Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: salary, outlook & degrees
Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.
Middle half $59,980–$92,570. 1,065,210 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 63,500 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 | $102,670 |
| California | $101,370 |
| New York | $97,070 |
| Massachusetts | $95,260 |
| Rhode Island | $92,610 |
| District of Columbia | $82,750 |
| New Jersey | $82,200 |
| Connecticut | $80,970 |
| Illinois | $79,990 |
| Alaska | $79,650 |
| Oregon | $79,570 |
| Ohio | $78,800 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,800 |
| Maryland | $78,670 |
| Delaware | $77,960 |
| New Hampshire | $77,060 |
| Minnesota | $76,460 |
| Utah | $76,330 |
| Vermont | $76,220 |
| New Mexico | $75,900 |
| Georgia | $75,480 |
| Hawaii | $74,310 |
| Colorado | $72,900 |
| Virginia | $72,170 |
| Michigan | $66,030 |
| Nevada | $65,520 |
| Maine | $64,880 |
| Texas | $63,590 |
| Nebraska | $63,450 |
| Wisconsin | $62,870 |
| GU | $62,860 |
| Wyoming | $62,690 |
| South Carolina | $62,580 |
| Alabama | $61,990 |
| Indiana | $61,880 |
| Tennessee | $61,860 |
| Idaho | $61,690 |
| Kentucky | $61,560 |
| North Dakota | $61,210 |
| Iowa | $61,200 |
| Montana | $60,990 |
| Florida | $60,410 |
| Kansas | $59,920 |
| Louisiana | $59,850 |
| Arkansas | $59,660 |
| VI | $59,520 |
| Missouri | $59,240 |
| PR | $59,100 |
| Arizona | $58,360 |
| North Carolina | $57,650 |
| West Virginia | $56,610 |
| South Dakota | $51,050 |
| Mississippi | $50,980 |
| Oklahoma | $48,710 |
Largest metro areas for this job
- New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ$100,800
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN$98,970
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA$100,960
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX$65,890
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX$65,540
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD$80,560
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH$98,850
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV$80,300
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA$77,210
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ$59,570
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA$100,130
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL$60,410
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
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
- Psychology
Work styles
- Dependability
- Optimism
- Social Orientation
- Cooperation
- Empathy
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.
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: questions
How much do secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education make?
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education earn a U.S. median $72,040 a year; the middle half earn $59,980 to $92,570 (BLS, May 2025).
Is secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 0.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 96% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required.
How much do secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $60,410 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $72,040 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 25-2031. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/secondary-school-teachers-except-special-and-career-technical-education.