A K-5 Teacher's salary isn't a fixed number.
It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects K-5 Teacher Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a K-5 Teacher's salary.
As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases.
Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $58,433
Early Career (1-2 years): $58,712
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $62,079
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $65,326
Expert (over 8 years): $65,558
Levels
Salary
Entry Level K-5 Teacher
$58,433
Intermediate Level K-5 Teacher
$58,712
Senior Level K-5 Teacher
$62,079
Specialist Level K-5 Teacher
$65,326
Expert Level K-5 Teacher
$65,558
$58,4330 yr
$58,712< 2 yrs
$62,0792-4 yrs
$65,3265-8 yrs
$65,558> 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph
What Am I Worth?
How Do K-5 Teacher Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work.
States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors
often pay more to attract K-5 Teachers.
For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $68,734.
California: $68,473.
Massachusetts: $67,561.
District of Columbia$68,734
California$68,473
Massachusetts$67,561
Washington$67,312
New Jersey$67,288
Alaska$67,201
Connecticut$66,344
New York$65,996
Hawaii$64,885
Rhode Island$64,364
Maryland$64,010
Minnesota$63,526
Colorado$63,339
Illinois$63,277
Oregon$63,041
Delaware$62,868
New Hampshire$62,758
Virginia$62,514
Pennsylvania$61,800
Nevada$61,440
North Dakota$61,322
Michigan$61,135
Wisconsin$61,067
Vermont$60,931
Texas$60,552
Maine$60,527
Arizona$60,490
Ohio$60,446
Georgia$59,875
Indiana$59,590
Wyoming$59,534
Utah$59,447
Iowa$59,410
Kansas$59,112
Louisiana$59,025
North Carolina$58,994
Missouri$58,981
Florida$58,739
Montana$58,609
Nebraska$58,485
Kentucky$58,416
South Carolina$58,168
Tennessee$58,013
Idaho$57,951
New Mexico$57,498
Oklahoma$57,398
Alabama$57,032
South Dakota$56,417
Arkansas$56,082
West Virginia$55,902
Mississippi$55,362
Top Paying Cities for K-5 Teachers
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $78,300
San Francisco: $77,443
Oakland: $75,811
San Jose, CA$78,300
San Francisco, CA$77,443
Oakland, CA$75,811
New York, NY$71,477
Paramus, NJ$70,608
Queens Village, NY$70,605
Passaic, NJ$70,546
Bergenfield, NJ$70,540
Stamford, CT$70,404
Huntington, NY$70,378
Newark, NJ$69,920
Bridgeport, CT$69,789
Vallejo, CA$69,665
New Brunswick, NJ$69,640
Petaluma, CA$69,603
Middlesex, NJ$69,485
Somerset, NJ$69,442
Santa Cruz, CA$69,361
Boston, MA$68,982
Monterey, CA$68,764
Seattle, WA$68,622
Santa Rosa, CA$68,610
Los Angeles, CA$68,591
Juneau, AK$68,430
Washington, DC$68,362
Orange, CA$68,141
Santa Ana, CA$67,977
Long Beach, CA$67,915
Anaheim, CA$67,902
Anchorage, AK$67,871
Santa Maria, CA$67,685
Everett, WA$67,672
Danbury, CT$67,454
Bremerton, WA$67,368
Tacoma, WA$67,145
New Suffolk, NY$67,144
Sacramento, CA$67,126
Santa Barbara, CA$67,058
Trenton, NJ$66,990
San Diego, CA$66,990
Brockton, MA$66,921
Fairbanks, AK$66,769
Lompoc, CA$66,611
Lowell, MA$66,561
Ventura, CA$66,549
Nashua, NH$66,536
Stockton, CA$66,530
Modesto, CA$66,077
Poughkeepsie, NY$65,940
Olympia, WA$65,822
Kennewick, WA$65,822
New Haven, CT$65,798
Lawrence, MA$65,574
Hartford, CT$65,512
Riverside, CA$65,500
New Bedford, MA$65,438
Richland, WA$65,438
Bakersfield, CA$65,351
San Bernardino, CA$65,326
New Britain, CT$65,320
Atlantic City, NJ$65,320
New London, CT$65,295
Norwich, CT$65,276
Portsmouth, NH$65,264
Boulder, CO$65,132
Portland, OR$65,046
Worcester, MA$65,040
Minneapolis, MN$64,848
Philadelphia, PA$64,761
Honolulu, HI$64,556
Saint Paul, MN$64,526
Vineland, NJ$64,513
Providence, RI$64,333
Chicago, IL$64,153
