,850+16%
224RoswellGA$46,232$63,569$80,906+16%
225GreeleyCO$46,292$63,652$81,011+16%
226PortlandME$46,410$63,814$81,218+16%
227FresnoCA$46,516$63,960$81,403+16%
228ChicoCA$46,562$64,023$81,484+16%
229Pompano BeachFL$46,582$64,051$81,519+16%
230Key WestFL$46,810$64,364$81,918+17%
231ReadingPA$46,854$64,424$81,994+17%
232ConcordCA$46,932$64,532$82,131+17%
233Round RockTX$47,138$64,815$82,492+18%
234ChicagoIL$47,228$64,939$82,649+18%
235NewarkNJ$47,290$65,024$82,758+18%
236HelenaMT$47,852$65,797$83,741+20%
237Twin FallsID$47,940$65,918$83,895+20%
238Huntington BeachCA$48,062$66,086$84,109+20%
239StamfordCT$48,358$66,493$84,627+21%
240TucsonAZ$48,372$66,512$84,651+21%
241TacomaWA$48,460$66,633$84,805+21%
242TempeAZ$48,476$66,655$84,833+21%
243BaltimoreMD$48,592$66,814$85,036+21%
244YonkersNY$48,868$67,194$85,519+22%
245OntarioCA$48,992$67,364$85,736+22%
246WorcesterMA$49,258$67,730$86,202+23%
247TrentonNJ$49,420$67,953$86,485+24%
248SedonaAZ$49,630$68,242$86,853+24%
249JuneauAK$49,640$68,255$86,870+24%
250SacramentoCA$49,868$68,569$87,269+25%
251MedfordOR$50,268$69,119$87,969+26%
252Palm SpringsCA$50,310$69,177$88,043+26%
253PortlandOR$50,530$69,479$88,428+26%
254ConcordNH$50,644$69,636$88,627+27%
255Coeur d'AleneID$50,706$69,721$88,736+27%
256New HavenCT$50,708$69,724$88,739+27%
257ManchesterNH$50,800$69,850$88,900+27%
258AlbanyNY$51,192$70,389$89,586+28%
259BridgeportCT$51,220$70,428$89,635+28%
260Carson CityNV$51,406$70,684$89,961+29%
261DenverCO$51,842$71,283$90,724+30%
262Long BeachCA$52,300$71,913$91,525+31%
263ScottsdaleAZ$52,802$72,603$92,404+32%
264ElizabethNJ$52,946$72,801$92,655+32%
265ProvoUT$52,974$72,840$92,705+32%
266Rancho CucamongaCA$53,182$73,126$93,069+33%
267HaywardCA$53,558$73,643$93,727+34%
268BellevueWA$53,794$73,967$94,140+34%
269DurangoCO$53,872$74,074$94,276+35%
270IrvineCA$54,030$74,292$94,553+35%
271OxnardCA$54,350$74,732$95,113+36%
272BoulderCO$54,930$75,529$96,128+37%
273WashingtonDC$55,098$75,760$96,422+38%
274VallejoCA$55,412$76,192$96,971+39%
275Santa BarbaraCA$55,760$76,670$97,580+39%
276Los AngelesCA$55,894$76,855$97,815+40%
277PortsmouthNH$56,172$77,237$98,301+40%
278AnaheimCA$56,408$77,561$98,714+41%
279OceansideCA$56,588$77,809$99,029+41%
280Simi ValleyCA$57,862$79,561$101,259+45%
281CambridgeMA$58,142$79,946$101,749+45%
282Santa RosaCA$59,090$81,249$103,408+48%
283NapaCA$59,182$81,376$103,569+48%
284San Luis ObispoCA$59,392$81,664$103,936+48%
285JacksonWY$59,900$82,363$104,825+50%
286San DiegoCA$61,500$84,563$107,625+54%
287Park CityUT$62,160$85,470$108,780+55%
288New YorkNY$65,548$90,129$114,709+64%
289Santa AnaCA$66,862$91,935$117,008+67%
290HonoluluHI$67,238$92,453$117,667+68%
291SeattleWA$67,398$92,673$117,947+68%
292OaklandCA$67,450$92,744$118,037+69%
293TellurideCO$69,330$95,329$121,328+73%
294Santa CruzCA$69,900$96,113$122,325+75%
295VailCO$71,500$98,313$125,125+79%
296Martha's VineyardMA$72,440$99,605$126,770+81%
297SunnyvaleCA$72,872$100,199$127,526+82%
298San FranciscoCA$74,896$102,982$131,068+87%
299San JoseCA$75,826$104,261$132,696+90%
300AspenCO$76,460$105,133$133,805+91%

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does teacher salary cost on average?

The national average for teacher salary ranges from $40,000 to $70,000. However, actual costs vary significantly by city — Bloomington is the most affordable at $36,204, while Aspen is the most expensive at $105,133. That's a spread of $68,929 between the cheapest and most expensive cities.

Where is teacher salary cheapest in the US?

The top 5 most affordable cities for teacher salary are: 1. Bloomington, IL ($36,204); 2. Lansing, MI ($36,749); 3. Frisco, TX ($38,316); 4. Cleveland, OH ($38,574); 5. Memphis, TN ($38,621). These cities benefit from lower labor costs, less regulatory overhead, and more competitive local markets.

Why does teacher salary cost more in some cities?

Several factors drive cost differences: local labor rates (often tied to housing costs), state and city regulations, material transportation costs, competitive density of service providers, and regional demand patterns. High cost-of-living cities like Aspen (index: 230) have higher baseline expenses that push up service costs across the board.

About This Data

Data SourcesBLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, Census Bureau ACS, HUD Fair Market Rent data, and regional industry surveys.
MethodologyNational averages adjusted by city-specific cost-of-living indices derived from BLS regional price parities.
Confidence LevelHIGH— BLS OEWS wage data

Limitations: These are estimated ranges based on federal datasets and cost indices, not direct local surveys. Actual costs may vary based on project scope, provider, timing, and local market conditions. Data last updated: March 2026.

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