Estimated Average Salaries of
Public School Teachers
1996-97

Rank

State

Amount

1

Alaska.......................................................

$50,647

2

Connecticut.............................................

50,426

3

New Jersey............................................

49,349

4

Michigan..................................................

48,238

5

New York...............................................

48,000

6

Pennsylvania...........................................

47,147

7

District of Columbia.............................

45,012

8

Massachusetts.......................................

43,806

9

California..................................................

43,474

10

RHODE ISLAND

43,019

11

Illinois.........................................................

42,125

12

Delaware.................................................

41,436

13

Maryland..................................................

41,148

14

Oregon.......................................................

40,960

15

Wisconsin.................................................

39,057

16

Indiana.......................................................

38,876

17

Ohio............................................................

38,831

18

Minnesota................................................

38,281

19

Washington..............................................

37,860

20

Nevada......................................................

37,340

21

Vermont...................................................

37,200

22

Colorado....................................................

36,271

23

New Hampshire....................................

36,029

24

Hawaii.......................................................

35,842

25

Virginia......................................................

35,837

26

Kansas.......................................................

35,802

27

Georgia.....................................................

35,596

28

Tennessee................................................

34,222

29

Florida........................................................

33,889

30

Kentucky..................................................

33,797

31

Maine........................................................

33,676

32

Arizona.....................................................

33,350

33

Iowa...........................................................

33,272

34

West Virginia.........................................

33,257

35

Missouri....................................................

33,143

36

Texas..........................................................

33,038

37

South Carolina........................................

32,830

38

Alabama...................................................

32,549

39

Idaho..........................................................

31,818

40

Nebraska..................................................

31,768

41

Utah............................................................

31,750

42

Wyoming..................................................

31,721

43

North Carolina.......................................

31,286

44

Oklahoma................................................

30,369

45

Arkansas..................................................

30,319

46

Montana...................................................

29,958

47

New Mexico...........................................

29,685

48

Louisiana..................................................

28,347

49

Mississippi................................................

27,720

50

North Dakota.........................................

27,711

51

South Dakota..........................................

26,764

U.S. Average

$38,611

 Source: National Education Association, Rankings of the States - 1997, Table C-12.