Elementary School Teachers Salary 2025: $71,661 Median Pay (BLS OEWS)
- Official U.S. BLS OEWS data (May 2025)
- No login or sign-up
- Not self-reported estimates
$71,661 per year is the national median annual wage for elementary school teachers (BLS OEWS, May 2025 reference period). That works out to about $34/hour, with a 10th–90th percentile range of $60,980 to $117,100. The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies this role under SOC code 25-2021.
Key Facts (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- Median annual wage
- $71,661
- Median hourly wage
- $34/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $77,976
- Total US employment
- 807,710
- Top-paying metro
- Sacramento, CA, CA ($103,390)
- BLS SOC code
- 25-2021
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release.
Get Elementary School Teacher's next BLS pay update
Subscribe for Elementary School Teacher pay updates by email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
The national median wage for elementary school teachers (BLS SOC 25-2021) is $71,661 per year — about $34/hour — across 807,710 workers in 70 U.S. metros in the BLS OEWS May 2025 release. The mean wage of $77,976 sits above the median, which means a minority of high earners pulls the average up — the median is the more honest benchmark for a typical offer.
Experience drives the range as much as anything: the 10th percentile earns $54,573 while the 90th earns $103,024 — a 1.9× gap from entry-level to the top of the field. Most elementary school teachers land in the $63,957–$90,528 band (25th–75th percentile), which is the right anchor when you size up an offer.
Location matters too. Sacramento, CA, CA posts the highest median at $103,390, versus $47,220 in Tucson, AZ, AZ — a 119% gap. But adjusted for cost of living, Spokane, WA delivers the strongest real purchasing power ($101,437 in national-average dollars), which can flip the nominal ranking for anyone weighing a move.
BLS OEWS reports base wage for this Education role; bonuses, commissions, and equity are excluded, so total compensation for many elementary school teachers runs meaningfully above the figures shown — particularly at the senior end of the distribution.
Elementary School Teachers Salary by Experience Level (2025)
BLS OEWS doesn’t publish wages by years of experience, but its national percentile bands map cleanly to career stages. Here’s what elementary school teachers earn from entry-level to the top of the field.
| Career stage | Typical experience | BLS percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level | 0–2 years | 10th | $54,573 |
| Junior / early-career | 2–5 years | 25th | $63,957 |
| Mid-career | 5–10 years | 50th (median) | $78,032 |
| Senior | 10–15 years | 75th | $90,528 |
| Top earners | 15+ years | 90th | $103,024 |
Experience bands are SalaryTruth’s interpretation of BLS OEWS percentiles, not a separate BLS series. Actual pay varies by employer, specialization, and region.
Salary Range (BLS Percentiles)
Elementary School Teachers salaries range from $47,220 to $103,390 median across cities, depending on location, experience, and industry.
Elementary School Teachers Salary by City (BLS OEWS)
| City | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | COL-Adjusted | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $60,980 | $77,944 | $103,390 | $110,245 | $117,100 | $82,911 | 10,480 |
| Seattle, WA | $67,550 | $81,698 | $102,920 | $117,455 | $131,990 | $68,889 | 14,560 |
| San Jose, CA | $64,770 | $80,006 | $102,860 | $114,920 | $126,980 | $52,533 | 7,810 |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,340 | $78,148 | $101,860 | $114,280 | $126,700 | $56,715 | 17,860 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $62,250 | $78,094 | $101,860 | $115,495 | $129,130 | $61,361 | 44,790 |
| Spokane, WA | $61,170 | $76,222 | $98,800 | $103,640 | $108,480 | $101,437 | 2,340 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $61,220 | $76,172 | $98,600 | $111,295 | $123,990 | $71,709 | 4,590 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | $62,330 | $76,806 | $98,520 | $114,685 | $130,850 | $80,490 | 18,850 |