Bellingham, WA$64,078
Springfield, MA$64,028
Baltimore, MD$64,010
Chico, CA$63,855
Pittsfield, MA$63,687
Manchester, NH$63,569
Spokane, WA$63,296
Denver, CO$63,290
Albany, NY$62,998
Troy, NY$62,973
Nassau, NY$62,907
Schenectady, NY$62,843
Wilmington, DE$62,793
Burlington, VT$62,706
Salem, OR$62,681
Portland, ME$62,489
Yakima, WA$62,427
Rochester, MN$62,234
Reno, NV$62,203
Fresno, CA$62,203
Milwaukee, WI$62,147
Detroit, MI$62,085
Ann Arbor, MI$62,075
Allentown, PA$62,067
Colorado Springs, CO$61,961
Syracuse, NY$61,930
Carson City, NV$61,930
Houston, TX$61,843
Eugene, OR$61,812
Gary, IN$61,738
Springfield, OR$61,688
Bismarck, ND$61,676
Galveston, TX$61,632
Medford, OR$61,539
Fort Collins, CO$61,514
Concord, NH$61,483
Austin, TX$61,465
Mesa, AZ$61,334
Reading, PA$61,328
Phoenix, AZ$61,322
Dallas, TX$61,303
Saint Cloud, MN$61,244
Madison, WI$61,160
Utica, NY$60,993
Rochester, NY$60,893
Des Moines, IA$60,887
Raleigh, NC$60,881
Atlanta, GA$60,788
Battle Creek, MI$60,769
Salt Lake City, UT$60,751
Lancaster, PA$60,657
Harrisburg, PA$60,571
Kansas City, MO$60,508
Champaign, IL$60,496
Kansas City, KS$60,496
Fort Worth, TX$60,490
Columbus, OH$60,479
Boca Raton, FL$60,465
Pittsburgh, PA$60,440
Richmond, VA$60,415
Indianapolis, IN$60,403
Cleveland, OH$60,397
Las Vegas, NV$60,322
Cincinnati, OH$60,322
Petersburg, VA$60,229
Huntsville, AL$60,136
Lansing, MI$60,094
Lebanon, PA$60,086
Pueblo, CO$60,080
Appleton, WI$60,062
Buffalo, NY$60,037
Dayton, OH$60,018
Racine, WI$60,006
Charlotte, NC$59,999
Saint Louis, MO$59,981
York, PA$59,944
Elkhart, IN$59,944
Gastonia, NC$59,932
Billings, MT$59,917
Beaumont, TX$59,900
Lorain, OH$59,888
Benton Harbor, MI$59,875
Toledo, OH$59,863
Binghamton, NY$59,832
Rock Hill, SC$59,826
Rockford, IL$59,795
Springfield, IL$59,770
Elyria, OH$59,764
Fargo, ND$59,764
Flagstaff, AZ$59,720
Fort Lauderdale, FL$59,683
Duluth, MN$59,646
Miami, FL$59,646
Cheyenne, WY$59,602
Grand Forks, ND$59,602
Bangor, ME$59,466
Cedar Rapids, IA$59,397
Durham, NC$59,371
Louisville, KY$59,366
Grand Rapids, MI$59,354
Hialeah, FL$59,348
Casper, WY$59,261
Scranton, PA$59,186
New Orleans, LA$59,168
Virginia Beach, VA$59,161
Akron, OH$59,130
Peoria, IL$59,050
Sarasota, FL$59,037
Nashville, TN$58,994
Omaha, NE$58,994
Green Bay, WI$58,994
Baton Rouge, LA$58,963
Charleston, SC$58,950
Jamestown, NY$58,919
Davenport, IA$58,919
Tucson, AZ$58,888
Saint Petersburg, FL$58,851
Tampa, FL$58,839
Evansville, IN$58,801
Port Arthur, TX$58,801
Bradenton, FL$58,776
Santa Fe, NM$58,665
Orlando, FL$58,553
Clearwater, FL$58,534
Canton, OH$58,404
La Crosse, WI$58,404
Albuquerque, NM$58,367
Newport News, VA$58,361
High Point, NC$58,342
Ogden, UT$58,317
Corpus Christi, TX$58,267
Norfolk, VA$58,230
Laramie, WY$58,230
Rock Island, IL$58,193
Saginaw, MI$58,181
Jacksonville, FL$58,174
Salisbury, NC$58,162
Boise, ID$58,149
Moline, IL$58,118
Fort Myers, FL$58,100
Memphis, TN$58,087
Tulsa, OK$58,056
Waterloo, IA$58,019
Spartanburg, SC$57,957
Lincoln, NE$57,926
Fort Wayne, IN$57,914
Provo, UT$57,907
Cedar Falls, IA$57,833
San Antonio, TX$57,808
Greensboro, NC$57,783
South Bend, IN$57,777
Savannah, GA$57,709
Muskegon, MI$57,684
Birmingham, AL$57,678
Winston Salem, NC$57,647
Lake Charles, LA$57,498
Anderson, IN$57,485
Lexington, KY$57,467
Augusta, GA$57,448
Greenville, SC$57,448
Lima, OH$57,398
Wichita, KS$57,392
Tuscaloosa, AL$57,392
Columbia, SC$57,336
Springfield, OH$57,324
Asheville, NC$57,225
Bloomington, IN$57,181
Knoxville, TN$56,958
Shreveport, LA$56,951
Wilmington, NC$56,871
Roanoke, VA$56,871
Topeka, KS$56,759
Frankfort, KY$56,752
Oklahoma City, OK$56,709
Chillicothe, OH$56,684
Longview, TX$56,678
Melbourne, FL$56,672
