Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025
Elementary School Teacher Salary in Fresno, CA
Education · SOC 25-2021 · COL Index 105.5
Elementary School Teachers in Fresno, CA earn a median salary of $78,800 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $59,840 to $133,730. The mean is $90,130 across approximately 5,610 workers. Adjusted for Fresno, CA's cost-of-living index of 105.5, the median equates to $74,692 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Elementary School Teacher in Fresno, CA pays modestly above the national median: $78,800 versus $71,661 nationally, roughly 10% above.
Cost-of-living in Fresno, CA sits near the national baseline (index 105.5), so the unadjusted $78,800 median is reasonably comparable to wages in other near-baseline cities. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $67,424, $78,800, $106,265, $133,730. 5,610 Elementary School Teacher workers are documented in Fresno, CA per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Percentile | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Entry Level) | $59,840 | $56,720 |
| 25th Percentile | $67,424 | $63,909 |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | $78,800 | $74,692 |
| 75th Percentile | $106,265 | $100,725 |
| 90th Percentile (Top Earners) | $133,730 | $126,758 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The 10th-to-90th percentile band for Elementary School Teachers in Fresno, CA is moderately wide — the 90th-percentile worker earns about 2.2× the 10th-percentile worker. That is typical for a professional role with standard career progression: experience, scope, and employer size all matter, but the spread is not so extreme that the role bifurcates into separate sub-markets.
Fresno, CA's cost-of-living index of 105.5 sits close to the U.S. average — $78,800 here has roughly the same purchasing power as the same salary in the typical U.S. metro. That makes this market a clean baseline for comparing offers across cities.
Fresno, CA ranks #20 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Elementary School Teacher pay — in the upper half (29th percentile of metros) but not the top tier.
How to Use This in Negotiation
The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $106,265 for Elementary School Teachers in Fresno, CA — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($133,730) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.
For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($67,424–$78,800) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($78,800–$106,265) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($106,265–$133,730).
For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Fresno, CA percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 25-2021 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Elementary School Teacher salary in Fresno, CA?
Elementary School Teachers in Fresno, CA earn a median salary of $78,800 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $90,130 across roughly 5,610 workers in this metro.
What is the salary range for Elementary School Teachers in Fresno, CA?
Pay ranges from $59,840 at the 10th percentile to $133,730 at the 90th percentile — a $73,890 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($67,424 to $106,265) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.
Is $78,800 a good Elementary School Teacher salary in Fresno, CA?
$78,800 is the BLS median — half of Elementary School Teachers in Fresno, CA earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($67,424), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($106,265). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $74,692.
How does Elementary School Teacher pay in Fresno, CA compare to other metros?
Fresno, CA ranks #20 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Elementary School Teacher median pay. It sits in the upper half but not the top tier.
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 — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Fresno, CA MSA, SOC 25-2021, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 5,610 Elementary School Teachers tracked in Fresno, CA.