Education · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Elementary School Teacher (2024)

The median Elementary School Teacher salary is $100,580 in Los Angeles, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Atlanta, GA offers the best purchasing power at $75,796 adjusted.

$73,584

National Median

$100,580

Highest City

$51,930

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	Los Angeles, CA	$100,580	$61,240 – $128,080	166	$60,590	42,880
2	Seattle, WA	$99,970	$64,940 – $126,270	149.4	$66,914	15,410
3	San Jose, CA	$99,780	$61,440 – $124,810	195.8	$50,960	6,610
4	San Francisco, CA	$98,890	$59,440 – $125,240	179.6	$55,061	14,800
5	New York, NY	$95,240	$60,510 – $133,170	187.2	$50,876	100,040
6	Boston, MA	$86,600	$59,190 – $108,620	152.1	$56,936	22,040
7	Portland, OR	$80,270	$49,640 – $129,410	130.1	$61,699	8,080
8	San Diego, CA	$78,430	$60,870 – $119,310	160.2	$48,958	11,720
9	Washington, DC	$76,120	$51,930 – $104,710	152.8	$49,817	30,500
10	Minneapolis, MN	$76,100	$47,980 – $98,870	106.2	$71,657	14,970
11	Atlanta, GA	$75,190	$49,080 – $97,360	99.2	$75,796	23,920
12	Chicago, IL	$75,020	$47,830 – $101,350	107.3	$69,916	45,400
13	Philadelphia, PA	$74,480	$48,830 – $101,860	118.4	$62,905	22,660
14	Denver, CO	$64,070	$48,450 – $95,240	112.8	$56,800	12,000
15	Detroit, MI	$63,740	$47,080 – $94,260	95.1	$67,024	18,370
16	Dallas, TX	$63,700	$51,840 – $74,290	104.1	$61,191	31,470
17	Salt Lake City, UT	$62,760	$47,820 – $85,090	101.4	$61,893	4,800
18	Houston, TX	$61,950	$48,640 – $75,180	96.5	$64,197	31,710
19	Tampa, FL	$60,900	$48,200 – $79,510	99.6	$61,145	10,940
20	Phoenix, AZ	$60,070	$45,620 – $81,670	100.7	$59,652	15,780
21	Austin, TX	$59,590	$49,930 – $64,800	103	$57,854	8,390
22	Nashville, TN	$59,420	$46,120 – $76,690	100.3	$59,242	8,680
23	Raleigh, NC	$58,010	$46,160 – $73,180	99.8	$58,126	5,350
24	Charlotte, NC	$56,780	$46,440 – $70,610	96.7	$58,718	11,140
25	Miami, FL	$51,930	$47,980 – $77,080	123.1	$42,185	20,680

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Elementary School Teacher paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Atlanta, GA	$75,796	$75,190	99.2
2	Minneapolis, MN	$71,657	$76,100	106.2
3	Chicago, IL	$69,916	$75,020	107.3
4	Detroit, MI	$67,024	$63,740	95.1
5	Seattle, WA	$66,914	$99,970	149.4
6	Houston, TX	$64,197	$61,950	96.5
7	Philadelphia, PA	$62,905	$74,480	118.4
8	Salt Lake City, UT	$61,893	$62,760	101.4
9	Portland, OR	$61,699	$80,270	130.1
10	Dallas, TX	$61,191	$63,700	104.1
11	Tampa, FL	$61,145	$60,900	99.6
12	Los Angeles, CA	$60,590	$100,580	166
13	Phoenix, AZ	$59,652	$60,070	100.7
14	Nashville, TN	$59,242	$59,420	100.3
15	Charlotte, NC	$58,718	$56,780	96.7
16	Raleigh, NC	$58,126	$58,010	99.8
17	Austin, TX	$57,854	$59,590	103
18	Boston, MA	$56,936	$86,600	152.1
19	Denver, CO	$56,800	$64,070	112.8
20	San Francisco, CA	$55,061	$98,890	179.6
21	San Jose, CA	$50,960	$99,780	195.8
22	New York, NY	$50,876	$95,240	187.2
23	Washington, DC	$49,817	$76,120	152.8
24	San Diego, CA	$48,958	$78,430	160.2
25	Miami, FL	$42,185	$51,930	123.1

Frequently Asked Questions

Los Angeles, CA pays the highest median Elementary School Teacher salary at $100,580. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Atlanta, GA offers the most purchasing power at $75,796 adjusted.

The national median Elementary School Teacher salary is $73,584 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $51,930 to $100,580 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.