Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education: salary, outlook & degrees
Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.
Middle half $57,710–$81,450. 1,388,390 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 87,500 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Washington | $102,350 |
| California | $99,650 |
| District of Columbia | $96,580 |
| Massachusetts | $94,000 |
| Rhode Island | $90,930 |
| New York | $85,760 |
| Connecticut | $80,600 |
| Alaska | $79,260 |
| New Jersey | $78,200 |
| Maryland | $77,680 |
| Ohio | $77,370 |
| Oregon | $77,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,060 |
| Minnesota | $76,350 |
| Delaware | $75,920 |
| Illinois | $75,320 |
| Utah | $74,810 |
| New Mexico | $74,550 |
| New Hampshire | $72,410 |
| Georgia | $72,290 |
| Hawaii | $71,410 |
| Virginia | $65,550 |
| Michigan | $65,110 |
| Nevada | $65,040 |
| Colorado | $63,410 |
| Vermont | $63,070 |
| Texas | $62,760 |
| Maine | $62,390 |
| Nebraska | $62,380 |
| GU | $62,240 |
| Idaho | $61,600 |
| Alabama | $61,380 |
| Wisconsin | $61,210 |
| Wyoming | $61,150 |
| South Carolina | $60,820 |
| Kentucky | $60,610 |
| Iowa | $60,580 |
| VI | $60,560 |
| North Dakota | $60,030 |
| Tennessee | $59,980 |
| Indiana | $59,700 |
| Florida | $58,930 |
| Louisiana | $58,770 |
| Montana | $57,530 |
| Arizona | $56,590 |
| Kansas | $56,450 |
| West Virginia | $55,630 |
| North Carolina | $54,930 |
| Arkansas | $52,700 |
| PR | $51,540 |
| Missouri | $50,910 |
| South Dakota | $50,130 |
| Mississippi | $49,790 |
| Oklahoma | $48,200 |
Largest metro areas for this job
- New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ$96,900
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN$78,390
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA$101,860
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX$64,500
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV$79,470
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX$65,070
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD$78,570
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA$76,570
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH$98,060
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL$58,300
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA$98,520
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI$65,210
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Learning Strategies
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
Knowledge used
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
Work styles
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Empathy
- Optimism
- Integrity
People in this job tend to have Social (helping) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education: questions
How much do elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education make?
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn a U.S. median $63,970 a year; the middle half earn $57,710 to $81,450 (BLS, May 2025).
Is elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 0.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 87,500 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be an elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 100% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required.
How much do elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $58,930 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $63,970 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 25-2021. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/elementary-school-teachers-except-special-education.