Secondary School Teachers Salary: $64,580 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 1,072,540 secondary school teachers work nationally, and $64,580 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 2.4% annual growth; much hiring sits in educational services.
Secondary School Teachers: what the data shows
Common questions about secondary school teachers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a secondary school teachers?
Secondary School Teachers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 25-2031.
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 1,072,540 workers.
What does a secondary school teachers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Thinking Creatively, Training and Teaching Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Developing Objectives and Strategies, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a secondary school teachers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $64,580 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $104,813 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $63,623 |
| 25th percentile | $78,959 |
| Median (50th) | $101,393 |
| 75th percentile | $125,675 |
| 90th percentile | $136,779 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including English Language, Education and Training, Psychology, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is secondary school teachers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 12.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 26.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 1,072,540.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do secondary school teacherss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 2,135,160 | 25.4% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 2,123,780 | 25.2% |
| Cross-industry | 1,072,540 | 12.7% |
| Educational Services | 1,067,580 | 12.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 920,980 | 10.9% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 910,590 | 10.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Secondary 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers | 1,393,310 | $62,340 |
| Special Education Teachers | 28,200 | $62,190 |
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Middle School Teachers | 620,370 | $62,970 |
| Teachers and Instructors, All Other | 125,010 | $64,690 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 114,410 | $61,430 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Secondary School Teachers workforce.
Employment Over Time
1,072,540 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Secondary School Teachers grew from 264,070 in 2009 to 383,880 in 2025 (45.4%).
Historical employment for Secondary School Teachers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$64,580 Median pay (BLS national)
Secondary School Teachers earn $64,580 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Secondary School Teachers.
Salary distribution for Secondary School Teachers.
Employment Growth Projections
2.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
431,488 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 12.4%
485,001 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 26.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Secondary School Teachers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Secondary School Teachers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Secondary School Teachers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Secondary School Teachers.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Secondary School Teachers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Secondary School Teachers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 112,300 employees, $62,980 avg wage
- CA: 96,050 employees, $102,040 avg wage
- NY: 76,730 employees, $97,730 avg wage
- PA: 52,650 employees, $76,150 avg wage
- OH: 51,470 employees, $74,880 avg wage
- IL: 47,890 employees, $82,100 avg wage
- FL: 47,040 employees, $61,880 avg wage
- NJ: 34,510 employees, $84,800 avg wage
- NC: 32,260 employees, $53,840 avg wage
- MA: 29,100 employees, $87,200 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Secondary School Teachers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 77,530 employees, $100,630 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 34,720 employees, $88,500 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 28,280 employees, $66,030 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 27,900 employees, $103,450 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 26,840 employees, $64,790 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 25,520 employees, $78,140 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 20,760 employees, $88,890 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 20,140 employees, $80,840 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 17,090 employees, $68,840 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 12,780 employees, $96,810 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Secondary School Teachers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Secondary School Teachers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Secondary School Teachers is about 1,072,540 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Secondary 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 Secondary School Teachers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Secondary School Teachers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Secondary School Teachers in 2023 were Education, Subject Area, Graduate Degree.
Common majors for Secondary School Teachers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Secondary School Teachers workers.
Education level distribution for Secondary School Teachers.
Skills
Secondary School Teachers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening.
Required skills for Secondary School Teachers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Secondary School Teachers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Secondary School Teachers include English Language, Education and Training, Psychology, Computers and Electronics, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Secondary School Teachers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Secondary School Teachers include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Secondary School Teachers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Secondary School Teachers.
Daily Activities
Secondary School Teachers spend their time on activities such as Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Thinking Creatively, Training and Teaching Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Secondary School Teachers.
About
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Secondary School Teachers earn $64,580 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
25-2031 - Secondary School Teachers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Secondary School Teachers reports an average salary of $104,813, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,072,540 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.4%, 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.