How much do teachers make?

U.S. teachers' salaries vary significantly but average around $63,000 to $72,000 annually, with high school teachers often earning more (around $64,700) than preschool teachers (around $52,800). Pay depends heavily on location (e.g., California pays much more than Florida), experience, and education level, with higher earners making over $100,000 and starting salaries often in the $40,000s, according to Education Week, USAFacts, and NEA data.

Do teachers make $100,000 a year?

Teacher salaries top $100,000 in 20.7% of US school districts, while 8.0% of districts pay a top salary below $60,000. Over 96% of school districts with teacher salaries that top $100,000 are in states with a state collective bargaining law.

How much do Maine teachers get paid?

Maine teacher salaries vary, with averages around $60k-$62k, but starting pay is lower, around $42k-$42k, lagging New England states, though a bill aims to raise the minimum to $50k by 2029. Actual pay depends on district, experience, and education, with some Portland-area teachers earning more, while state efforts focus on increasing the minimum due to shortages. 

How much do Missouri teachers get paid?

Missouri teacher pay is historically low, ranking near the bottom nationally, but recent legislation (SB 727) is raising the minimum starting salary to $40,000 for the 2025-26 school year, with further increases planned for educators with master's degrees and experience, though many districts still struggle with competitive wages compared to neighboring states like Illinois. 

What teachers get paid the most?

Professors in universities and colleges are among the highest-paid teaching professionals in the education sector. In addition to teaching, professors are expected to have in-depth knowledge of their subject matter and conduct independent research to advance their field.

I Quit Teaching After 18 Years - Some Advice for Teachers

What job pays $400,000 a year without a degree?

Jobs that can pay $400K a year without a degree include commercial real estate brokers, successful YouTubers or influencers, self-employed software developers, high-stakes sales roles like enterprise tech sales, and business owners. These roles rely on skill, market demand, and performance rather than formal education.

What jobs in the US pay $300,000 a year?

What jobs pay $300,000 a year non-medical?

• Investment Banker. ...
• Hedge Fund Manager or Portfolio Manager. ...
• Corporate Lawyer (Partner Track) ...
• Software Engineering Director / VP of Engineering. ...
• Tech Entrepreneur / Startup Founder. ...
• Real Estate Developer. ...
• Management Consultant (Partner or Director Level) ...
• Private Equity Executive.

Do teachers get good money?

California ($101,084), New York ($95,615) and Massachusetts ($92,076) have the highest average teacher salaries.

How much do parents as teachers make in Missouri?

$34.5K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers. The median wage is $37.7K / yr.

How much does a principal make in Missouri?

Average base salary

The average salary for a principal is $106,496 per year in Missouri. 37 salaries taken from job postings on Indeed in the past 36 months (updated December 5, 2025).

What state has the lowest teacher salary?

Mississippi consistently ranks as the state with the lowest average teacher salary, often followed by states like Florida, Missouri, West Virginia, and Louisiana, though specific figures vary slightly by report and year, with averages typically in the low to mid-$50,000s, significantly below the national average. 

Is subbing harder than teaching?

And you learn about the support systems in place for teachers. On the other hand, substituting is much harder work than having your own classroom. It takes extra patience and flexibility as well as a large dose of firmness tempered with kindness. Students will “test” a substitute and disobey the substitute.

What is the 70 30 rule in teaching?

The 70/30 rule in teaching is a guideline to shift focus from teacher-led instruction to student-centered, active learning, suggesting students should talk/practice 70% of the time and listen/be taught 30%, or that teachers should prepare 70% of their lesson on how to engage students and 30% on what content to cover, promoting deeper understanding, skill development, and retention over passive learning. It's also applied in language learning (70% speaking/listening, 30% reading/writing) and as a principle where 70% of learning comes from real-world application, not just classroom instruction. 

Are a lot of millionaires teachers?

Teachers rank third, behind engineers and accountants, on a top-five list of careers most likely to have millionaires within their ranks.

Do teachers get paid 6 figures?

Trina Lack Williams California average is over six figures and has districts that go over $200k. If you count benefits and pension contributions, they can make over $300k.

Do teachers get paid a living wage?

The updated calculations using the new metric show that in 30 states, the average teacher salary is below the living wage, and the gap is wider than previously reported.

What do starting teachers get paid?

From September 2025, the starting salary for teachers in England entering the profession will be a minimum of £32,916. For those teaching in London, this could be as much as £40,317.

Who pays the most for teachers?

California teachers have the highest pay in the country, making an average of $101,084 a year. The starting salary for new teachers averages about $58,409.

Is it financially worth it to be a teacher?

Financial Rewards

A career in teaching offers competitive pay that can lead to a stable financial life. Teachers' salaries can grow over time, especially as they gain more experience and education, like getting a master's degree - the Masters in Education salary can get up to $1,661 in weekly income.

Will AI replace teaching?

No, AI won't replace teachers; instead, it's transforming the role by handling administrative tasks like grading and lesson prep, freeing educators to focus on critical human elements like building relationships, fostering creativity, providing mentorship, and addressing emotional needs, leading to an AI-assisted, human-led classroom where teachers use AI as a powerful assistant for personalized learning and efficiency. 

Do teachers struggle financially?

Because of stagnant salaries, educators face challenges not only in managing their daily finances but also in planning for larger expenses. This financial pressure can lead to high levels of stress, which negatively affects their ability to focus and teach.

What job pays you $1,000,000 a year?

Healthcare, especially highly specialized medicine, enables seven-figure incomes, with top neurosurgeons and cardiac surgeons often exceeding $1 million in private practice. This is driven by demand for life-saving procedures, per a 2023 physician compensation study.

What is the #1 best paying job?

The #1 highest-paying job consistently falls within specialized medicine, with Pediatric Surgeons, Neurosurgeons, and Anesthesiologists often topping lists, earning well over $400,000 annually due to extensive training and high stakes, though specific rankings vary slightly by source and year, with CEOs and other surgeons also high on the list. 

What jobs allow you to make $500,000 a year?

Earning a 500K salary is most commonly achievable in executive leadership roles (such as CEO, CFO, or CTO), highly specialized medical or legal professions, senior investment roles in finance, or top-performing sales and business development positions, often within major corporations or high-growth startups.