Salaries & Jobs

Teacher Salary by City

Average annual salary for K-12 teachers. Compare costs across 301 US cities.

National Average
$40,000 – $70,000
$/yr
Cities
301
Cheapest
Bloomington
Most Expensive
Aspen
Spread
$36K – $105K
RankingsAll CitiesFAQRelated Topics

How much does teacher salary pay 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.

Direct Answer

Teacher Salary pay averages about $55,000/yr nationally. In this city dataset, Aspen, CO has the highest modeled pay at $105,133/yr, while Bloomington, IL is lowest at $36,204/yr.

This hub is designed to route readers from the national answer into city-specific pages, where local rent, wages, insurance, taxes, and market conditions explain the real decision difference.

National average
$55,000

Reported as $/yr.

Highest city
Aspen

$105,133/yr modeled pay.

Lowest city
Bloomington

$36,204/yr modeled pay.

City spread
$68,929

190% gap between the highest and lowest city values in this topic set.

Why Teacher Salary 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

How to Use This Guide

  1. Start with the national average, then check the city page because teacher salary can move sharply by local market.
  2. Compare pay against rent and taxes before treating one city as the best option.
  3. Use the related city links and comparison pages to connect this topic to full cost-of-living decisions.

Cheapest and Most Expensive Cities for Teacher Salary

🟢 Most Affordable

1Bloomington, IL
$36K-34%
2Lansing, MI
$37K-33%
3Frisco, TX
$38K-30%
4Detroit, MI
$38K-30%
5Cleveland, OH
$39K-30%

🔴 Most Expensive

1Aspen, CO
$105K+91%
2San Jose, CA
$104K+90%
3San Francisco, CA
$103K+87%
4Sunnyvale, CA
$100K+82%
5Martha's Vineyard, MA
$100K+81%

