Given that there were a reported 49,000 vacant teaching positions in 2024, I looked at data from the National Education Association, The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Query System and MIT’s Living Wage Calculator to work out whether middle school teachers’ starting salaries can cover the cost of living in different Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the USA.
The map below shows how much of a pay rise new teachers need to cover their basic living costs in every state in the USA:
;You can find this information in the table below:
|
State |
Starting Teacher Salary (After Taxes) |
Annual Expenses |
Discretionary Income |
Pay Rise Needed |
|
Alabama |
$43,679 |
$41,911 |
$1,768 |
N/A |
|
Alaska |
$51,207 |
$48,375 |
$2,832 |
N/A |
|
Arizona |
$44,124 |
$48,677 |
-$4,553 |
10.30% |
|
Arkansas |
$37,907 |
$39,724 |
-$1,817 |
4.79% |
|
California |
$55,283 |
$56,825 |
-$1,542 |
2.78% |
|
Colorado |
$39,044 |
$51,644 |
-$12,600 |
32.27% |
|
Connecticut |
$48,784 |
$50,194 |
-$1,410 |
2.89% |
|
Delaware |
$45,188 |
$47,064 |
-$1,876 |
4.15% |
|
Florida |
$47,178 |
$46,645 |
$533 |
N/A |
|
Georgia |
$41,148 |
$48,448 |
-$7,300 |
17.74% |
|
Hawaii |
$50,123 |
$56,841 |
-$6,718 |
13.40% |
|
Idaho |
$41,179 |
$44,366 |
-$3,187 |
7.73% |
|
Illinois |
$43,515 |
$47,559 |
-$4,044 |
9.29% |
|
Indiana |
$42,735 |
$42,510 |
$225 |
N/A |
|
Iowa |
$39,986 |
$41,678 |
-$1,692 |
4.23% |
|
Kansas |
$41,200 |
$42,337 |
-$1,137 |
2.75% |
|
Kentucky |
$39,204 |
$40,355 |
-$1,151 |
2.93% |
|
Louisiana |
$45,593 |
$41,233 |
$4,360 |
9.56% |
|
Maine |
$41,163 |
$45,844 |
-$4,681 |
11.37% |
|
Maryland |
$51,548 |
$51,460 |
$88 |
N/A |
|
Massachusetts |
$51,057 |
$58,009 |
-$6,952 |
13.62% |
|
Michigan |
$40,302 |
$42,187 |
-$1,885 |
4.68% |
|
Minnesota |
$43,182 |
$44,626 |
-$1,444 |
3.34% |
|
Mississippi |
$42,336 |
$41,361 |
$975 |
N/A |
|
Missouri |
$36,829 |
$42,024 |
-$5,195 |
14.10% |
|
Montana |
$34,476 |
$42,374 |
-$7,898 |
22.91% |
|
Nebraska |
$37,797 |
$41,849 |
-$4,052 |
10.72% |
|
Nevada |
$43,695 |
$46,727 |
-$3,032 |
6.39% |
|
New Hampshire |
$41,590 |
$49,045 |
-$7,455 |
17.92% |
|
New Jersey |
$56,434 |
$51,504 |
$4,930 |
N/A |
|
New Mexico |
$50,628 |
$41,807 |
$8,821 |
N/A |
|
New York |
$49,315 |
$55,878 |
-$6,563 |
13.31% |
|
North Carolina |
$40,136 |
$44,848 |
-$4,712 |
11.74% |
|
North Dakota |
$42,393 |
$40,262 |
$2,131 |
N/A |
|
Ohio |
$40,055 |
$40,359 |
-$304 |
0.75% |
|
Oklahoma |
$38,192 |
$40,211 |
-$2,019 |
5.29% |
|
Oregon |
$42,050 |
$50,553 |
-$8,503 |
20.22% |
|
Pennsylvania |
$49,083 |
$45,661 |
$3,422 |
N/A |
|
Rhode Island |
$46,066 |
$50,418 |
-$4,352 |
9.44% |
|
South Carolina |
$42,026 |
$44,152 |
-$2,126 |
5.05% |
|
South Dakota |
$42,907 |
$40,718 |
$2,189 |
5.10% |
|
Tennessee |
$42,164 |
$43,196 |
-$1,032 |
2.44% |
|
Texas |
$47,195 |
$43,508 |
$3,687 |
N/A |
|
Utah |
$49,555 |
$46,850 |
$2,705 |
N/A |
|
Vermont |
$43,060 |
$47,892 |
-$4,832 |
11.22% |
|
Virginia |
$46,250 |
$49,973 |
-$3,723 |
8.05% |
|
Washington |
$55,631 |
$53,242 |
$2,389 |
4.29% |
|
Washington, D.C. |
$63,373 |
$49,714 |
$13,659 |
N/A |
|
West Virginia |
$40,339 |
$39,386 |
$953 |
N/A |
|
Wisconsin |
$41,151 |
$42,062 |
-$911 |
2.21% |
|
Wyoming |
$48,622 |
$43,823 |
$4,799 |
9.87% |
Since cost of living can vary a lot within a state, we also look at how new teachers’ salaries cover their cost of living in the 100 biggest Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the USA:
|
Metropolitan Area |
Take Home Pay |
Cost of Living |
Discretionary Income |
Pay Rise Needed (%) |
| Akron, OH | $31,010 | $34,338 | -$3,328 | 9.69% |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $38,620 | $43,600 | -$4,980 | 11.42% |
| Albuquerque, NM | $51,895 | $40,000 | $11,895 | 0.00% |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | $46,397 | $45,878 | $519 | 0.00% |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA (MSAD) | $33,393 | $48,615 | -$15,222 | 31.31% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | $37,680 | $44,862 | -$7,182 | 16.01% |
| Austin-Round Rock - Georgetown Tx | $38,564 | $43,247 | -$4,683 | 10.83% |
| Bakersfield CA | $39,966 | $38,401 | $1,565 | 0.00% |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $38,596 | $41,932 | -$3,336 | 7.96% |
| Baton Rouge LA | $35,444 | $38,905 | -$3,461 | 8.90% |