| Boston, MA | $61,660 | $76,220 | $98,060 | $111,470 | $124,880 | $64,471 | 20,340 |
| San Diego, CA | $62,140 | $76,084 | $97,000 | $110,225 | $123,450 | $60,549 | 11,340 |
| New York, NY | $62,530 | $76,278 | $96,900 | $116,615 | $136,330 | $51,763 | 98,900 |
| Providence, RI | $50,060 | $64,724 | $86,720 | $93,165 | $99,610 | $72,630 | 6,280 |
| Portland, OR | $50,270 | $63,094 | $82,330 | $94,990 | $107,650 | $63,282 | 7,530 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $61,230 | $68,698 | $79,900 | $99,240 | $118,580 | $79,423 | 4,540 |
| Hartford, CT | $51,880 | $63,048 | $79,800 | $92,805 | $105,810 | $70,870 | 4,980 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $49,490 | $61,586 | $79,730 | $90,470 | $101,210 | $75,075 | 16,990 |
| Washington, DC | $60,790 | $68,262 | $79,470 | $101,025 | $122,580 | $52,009 | 30,940 |
| Anchorage, AK | $62,750 | $69,358 | $79,270 | $88,180 | $97,090 | $62,417 | 1,720 |
| Albany, NY | $51,510 | $62,602 | $79,240 | $91,815 | $104,390 | $78,689 | 3,550 |
| Fresno, CA | $59,840 | $67,424 | $78,800 | $106,265 | $133,730 | $74,692 | 5,610 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $58,650 | $66,618 | $78,570 | $89,755 | $100,940 | $66,360 | 23,380 |
| Chicago, IL | $48,960 | $60,732 | $78,390 | $91,820 | $105,250 | $73,057 | 45,840 |
| Columbus, OH | $48,760 | $60,516 | $78,150 | $90,100 | $102,050 | $83,942 | 9,950 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $49,140 | $60,652 | $77,920 | $90,215 | $102,510 | $76,844 | 4,840 |
| Denver, CO | $50,460 | $61,040 | $76,910 | $89,175 | $101,440 | $68,183 | 12,030 |
| Atlanta, GA | $59,530 | $66,346 | $76,570 | $87,770 | $98,970 | $77,188 | 23,370 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $53,570 | $62,762 | $76,550 | $91,155 | $105,760 | $82,936 | 7,640 |
| Buffalo, NY | $48,080 | $59,444 | $76,490 | $91,735 | $106,980 | $82,692 | 5,810 |
| Baltimore, MD | $49,420 | $60,212 | $76,400 | $89,240 | $102,080 | $66,900 | 13,150 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $60,470 | $66,490 | $75,520 | $79,685 | $83,850 | $80,340 | 1,900 |
| Detroit, MI | $48,750 | $55,334 | $65,210 | $82,335 | $99,460 | $68,570 | 18,390 |
| Dallas, TX | $56,390 | $59,862 | $65,070 | $70,705 | $76,340 | $62,507 | 27,350 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $52,800 | $57,696 | $65,040 | $73,855 | $82,670 | $59,670 | 6,660 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $47,790 | $54,570 | $64,740 | $81,845 | $98,950 | $70,987 | 9,150 |
| Houston, TX | $46,390 | $53,634 | $64,500 | $69,465 | $74,430 | $66,839 | 30,980 |
| Madison, WI | $51,340 | $56,280 | $63,690 | $82,055 | $100,420 | $61,358 | 3,530 |
| Rochester, NY | $48,110 | $54,002 | $62,840 | $77,755 | $92,670 | $67,643 | 5,100 |
| Omaha, NE | $47,350 | $53,478 | $62,670 | $70,870 | $79,070 | $68,268 | 4,030 |
| Birmingham, AL | $48,690 | $54,266 | $62,630 | $68,835 | $75,040 | $69,281 | 5,340 |
| Reno, NV | $49,450 | $54,642 | $62,430 | $77,595 | $92,760 | $58,620 | 1,890 |
| Knoxville, TN | $49,880 | $54,720 | $61,980 | $67,460 | $72,940 | $68,638 | 3,360 |
| San Antonio, TX | $48,490 | $53,782 | $61,720 | $63,680 | $65,640 | $67,454 | 12,220 |
| Des Moines, IA | $46,090 | $52,314 | $61,650 | $70,630 | $79,610 | $66,077 | 3,640 |
| Louisville, KY | $47,230 | $52,982 | $61,610 | $77,185 | $92,760 | $68,304 | 5,510 |
| Memphis, TN | $48,160 | $53,500 | $61,510 | $69,070 | $76,630 | $73,226 | 5,410 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $50,340 | $54,796 | $61,480 | $79,455 | $97,430 | $63,121 | 6,620 |
| Nashville, TN | $48,220 | $53,516 | $61,460 | $70,690 | $79,920 | $61,276 | 8,400 |
| Lexington, KY | $47,140 | $52,868 | $61,460 | $72,140 | $82,820 | $67,317 | 2,420 |
| Richmond, VA | $51,180 | $55,224 | $61,290 | $72,135 | $82,980 | $60,029 | 5,270 |
| Austin, TX | $51,650 | $55,498 | $61,270 | $62,840 | $64,410 | $59,485 | 8,450 |