Compare Teacher Salary Across 301 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%
4DetroitMI$27,932$38,407$48,881-30%
5ClevelandOH$28,054$38,574$49,094-30%
6MemphisTN$28,088$38,621$49,154-30%
7ChampaignIL$28,374$39,014$49,654-29%
8IndianapolisIN$28,480$39,160$49,840-29%
9McAllenTX$28,662$39,411$50,159-28%
10Fort WorthTX$28,666$39,416$50,166-28%
11ArlingtonTX$28,924$39,771$50,617-28%
12South BendIN$29,120$40,040$50,960-27%
13AkronOH$29,356$40,365$51,373-27%
14Little RockAR$29,374$40,389$51,404-27%
15BirminghamAL$29,380$40,398$51,415-27%
16Daytona BeachFL$29,526$40,599$51,671-26%
17TulsaOK$29,716$40,860$52,003-26%
18Des MoinesIA$29,776$40,942$52,108-26%
19MontgomeryAL$29,816$40,997$52,178-25%
20WichitaKS$29,890$41,099$52,308-25%
21ColumbiaSC$30,120$41,415$52,710-25%
22RockfordIL$30,166$41,479$52,791-25%
23San AntonioTX$30,280$41,635$52,990-24%
24MidlandTX$30,466$41,891$53,315-24%
25Grand RapidsMI$30,550$42,007$53,463-24%
26Warner RobinsGA$30,576$42,042$53,508-24%
27MurfreesboroTN$30,748$42,279$53,809-23%
28PuebloCO$30,784$42,328$53,872-23%
29HoustonTX$30,854$42,425$53,995-23%
30BismarckND$31,326$43,074$54,821-22%
31MilwaukeeWI$31,504$43,318$55,132-21%
32KnoxvilleTN$31,568$43,406$55,244-21%
33MinneapolisMN$31,684$43,566$55,447-21%
34HuntsvilleAL$31,724$43,621$55,517-21%
35Terre HauteIN$31,742$43,646$55,549-21%
36Kansas CityMO$31,926$43,899$55,871-20%
37JacksonvilleFL$31,984$43,978$55,972-20%
38SpringfieldIL$32,078$44,107$56,136-20%
39Bowling GreenKY$32,186$44,256$56,326-20%
40LaredoTX$32,328$44,451$56,574-19%
41St. PaulMN$32,430$44,592$56,753-19%
42ClarksvilleTN$32,502$44,691$56,879-19%
43AllentownPA$32,594$44,817$57,040-19%
44New OrleansLA$32,598$44,823$57,047-19%
45Palm BayFL$32,604$44,831$57,057-18%
46LakelandFL$32,658$44,905$57,152-18%
47IndependenceMO$32,826$45,136$57,446-18%
48TampaFL$32,848$45,166$57,484-18%
49JacksonMS$33,050$45,444$57,838-17%
50SavannahGA$33,358$45,868$58,377-17%
51North CharlestonSC$33,430$45,967$58,503-16%
52JolietIL$33,484$46,041$58,597-16%
53AbileneTX$33,598$46,198$58,797-16%
54College StationTX$33,682$46,313$58,944-16%
55SpringfieldMO$33,938$46,665$59,391-15%
56LafayetteLA$33,964$46,701$59,437-15%
57AugustaME$33,994$46,742$59,490-15%
58Winston-SalemNC$34,050$46,819$59,588-15%
59VictorvilleCA$34,132$46,932$59,731-15%
60Corpus ChristiTX$34,192$47,014$59,836-15%
61PocatelloID$34,224$47,058$59,892-14%
62Great FallsMT$34,262$47,110$59,958-14%
63Sandy SpringsGA$34,362$47,248$60,134-14%
64KalamazooMI$34,516$47,460$60,403-14%
65Cedar RapidsIA$34,592$47,564$60,536-14%
66La CrosseWI$34,616$47,597$60,578-13%
67DecaturIL$34,662$47,661$60,659-13%
68KennewickWA$34,996$48,120$61,243-13%
69HattiesburgMS$35,182$48,376$61,569-12%
70DoverDE$35,334$48,585$61,835-12%
71CaryNC$35,336$48,587$61,838-12%
72SpokaneWA$35,552$48,884$62,216-11%
73YakimaWA$35,682$49,063$62,444-11%
74NashvilleTN$35,706$49,096$62,486-11%
75RogersAR$35,802$49,228$62,654-10%
76Green BayWI$35,822$49,256$62,689-10%
77TopekaKS$35,826$49,261$62,695-10%