| Birmingham Hoover AL | $34,133 | $37,246 | -$3,113 | 8.36% |
| Boise City ID | $30,772 | $39,166 | -$8,394 | 21.43% |
| Boston MA | $42,434 | $52,155 | -$9,721 | 18.64% |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | $40,711 | $47,020 | -$6,309 | 13.42% |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga NY | $37,517 | $36,876 | $641 | 0.00% |
| Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA (MSAD) | $42,781 | $52,155 | -$9,374 | 17.97% |
| Camden NJ | $43,843 | $42,497 | $1,346 | 0.00% |
| Cape Coral - Fort Myers FL | $42,715 | $40,554 | $2,161 | 0.00% |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | $33,634 | $42,513 | -$8,879 | 20.89% |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $44,131 | $44,512 | -$381 | 0.86% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Evanston, IL (MSAD) | $39,763 | $41,980 | -$2,217 | 5.28% |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $28,377 | $35,296 | -$6,919 | 19.60% |
| Cleveland-Elyria, OH | $34,813 | $35,315 | -$502 | 1.42% |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $27,865 | $40,626 | -$12,761 | 31.41% |
| Columbia, SC | $30,548 | $37,255 | -$6,707 | 18.00% |
| Columbus, OH | $34,521 | $37,508 | -$2,987 | 7.96% |
| Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX (MSAD) | $38,213 | $41,161 | -$2,948 | 7.16% |
| Dayton-Kettering, OH | $31,888 | $33,719 | -$1,831 | 5.43% |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $32,983 | $46,388 | -$13,405 | 28.90% |
| Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, MI (MSAD) | $30,634 | $36,645 | -$6,011 | 16.40% |
| El Paso, TX | $36,110 | $33,013 | $3,097 | 0.00% |
| Elgin, IL | $39,083 | $41,980 | -$2,897 | 6.90% |
| Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise, FL (MSAD) | $34,343 | $43,266 | -$8,923 | 20.62% |
| Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine, TX (MSAD) | $38,213 | $41,161 | -$2,948 | 7.16% |
| Frederick-Gaithersburg-Rockville, MD (MSAD) | $34,350 | $44,819 | -$10,469 | 23.36% |
| Fresno, CA | $37,884 | $36,228 | $1,656 | 0.00% |
| Gary, IN (MSAD) | $41,631 | $39,973 | $1,658 | 0.00% |
| Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI | $28,867 | $39,099 | -$10,232 | 26.17% |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | $30,494 | $35,902 | -$5,408 | 15.06% |
| Greenville-Anderson, SC | $29,623 | $36,827 | -$7,204 | 19.56% |
| Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT | $36,349 | $40,600 | -$4,251 | 10.47% |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $39,247 | $37,772 | $1,475 | 0.00% |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | $33,005 | $38,070 | -$5,065 | 13.30% |
| Jacksonville, FL | $38,207 | $39,879 | -$1,672 | 4.19% |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $31,928 | $38,295 | -$6,367 | 16.63% |
| Knoxville, TN | $31,898 | $36,716 | -$4,818 | 13.12% |
| Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI (MSAD) | $33,029 | $44,234 | -$11,205 | 25.33% |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | $28,291 | $41,023 | -$12,732 | 31.04% |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | $28,335 | $36,017 | -$7,682 | 21.33% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA (MSAD) | $42,880 | $48,615 | -$5,735 | 11.80% |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $32,563 | $36,342 | -$3,779 | 10.40% |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $32,208 | $37,143 | -$4,935 | 13.29% |
| Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL (MSAD) | $34,343 | $43,266 | -$8,923 | 20.62% |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $31,050 | $35,681 | -$4,631 | 12.98% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $33,069 | $40,376 | -$7,307 | 18.10% |
| Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA (MSAD) | $38,422 | $44,667 | -$6,245 | 13.98% |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $31,588 | $43,003 | -$11,415 | 26.54% |
| Nassau County-Suffolk County, NY (MSAD) | $38,620 | $48,222 | -$9,602 | 19.91% |
| New Haven-Milford, CT | $34,168 | $40,856 | -$6,688 | 16.37% |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $35,106 | $35,980 | -$874 | 2.43% |
| New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ (MSAD) | $54,059 | $48,868 | $5,191 | 0.00% |
| Newark, NJ-PA (MSAD) | $54,059 | $55,744 | -$1,685 | 3.02% |
