Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
How Much Does a Junior Elementary School Teacher Make? (2026)
Junior or early-career elementary school teachers earn approximately $63,957 per year as of 2026, based on the 25th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — the standard proxy for workers with 2–5 years of experience. Across U.S. metros, junior pay ranges from $42,978 (lowest-paying) to $81,698 (highest-paying).
This page answers a common U.S. wage question: How Much Does a Junior Elementary School Teacher Make? (2026). The answer draws on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — the federal survey that captures wages for over 800 occupations across every U.S. metropolitan area. Why BLS OEWS data is the right anchor: alternative wage sources (Glassdoor, levels.fyi, Payscale) are self-reported and skew toward specific roles, industries, or geographies. BLS OEWS is employer-reported, mandatory for businesses above the survey threshold, and uniformly applied across occupations and metros.
The detailed answer below uses the BLS numbers, explains how to read them, and translates the statistical detail into the worker-relevant interpretation of the question.
25th percentile across U.S. metros, employment-weighted
What This Pay Level Means
The 25th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which 25% of workers in this occupation earn. It is the standard anchor for "early-career" or "junior" pay — workers past the initial onboarding period but still building independent scope. The 25th percentile is the bottom of the typical negotiation band; if you have 2+ years and an offer is below this number, you have a clear data point for asking for more.
For workers in their first one-to-two years, the 10th percentile (entry-level band) is the right anchor. For mid-career workers with 5+ years, the median (50th percentile) becomes the benchmark. See "Entry-level elementary school teacher salary" and "How much do elementary school teachers make?" for those bands.
Top-Paying Metros at This Level
| Metro | Median Pay |
|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | $81,698 |
| San Jose, CA | $80,006 |
| San Francisco, CA | $78,148 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $78,094 |
| Sacramento, CA | $77,944 |
What the Numbers Tell You
Geographic pay spread for Elementary School Teachers is unusually wide — top metros pay roughly 2.2× what the lowest-paying metros pay, a $56,170 gap. Most of that variation tracks cost of living, regional industry concentration, and the depth of senior workers in each market.
Roughly 807,710 Elementary School Teachers are employed across the metros tracked here — a sizable mid-tier occupation with reliable percentile data.
More Elementary School Teacher Salary Answers
Each page answers a distinct pay question for this role — by experience band, hourly rate, and how the salary stacks up:
- Entry-level elementary school teacher salary →
- How much do elementary school teachers make →
- Senior elementary school teacher salary →
- Top 10% elementary school teacher salary →
- How much do elementary school teachers make an hour →
- Is elementary school teacher a good salary →
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wages come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — an annual survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments published by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and Metropolitan Statistical Area. The figure on this page is employment-weighted across 70 BLS-tracked metros for SOC code 25-2021. The mapping from BLS percentiles to experience bands (entry / junior / mid / senior / top 10%) follows the convention used by the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system. See full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a Junior Elementary School Teacher Make? (2026)?
Junior or early-career elementary school teachers earn approximately $63,957 per year as of 2026, based on the 25th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — the standard proxy for workers with 2–5 years of experience. Across U.S. metros, junior pay ranges from $42,978 (lowest-paying) to $81,698 (highest-paying).
How does this percentile compare to the median?
Elementary School Teachers have a national median (50th percentile) of $71,661. The 25th percentile shown on this page ($63,957) is 11% below the median — typical for this experience band.
Where do elementary school teachers at this level earn the most?
Seattle, WA pays the highest at this percentile band — $81,698. Lowest-paying tracked metro: Tucson, AZ at $42,978.
What years of experience does this percentile represent?
The 25th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which 25% of workers in this occupation earn. It is the standard anchor for "early-career" or "junior" pay — workers past the initial onboarding period but still building independent scope. The 25th percentile is the bottom of the typical negotiation band; if you have 2+ years and an offer is below this number, you have a clear data point for asking for more.
Where does this elementary school teacher salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — an annual federal survey of more than 1 million U.S. employers. The percentile figure on this page is employment-weighted across BLS-tracked metros.
Junior or early-career elementary school teachers earn approximately $63,957 per year as of 2026, based on the 25th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — the standard proxy for workers with 2–5 years of experience. Across U.S. metros, junior pay ranges from $42,978 (lowest-paying) to $81,698 (highest-paying).