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 * Teachers Are Among Most Educated, Yet Their Pay Lags


TEACHERS ARE AMONG MOST EDUCATED, YET THEIR PAY LAGS



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TEACHERS ARE AMONG MOST EDUCATED, YET THEIR PAY LAGS


TEACHERS ARE AMONG MOST EDUCATED, YET THEIR PAY LAGS


TEACHERS ARE AMONG MOST EDUCATED, YET THEIR PAY LAGS


TEACHERS ARE AMONG MOST EDUCATED, YET THEIR PAY LAGS





AVERAGE TEACHERS’ EARNINGS DECLINING, LOWER THAN SIMILARLY EDUCATED WORKERS

Jennifer Cheeseman Newburger and Julia Beckhusen
July 21, 2022

Although teachers are among the nation’s most educated workers, they earn far
less on average than most other highly educated workers and their earnings have
declined since 2010.

More than 95% of elementary, middle and high school teachers have a bachelor’s
degree or more. In 2019, the average earnings of elementary and middle school
teachers with a bachelor’s degree or more who work full-time, year-round was
$53,800. For high school teachers, it was $57,840.

These earnings fall short of what their similarly educated peers earn:

 * Biological scientists ($69,880).
 * Urban and regional planners ($79,790).
 * Physical therapists ($81,580).
 * Statisticians ($96,320).

Just over one-half of elementary and middle school teachers and 58% of high
school teachers also have a graduate degree. They still earn less ($61,130 and
$64,340, respectively) than that of other equally educated workers. 

Young teachers and older/middle-aged teachers have lower earnings than most of
their similarly educated peers.



For example, at least one-half of the workers in these occupations have a
graduate degree, but they earn more than teachers:

 * Judicial law clerks ($77,960).
 * Biological scientists ($76,260).
 * Geoscientists and hydrologists ($111,100).

In addition, teachers earn less than workers in some occupations with a much
lower percentage of advanced degrees:

 * Human resources workers (19.4% with a graduate degree; $77,430).
 * Accountants and auditors (27.4% with a graduate degree; $84,050).
 * Registered nurses (12.6% with a graduate degree; $82,210).


AGE AND SEX

Young teachers and older/middle-aged teachers have lower earnings than most of
their similarly educated peers.

Median earnings for younger teachers (ages 25-34) with a bachelor’s degree or
more are $46,310 for elementary and middle school teachers and $49,270 for high
school teachers, much lower than that of other younger workers with similar
education levels. For workers ages 55-64, the pattern is similar:



This earnings penalty occurs for both male and female teachers. However, more
women are affected by it since women dominate teaching, making up 80% of
elementary and middle school full-time teachers and 56% of high school teachers.

Teaching was the second-most common occupation among women in 2019, second only
to nursing.


TEACHERS’ EARNINGS DECLINED SINCE 2010

Median earnings overall have recovered from their decline in the wake of the
Great Recession but teachers’ earnings have continued to fall.

Median earnings for all full-time, year-round workers have increased by 2.6%
since 2010, from $48,792 to $50,078 (in 2019 dollars).

Elementary and middle school teachers’ median earnings declined by 8.4%, from
$57,180 to $52,368 (in 2019 dollars). Their median earnings declined throughout
the decade, with a slight uptick between 2014 and 2016.

The drop in earnings of elementary and middle school teachers is one of the
largest among occupations with similar education.

During the decade, their median earnings have fallen close to that of all
full-time, year-round workers, with or without a college education.

High school teachers’ median earnings also declined — 4.4% from $59,529 to
$57,033. With almost 3 million full-time workers, these teachers make up 6.7% of
the total college-educated, full-time workforce and 9.8% of workers with a
graduate degree.

Pursuing a higher education degree is a substantial investment, and the data
show that the return on that investment is lower for teachers. 


EXPLORE THE DATA

Using data from the American Community Survey and detailed tables, the
interactive data visualization below illustrates how teachers’ earnings compare
with earnings of other occupations.

The visualization allows the user to examine the median earnings of workers with
different levels of educational attainment: those with a bachelor’s degree or
more and those with a graduate degree or more.

Users can also select specific demographic groups: men, women or age groups.

For occupations, like teachers, where at least 90% of workers had at least a
bachelor’s degree, the visualization also provides 2010-2019 change in median
earnings.




Jennifer Cheeseman Newburger is a demographer in the Census Bureau’s
Communication Directorate.

Julia Beckhusen is a senior economist in the Social, Economic and Housing
Statistics Division.

This story was filed under:

Age
 
Education
 
Educational Attainment
 
Income and Poverty
 
Occupation
 
Sex
 


RELATED STATISTICS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stats for Stories | November 15, 2021

American Education Week: November 15-19, 2021

In the U.S., per student (public pre-K through 12th grade) spending was $13,187
in FY2019, a 5.0% increase from 2018, and enrollment was 48.0 million.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stats for Stories | May 02, 2022

National Teacher Appreciation Week and Day: May 2-6 and May 3, 2022

The 2019 American Community Survey counted about 5.74M teachers in the U.S.
including preschool to postsecondary, special ed, tutors, assistants, and other.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

American Community Survey (ACS)

The American Community Survey is the premier source for information about
America's changing population, housing and workforce.



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