| North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | $39,031 | $39,256 | -$225 | 0.57% |
| Oakland-Berkeley-Livermore, CA (MSAD) | $42,339 | $52,322 | -$9,983 | 19.08% |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $29,128 | $35,140 | -$6,012 | 17.11% |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | $29,199 | $37,271 | -$8,072 | 21.66% |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $31,890 | $43,156 | -$11,266 | 26.11% |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $42,880 | $49,210 | -$6,330 | 12.86% |
| Philadelphia, PA (MSAD) | $39,153 | $42,497 | -$3,344 | 7.87% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $37,772 | $43,833 | -$6,061 | 13.83% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $35,494 | $37,341 | -$1,847 | 4.95% |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $36,126 | $46,576 | -$10,450 | 22.44% |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $34,140 | $42,270 | -$8,130 | 19.23% |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $33,326 | $43,133 | -$9,807 | 22.74% |
| Richmond, VA | $36,005 | $41,134 | -$5,129 | 12.47% |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $48,708 | $45,646 | $3,062 | 0.00% |
| Rochester, NY | $34,574 | $37,883 | -$3,309 | 8.73% |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $41,215 | $45,901 | -$4,686 | 10.21% |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $37,346 | $39,774 | -$2,428 | 6.10% |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $37,161 | $37,117 | $44 | 0.00% |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $42,464 | $51,796 | -$9,332 | 18.02% |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA (MSAD) | $47,876 | $52,322 | -$4,446 | 8.50% |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $44,961 | $57,219 | -$12,258 | 21.42% |
| Seattle-Bellevue-Kent, WA (MSAD) | $45,686 | $51,452 | -$5,766 | 11.21% |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $29,297 | $37,252 | -$7,955 | 21.35% |
| Stockton, CA | $35,803 | $41,814 | -$6,011 | 16.70% |
| Syracuse, NY | $37,517 | $36,865 | $652 | 0.00% |
| Tacoma-Lakewood, WA (MSAD) | $45,686 | $51,452 | -$5,766 | 11.21% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $37,497 | $41,022 | -$3,525 | 8.59% |
| Tucson, AZ | $31,911 | $36,056 | -$4,145 | 11.50% |
| Tulsa, OK | $37,446 | $34,594 | $2,852 | 0.00% |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $37,437 | $46,083 | -$8,646 | 18.76% |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | $38,405 | $39,766 | -$1,361 | 3.42% |
| Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI (MSAD) | $30,634 | $36,645 | -$6,011 | 16.40% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (MSAD) | $48,205 | $46,979 | $1,226 | 0.00% |
| West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL (MSAD) | $34,343 | $43,226 | -$8,883 | 20.55% |
| Wichita, KS | $31,092 | $34,200 | -$3,108 | 9.09% |
| Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ (MSAD) | $41,188 | $36,133 | $5,055 | 0.00% |
| Winston-Salem, NC | $29,907 | $34,763 | -$4,856 | 13.97% |
| Worcester, MA-CT | $38,197 | $41,736 | -$3,539 | 8.48% |
You can also see metropolitan area findings in the map below:
As we can see from these findings, only seventeen of the one hundred biggest Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the USA have starting teachers salaries that cover the cost of living for a single person.
They are:
On average, teachers need a net pay increase of $4,699 in order to match their cost of living.
In order to determine whether teachers’ starting salary can cover their cost of living, New Teachers Deserve Better looked at state by state starting teacher pay from the National Association of Educators.
They then combined this with metropolitan statistical area vs metropolitan statistical area teacher pay data within states from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Query System to account for wage differences between cities within each state
They ran all of these through Paycheck City’s State Tax Calculator to deduct state taxes.
They then combined this with cost of living data from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator to find out whether first time teacher salaries could cover cost of living in a specific metropolitan area.