| Boise, ID | $45,920 | $52,044 | $61,230 | $71,840 | $82,450 | $59,971 | 2,490 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $47,470 | $52,938 | $61,140 | $69,380 | $77,620 | $58,507 | 3,640 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $48,680 | $53,640 | $61,080 | $70,120 | $79,160 | $64,227 | 6,220 |
| Kansas City, MO | $48,120 | $53,296 | $61,060 | $70,000 | $78,940 | $64,004 | 11,500 |
| Greenville, SC | $48,800 | $53,552 | $60,680 | $68,335 | $75,990 | $67,347 | 4,390 |
| St. Louis, MO | $47,210 | $52,586 | $60,650 | $72,200 | $83,750 | $67,389 | 13,440 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $49,120 | $53,676 | $60,510 | $70,180 | $79,850 | $67,159 | 8,610 |
| New Orleans, LA | $47,010 | $52,346 | $60,350 | $67,950 | $75,550 | $62,930 | 4,400 |
| Orlando, FL | $48,220 | $53,008 | $60,190 | $66,130 | $72,070 | $58,380 | 10,950 |
| Raleigh, NC | $47,500 | $52,568 | $60,170 | $67,940 | $75,710 | $60,291 | 5,830 |
| Tampa, FL | $49,910 | $53,994 | $60,120 | $67,220 | $74,320 | $60,361 | 11,000 |
| Greensboro, NC | $46,640 | $51,876 | $59,730 | $61,490 | $63,250 | $65,422 | 2,590 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $47,390 | $52,106 | $59,180 | $70,350 | $81,520 | $58,769 | 16,560 |
| Charlotte, NC | $47,280 | $51,840 | $58,680 | $67,095 | $75,510 | $60,683 | 10,770 |
| Wichita, KS | $48,470 | $52,538 | $58,640 | $61,895 | $65,150 | $69,810 | 2,940 |
| Little Rock, AR | $49,380 | $53,060 | $58,580 | $65,395 | $72,210 | $66,417 | 3,210 |
| Miami, FL | $49,900 | $53,260 | $58,300 | $67,395 | $76,490 | $47,360 | 19,910 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $46,420 | $47,364 | $48,780 | $64,150 | $79,520 | $56,393 | 6,070 |
| Tulsa, OK | $46,670 | $47,290 | $48,220 | $54,450 | $60,680 | $55,553 | 4,030 |
| Tucson, AZ | $40,150 | $42,978 | $47,220 | $62,440 | $77,660 | $49,497 | 3,530 |
Is your Elementary School Teacher salary fair?
Enter your salary to see exactly where you fall in the distribution.
Elementary School Teacher & H-1B Prevailing Wage
Sponsoring or filing an H-1B, PERM, or E-3 case? See the DOL prevailing-wage levels (1–4) for Elementary School Teacher, including the 2026 proposed increase.
Elementary School Teacher prevailing wage in Sacramento, CA →Explore Elementary School Teacher Pay Further
Statewide BLS wage breakdown across metros
Roles with a median salary between $50,000 and $75,000
Side-by-side salary comparison
Percentiles, SOC codes, OEWS, cost-of-living
Frequently Asked Questions
The national median salary for Elementary School Teacher is $71,661 as of 2025 (BLS OEWS). The national mean (average) is $77,976. Salaries range from $47,220 to $103,390 median depending on city and cost of living.
Entry-level elementary school teachers (10th percentile) earn about $54,573 per year nationally. Pay rises with experience to a median of $71,661, $90,528 at the 75th percentile, and $103,024 for the top 10% of earners.
The median elementary school teacher earns about $34/hour, based on the $71,661 annual median over a standard 2,080-hour work year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Sacramento, CA, CA posts the highest median for Elementary School Teacher at $103,390, well above the national median of $71,661. Cost of living matters, though — see the COL-adjusted column in the city table above, which can reorder the rankings.
There are approximately 807,710 Elementary School Teacher positions in the US across 70 metropolitan areas tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey.
The 90th percentile elementary school teacher earns $103,024 — about 1.9× the $54,573 entry-level wage. A spread that wide signals real income growth potential with experience, specialization, and location.
No. BLS OEWS reports base wages only — bonuses, commissions, overtime, and equity are excluded. For roles where variable pay is common, total compensation runs above the figures shown here.
Salary data from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. COL adjustments use BEA Regional Price Parities.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release.