FILE - Children listen to their teacher as they sit in a classroom on the first day of the start of the school year on Sept. 2, 2019. (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - The average salary of teachers in D.C. has been ranked in the top five average salaries in the country.
On average, D.C. teachers pulled in $84,882 for the 2023-2024 school year. Maryland teachers averaged a salary of $79,420. Virginia teachers averaged a salary of $63,103.
Several counties across the D.C. area continue to battle widespread teacher shortages.
Before the start of the 2023 -2024 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools says it has fewer than 100 teacher vacancies. Montgomery County Public Schools says they have 180 full-time open teacher positions, and D.C. Public Schools has 106 outstanding teacher vacancies.
Teacher salary average:
The national average starting teacher salary in 2024 was $44,530, according to the NEA.
The national average teacher salary in 2024 was $69,544, according to the NEA.
Here’s how that compares across the country:
According to the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers union, on average, teachers are making 5% less than they did 10 years ago.
States with the highest average teacher salaries:
California ($95,160)
New York ($92,696)
Massachusetts ($92,307)
Washington ($86,804)
District of Columbia ($84,882)
States with the lowest average teacher salaries:
West Virginia ($52,870)
Florida ($53,098)
South Dakota ($53,153)
Mississippi ($53,354)
Missouri ($53,999)