78CharlestonSC$36,052$49,572$63,091-10%
79Cape CoralFL$36,060$49,583$63,105-10%
80El PasoTX$36,084$49,616$63,147-10%
81BoiseID$36,126$49,674$63,221-10%
82CasperWY$36,138$49,690$63,242-10%
83LubbockTX$36,206$49,784$63,361-9%
84Sioux FallsSD$36,248$49,841$63,434-9%
85MaconGA$36,510$50,202$63,893-9%
86BiloxiMS$36,536$50,237$63,938-9%
87DallasTX$36,614$50,345$64,075-8%
88DavenportIA$36,716$50,485$64,253-8%
89WarwickRI$36,722$50,493$64,264-8%
90AlbuquerqueNM$36,832$50,644$64,456-8%
91PeoriaAZ$36,918$50,763$64,607-8%
92Baton RougeLA$36,940$50,793$64,645-8%
93JanesvilleWI$37,124$51,046$64,967-7%
94ChandlerAZ$37,190$51,137$65,083-7%
95AppletonWI$37,260$51,233$65,205-7%
96VisaliaCA$37,268$51,244$65,219-7%
97MontpelierVT$37,308$51,299$65,289-7%
98DurhamNC$37,312$51,304$65,296-7%
99Oklahoma CityOK$37,368$51,381$65,394-7%
100BillingsMT$37,454$51,500$65,545-6%
101NorfolkVA$37,564$51,651$65,737-6%
102CheyenneWY$37,590$51,687$65,783-6%
103Moreno ValleyCA$37,602$51,703$65,804-6%
104MobileAL$37,692$51,827$65,961-6%
105WilmingtonDE$37,738$51,890$66,042-6%
106EvansvilleIN$37,748$51,904$66,059-6%
107ConwayAR$37,888$52,096$66,304-5%
108ChattanoogaTN$38,264$52,613$66,962-4%
109BethlehemPA$38,302$52,666$67,029-4%
110BloomingtonIN$38,322$52,693$67,064-4%
111EugeneOR$38,428$52,839$67,249-4%
112New BedfordMA$38,432$52,844$67,256-4%
113LakewoodNJ$38,488$52,921$67,354-4%
114Jefferson CityMO$38,566$53,029$67,491-4%
115ProvidenceRI$38,572$53,037$67,501-4%
116Salt Lake CityUT$38,630$53,117$67,603-3%
117PatersonNJ$38,682$53,188$67,694-3%
118Saratoga SpringsNY$38,708$53,224$67,739-3%
119BakersfieldCA$38,730$53,254$67,778-3%
120GlendaleAZ$38,788$53,334$67,879-3%
121Eau ClaireWI$39,034$53,672$68,310-2%
122AmarilloTX$39,056$53,702$68,348-2%
123Santa FeNM$39,128$53,801$68,474-2%
124GreensboroNC$39,262$53,986$68,709-2%
125HendersonNV$39,268$53,994$68,719-2%
126RiversideCA$39,280$54,010$68,740-2%
127FrankfortKY$39,444$54,236$69,027-1%
128MesaAZ$39,484$54,291$69,097-1%
129HarrisburgPA$39,520$54,340$69,160-1%
130PhoenixAZ$39,522$54,343$69,164-1%
131RacineWI$39,594$54,442$69,290-1%
132SarasotaFL$39,598$54,448$69,297-1%
133PittsburghPA$39,632$54,494$69,356-1%
134CharlotteNC$39,708$54,599$69,489-1%
135Traverse CityMI$39,718$54,613$69,507-1%
136LincolnNE$39,774$54,690$69,605-1%
137ShreveportLA$39,798$54,723$69,647-1%
138BellinghamWA$39,836$54,775$69,7130%
139RichmondVA$39,870$54,822$69,7730%
140EriePA$39,928$54,901$69,8740%
141SpringfieldMA$39,938$54,915$69,8920%
142OdessaTX$39,962$54,948$69,9340%
143CharlestonWV$40,064$55,088$70,1120%
144FlintMI$40,104$55,143$70,1820%
145BrownsvilleTX$40,240$55,330$70,420+1%
146HartfordCT$40,242$55,333$70,424+1%
147LouisvilleKY$40,256$55,352$70,448+1%
148OshkoshWI$40,396$55,545$70,693+1%
149SchenectadyNY$40,400$55,550$70,700+1%
150Fort CollinsCO$40,422$55,581$70,739+1%
151TylerTX$40,426$55,586$70,746+1%
152ColumbusOH$40,438$55,603$70,767+1%
153MiamiFL$40,492$55,677$70,861+1%
154WacoTX$40,498$55,685$70,871+1%
155MeridianID$40,568$55,781$70,994+1%
156Colorado SpringsCO$40,580$55,798$71,015+1%
