2024 average school teacher salary in New York

Substitute teacher pay raises

FOX 5 NY's Teresa Priolo spoke with the acting superintendent about how they made these raises possible.

NEW YORK - Despite record-level increases in some states, the average school teacher pay nationwide has failed to keep up with inflation over the past decade.

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According to the National Education Association (NEA) – the nation’s largest teachers union – teachers, on average, are making 5% less than they did 10 years ago.

The NEA reported the national average starting teacher salary in 2024 was $44,530, and the national average teacher salary was $69,544.

NY average teacher starting salary

New York ranks 11th in the nation with an average starting teacher salary of $49,315 for this year.

NY average teacher salary

New York ranks 2nd in the nation with teachers making an average of $92,696 in 2024.

The District of Columbia took the first spot for the highest average starting teacher salary at $63,373 in 2024.

When comparing the average starting teacher salaries to each state’s minimum living wage threshold, there are big gaps in New York.

New York's minimum living wage is $69,433, a whopping $20,118 jump from the state's average teacher starting salary ($49,315).

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)

Check out a full map that shows the school teacher salary averages and starting salary averages in each state for 2024.

How does NYC rank for teachers?

The Big Apple ranked as the third-best city for teachers, according to Prereply. The website researched where teachers are happiest in the United States based on five factors:

Income and living
Student performance
School environment and funding
Job stability and growth
Community engagement and support

"NYC’s high schools must be pretty great because 45 of them are considered the best in the country," Prereply said.

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There are many opportunities for continuing education programs in schools, which Prereply said is great for "stability and growth".

New York City also invests heavily in schools, ranking second in city spending per student at $26,236, they said.

FOX 29 Philadelphia helped contribute to this report.