Elementary School Teachers Salary: $95,682 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 1,393,310 elementary school teachers nationally earn a mean of $95,682. Employment in the series shown fell about 7% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.5% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Elementary School Teachers: what the data shows
Common questions about elementary school teachers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a elementary school teachers?
Elementary School Teachers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 25-2021.
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 1,393,310 workers.
What does a elementary school teachers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Getting Information, Training and Teaching Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a elementary school teachers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $62,340 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $95,682 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61,970 |
| 25th percentile | $76,977 |
| Median (50th) | $100,859 |
| 75th percentile | $109,929 |
| 90th percentile | $129,876 |
What education do you need?
For Elementary School Teachers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Education and Training, English Language, Mathematics, Psychology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is elementary school teachers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 13.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 28.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 1,393,310.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do elementary school teacherss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 2,777,880 | 25.3% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 2,774,570 | 25.3% |
| Cross-industry | 1,393,310 | 12.7% |
| Educational Services | 1,388,940 | 12.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 1,232,530 | 11.2% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 1,224,130 | 11.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Elementary School Teachers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 114,410 | $61,430 |
| Special Education Teachers | 28,200 | $62,190 |
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Middle School Teachers | 620,370 | $62,970 |
| Secondary School Teachers | 1,072,540 | $64,580 |
| Teachers and Instructors, All Other | 125,010 | $64,690 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Elementary School Teachers workforce.
Employment Over Time
1,393,310 Workforce in 2023
The Elementary School Teachers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Elementary School Teachers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$95,682 Average Wage
In 2023, Elementary School Teachers earned an average of $95,682.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Elementary School Teachers.
Salary distribution for Elementary School Teachers.
Employment Growth Projections
2.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
640,905 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 13.2%
725,672 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 28.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Elementary School Teachers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Elementary School Teachers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Elementary School Teachers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Elementary School Teachers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-2.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Elementary School Teachers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Elementary School Teachers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 130,770 employees, $96,158 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Elementary School Teachers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 33,020 employees, $100,597 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 18,270 employees, $96,164 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 11,720 employees, $89,323 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 9,860 employees, $98,462 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 9,160 employees, $90,227 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 8,870 employees, $100,881 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 6,610 employees, $100,684 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 4,800 employees, $95,841 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 4,570 employees, $89,467 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 4,300 employees, $80,972 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Elementary School Teachers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Elementary School Teachers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Elementary School Teachers in 2023 was 1,393,310 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Elementary School Teachers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Elementary School Teachers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Elementary School Teachers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Elementary School Teachers in 2023 were Elementary Education, Education, Psychology.
Common majors for Elementary School Teachers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Elementary School Teachers workers.
Education level distribution for Elementary School Teachers.
Skills
Elementary School Teachers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Elementary School Teachers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Elementary School Teachers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Elementary School Teachers include Education and Training, English Language, Mathematics, Psychology, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Elementary School Teachers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Elementary School Teachers include Oral Expression, Speech Recognition, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression.
Required abilities for Elementary School Teachers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Elementary School Teachers.
Daily Activities
Elementary School Teachers spend their time on activities such as Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Getting Information, Training and Teaching Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Elementary School Teachers.
About
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
The average yearly wage for Elementary School Teachers was $95,682 in 2023.
SOC Code
25-2021 - Elementary School Teachers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Elementary School Teachers reports an average salary of $95,682.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,393,310 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.