157Jersey CityNJ$40,620$55,853$71,085+2%
158FayettevilleAR$40,656$55,902$71,148+2%
159GilbertAZ$40,692$55,952$71,211+2%
160MissoulaMT$40,692$55,952$71,211+2%
161OlympiaWA$40,770$56,059$71,348+2%
162StocktonCA$40,792$56,089$71,386+2%
163ChesapeakeVA$40,970$56,334$71,698+2%
164PierreSD$41,020$56,403$71,785+3%
165DaytonOH$41,108$56,524$71,939+3%
166PensacolaFL$41,198$56,648$72,097+3%
167BeaumontTX$41,248$56,716$72,184+3%
168St. JosephMO$41,272$56,749$72,226+3%
169ScrantonPA$41,614$57,219$72,824+4%
170CincinnatiOH$41,616$57,222$72,828+4%
171SyracuseNY$41,648$57,266$72,884+4%
172RaleighNC$41,730$57,379$73,028+4%
173PhiladelphiaPA$41,788$57,459$73,129+4%
174KenoshaWI$41,808$57,486$73,164+5%
175AshevilleNC$41,852$57,547$73,241+5%
176IthacaNY$41,900$57,613$73,325+5%
177Rapid CitySD$41,918$57,638$73,357+5%
178AustinTX$41,958$57,693$73,427+5%
179Sugar LandTX$41,966$57,704$73,441+5%
180OmahaNE$42,010$57,764$73,518+5%
181OrlandoFL$42,014$57,769$73,524+5%
182BurlingtonVT$42,042$57,808$73,574+5%
183GainesvilleFL$42,104$57,893$73,682+5%
184AuroraCO$42,158$57,968$73,777+5%
185San JuanPR$42,182$58,000$73,818+5%
186FargoND$42,356$58,240$74,123+6%
187McKinneyTX$42,382$58,276$74,169+6%
188FlagstaffAZ$42,620$58,603$74,585+7%
189NaplesFL$42,680$58,685$74,690+7%
190AtlantaGA$42,878$58,958$75,037+7%
191Elk GroveCA$42,998$59,123$75,247+7%
192Las VegasNV$43,056$59,202$75,348+8%
193LexingtonKY$43,072$59,224$75,376+8%
194St. LouisMO$43,108$59,274$75,439+8%
195ColumbiaMD$43,130$59,304$75,478+8%
196LaramieWY$43,156$59,340$75,523+8%
197DentonTX$43,158$59,343$75,527+8%
198DuluthMN$43,334$59,585$75,835+8%
199TallahasseeFL$43,344$59,598$75,852+8%
200RenoNV$43,482$59,788$76,094+9%
201North Las VegasNV$43,700$60,088$76,475+9%
202CranstonRI$43,714$60,107$76,500+9%
203MadisonWI$43,836$60,275$76,713+10%
204AnchorageAK$43,948$60,429$76,909+10%
205RosevilleCA$44,094$60,630$77,165+10%
206ColumbiaMO$44,152$60,709$77,266+10%
207ReddingCA$44,156$60,715$77,273+10%
208ModestoCA$44,164$60,726$77,287+10%
209BuffaloNY$44,226$60,811$77,396+11%
210Virginia BeachVA$44,290$60,899$77,508+11%
211CorvallisOR$44,312$60,929$77,546+11%
212PlanoTX$44,550$61,257$77,963+11%
213LowellMA$44,600$61,325$78,050+12%
214NampaID$44,644$61,386$78,127+12%
215Ann ArborMI$44,798$61,598$78,397+12%
216Fort LauderdaleFL$44,888$61,721$78,554+12%
217NapervilleIL$44,942$61,796$78,649+12%
218Newport NewsVA$44,996$61,870$78,743+12%
219BostonMA$45,188$62,134$79,079+13%
220FontanaCA$45,308$62,299$79,289+13%
221ClearwaterFL$45,338$62,340$79,342+13%
222BendOR$45,370$62,384$79,398+13%
223Idaho FallsID$45,470$62,522$79,573+14%
224RochesterNY$46,200$63,525$80,850+16%
225RoswellGA$46,232$63,569$80,906+16%
226GreeleyCO$46,292$63,652$81,011+16%
227PortlandME$46,410$63,814$81,218+16%
228FresnoCA$46,516$63,960$81,403+16%
229ChicoCA$46,562$64,023$81,484+16%
230Pompano BeachFL$46,582$64,051$81,519+16%
231Key WestFL$46,810$64,364$81,918+17%
232ReadingPA$46,854$64,424$81,994+17%
233ConcordCA$46,932$64,532$82,131+17%
