Average pay for U.S. public school teachers rose in nominal terms last year but is worth less after accounting for inflation, according to the National Education Association’s annual review of state education data.
The NEA reports the national average teacher salary reached $74,495 in the most recent school year, a 3.5% increase from the year before. The union estimates about 3.2 million teachers worked in public schools last year. Highest state averages were California ($103,552), New York ($98,655) and Washington ($96,589); the lowest were Mississippi ($54,975), Florida ($56,663) and Louisiana ($56,785). These averages do not adjust for local cost-of-living differences, which affect actual purchasing power.
Inflation-adjusted earnings tell a different story. Using projected 2026 averages compared with 2017, the NEA finds that real teacher pay has fallen by roughly 5% over the decade. NEA leaders say this squeeze contributes to retention problems and that educators deserve compensation that reflects their skills and contributions. Only 11 states posted inflation-adjusted pay gains since 2017; Washington is a notable outlier with a 36% increase after a state supreme court order and subsequent funding actions.
New teachers’ starting pay averaged $48,112 nationally. While starting salaries rose about 3.4% in 2024–25, real growth after inflation was under 1%. Top starting salaries were in the District of Columbia ($64,640), Washington ($60,658), California ($59,424), New Jersey ($58,727) and Utah ($57,849). The lowest starting pay averages were in Montana ($36,682), Nebraska ($39,561), Missouri ($40,682), Oklahoma ($41,294) and Kentucky ($41,901). These figures are also unadjusted for regional costs.
Support staff—custodians, cafeteria workers, paraeducators, bus drivers and school security personnel—had an average salary of $36,360 in 2024–25, about $1,400 higher than the year before. However, after adjusting for inflation versus 2016, support staff pay is down by roughly $2,344.
The NEA report also highlights a correlation between collective-bargaining rights and higher pay. States with bargaining laws show average starting salaries about $366 higher and top teacher salaries about $15,105 higher; support staff earn roughly 13% more in bargaining states. More than 80% of districts are located in states that allow some form of collective bargaining; seven states explicitly prohibit it. The report notes this is correlational, not proof of causation. South Carolina is cited as an exception, where lawmakers approved an 11% raise for starting teachers despite the state lacking a bargaining law.
Enrollment and class-size trends: public school enrollment at the start of 2024–25 was nearly 49 million students, a 0.3% decline from the previous fall and about a 3.6% drop since 2016. NEA researchers estimate another roughly 1% decline between last year and the current school year. The national student–teacher ratio remained at about 15.1 students per teacher. State variation is large: Arizona, Nevada and Utah averaged about 22 students per teacher, while Vermont, New York and the District of Columbia averaged roughly 10–11.
On school funding, federal contributions make up a relatively small and shrinking share of revenue. Federal dollars—mainly for poverty-related programs and special education—accounted for 7.8% of total school revenue in the last school year and are estimated at 7.3% this year. State governments provided about 47% of funding for 2025, with local governments (largely property taxes) supplying about 45%. The federal share has fallen in part because COVID-19 relief funds have been spent down at varying rates across states.
States where federal funding still represents 10% or more of school revenue include Kentucky (17.5%), Alaska (16.5%), New Mexico (14.1%), Louisiana (14.1%), Arkansas (13.0%), South Dakota (12.4%), West Virginia (11.9%), Mississippi (11.8%), Montana (11.4%), South Carolina (10.8%), Tennessee (10.6%), Alabama (10.3%), Arizona (10.3%) and Florida (10.2%). Many of those states are controlled by Republican legislatures.
The NEA’s annual review, based on state education department reports and NEA estimates where needed, underscores that while headline salary numbers have climbed, inflation and regional cost differences mean many teachers and support staff face lower real compensation than earlier in the decade.