234Round RockTX$47,138$64,815$82,492+18%
235ChicagoIL$47,228$64,939$82,649+18%
236NewarkNJ$47,290$65,024$82,758+18%
237HelenaMT$47,852$65,797$83,741+20%
238Twin FallsID$47,940$65,918$83,895+20%
239Huntington BeachCA$48,062$66,086$84,109+20%
240StamfordCT$48,358$66,493$84,627+21%
241TucsonAZ$48,372$66,512$84,651+21%
242TacomaWA$48,460$66,633$84,805+21%
243TempeAZ$48,476$66,655$84,833+21%
244BaltimoreMD$48,592$66,814$85,036+21%
245YonkersNY$48,868$67,194$85,519+22%
246OntarioCA$48,992$67,364$85,736+22%
247WorcesterMA$49,258$67,730$86,202+23%
248TrentonNJ$49,420$67,953$86,485+24%
249SedonaAZ$49,630$68,242$86,853+24%
250JuneauAK$49,640$68,255$86,870+24%
251SacramentoCA$49,868$68,569$87,269+25%
252MedfordOR$50,268$69,119$87,969+26%
253Palm SpringsCA$50,310$69,177$88,043+26%
254PortlandOR$50,530$69,479$88,428+26%
255ConcordNH$50,644$69,636$88,627+27%
256Coeur d'AleneID$50,706$69,721$88,736+27%
257New HavenCT$50,708$69,724$88,739+27%
258ManchesterNH$50,800$69,850$88,900+27%
259AlbanyNY$51,192$70,389$89,586+28%
260BridgeportCT$51,220$70,428$89,635+28%
261Carson CityNV$51,406$70,684$89,961+29%
262DenverCO$51,842$71,283$90,724+30%
263Long BeachCA$52,300$71,913$91,525+31%
264ScottsdaleAZ$52,802$72,603$92,404+32%
265ElizabethNJ$52,946$72,801$92,655+32%
266ProvoUT$52,974$72,840$92,705+32%
267Rancho CucamongaCA$53,182$73,126$93,069+33%
268HaywardCA$53,558$73,643$93,727+34%
269BellevueWA$53,794$73,967$94,140+34%
270DurangoCO$53,872$74,074$94,276+35%
271IrvineCA$54,030$74,292$94,553+35%
272OxnardCA$54,350$74,732$95,113+36%
273BoulderCO$54,930$75,529$96,128+37%
274WashingtonDC$55,098$75,760$96,422+38%
275VallejoCA$55,412$76,192$96,971+39%
276Santa BarbaraCA$55,760$76,670$97,580+39%
277Los AngelesCA$55,894$76,855$97,815+40%
278PortsmouthNH$56,172$77,237$98,301+40%
279AnaheimCA$56,408$77,561$98,714+41%
280OceansideCA$56,588$77,809$99,029+41%
281Simi ValleyCA$57,862$79,561$101,259+45%
282CambridgeMA$58,142$79,946$101,749+45%
283Santa RosaCA$59,090$81,249$103,408+48%
284NapaCA$59,182$81,376$103,569+48%
285San Luis ObispoCA$59,392$81,664$103,936+48%
286JacksonWY$59,900$82,363$104,825+50%
287San DiegoCA$61,500$84,563$107,625+54%
288Park CityUT$62,160$85,470$108,780+55%
289New YorkNY$65,548$90,129$114,709+64%
290Santa AnaCA$66,862$91,935$117,008+67%
291HonoluluHI$67,238$92,453$117,667+68%
292SeattleWA$67,398$92,673$117,947+68%
293OaklandCA$67,450$92,744$118,037+69%
294TellurideCO$69,330$95,329$121,328+73%
295Santa CruzCA$69,900$96,113$122,325+75%
296VailCO$71,500$98,313$125,125+79%
297Martha's VineyardMA$72,440$99,605$126,770+81%
298SunnyvaleCA$72,872$100,199$127,526+82%
299San FranciscoCA$74,896$102,982$131,068+87%
300San JoseCA$75,826$104,261$132,696+90%
301AspenCO$76,460$105,133$133,805+91%

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does teacher salary pay 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. Detroit, MI ($38,407); 5. Cleveland, OH ($38,574). 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: May 2026.

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