Sioux Falls, SD$56,573
Mobile, AL$56,566
Terre Haute, IN$56,542
Altoona, PA$56,504
Amarillo, TX$56,461
Killeen, TX$56,442
Fayetteville, AR$56,393
Chattanooga, TN$56,374
Sioux City, IA$56,318
Idaho Falls, ID$56,306
Lynchburg, VA$56,256
Gainesville, FL$56,175
Portsmouth, OH$56,144
Little Rock, AR$56,132
Lafayette, LA$56,107
Youngstown, OH$56,107
Daytona Beach, FL$56,070
Clarksville, TN$56,064
Pensacola, FL$56,057
Temple, TX$56,053
Hopkinsville, KY$55,871
Erie, PA$55,859
Florence, SC$55,834
Charleston, WV$55,735
Great Falls, MT$55,704
Macon, GA$55,617
Tallahassee, FL$55,610
Fayetteville, NC$55,598
Waco, TX$55,586
Helena, MT$55,542
Pine Bluff, AR$55,519
Vincennes, IN$55,443
Lubbock, TX$55,418
Alamogordo, NM$55,381
Twin Falls, ID$55,325
Rapid City, SD$55,306
Jackson, MS$55,195
Huntington, WV$55,190
Greenville, MS$55,188
Parkersburg, WV$55,125
Montgomery, AL$55,114
Wichita Falls, TX$55,052
Springfield, MO$55,052
Biloxi, MS$55,021
Monroe, LA$54,959
Johnstown, PA$54,915
Sumter, SC$54,890
Columbus, GA$54,884
Pascagoula, MS$54,766
Abilene, TX$54,766
Kingsport, TN$54,605
Albany, GA$54,605
Gulfport, MS$54,586
Alexandria, LA$54,381
Fort Smith, AR$54,226
El Paso, TX$54,058
Las Cruces, NM$53,779
Harlingen, TX$53,621
Pocatello, ID$53,612
Florence, AL$53,531
Brownsville, TX$53,518
Mcallen, TX$53,388
Dothan, AL$53,301
Columbus, MS$52,932
Altus, OK$52,643
Lawton, OK$52,525
Pierre, SD$52,302
What Skills Can Increase a K-5 Teacher's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Confidentiality (Mentioned in 7.14% Job Postings): The process of and obligation to apply and enforce rules and practices that ensure that specific types of information are accessible only to those authorized to use it.
Adult Learning (Mentioned in 3.57% Job Postings): Adult education is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values.
Early Childhood Education (Mentioned in 3.57% Job Postings): Early childhood education, also known as nursery education, is a branch of education theory that relates to the teaching of children from birth up to the age of eight.
See More Skills
Skills
Demand Percentage
Confidentiality
7.14%
Adult Learning
3.57%
Early Childhood Education
3.57%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a K-5 Teacher's salary.
Adult Learning: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
Human Relations: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Spring: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Skill
Salary
Salary % Increase
Adult Learning
$68,908
11%
Human Relations
$65,183
5%
Spring
$64,562
4%
Coaching
$63,941
3%
Collective Bargaining
$63,941
3%
Written Communication
$63,321
2%
Get Latest Data
K-5 Teacher Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For K-5 Teacher roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential
by as much as 25% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Hospitality & Leisure,
offers compensation 10% above the average. Conversely,
K-5 Teacher positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as this sector often view K-5 Teacher as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a K-5 Teacher
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Hospitality & Leisure
$68,287
$33.0
10%
Healthcare
$65,183
$31.0
5%
K-5 Teacher Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a K-5 Teacher's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Salaries for a K-5 Teacher can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $55,180 in 2023
to around $53,965 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of K-5 Teacher salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of K-5 Teacher Over Time
2022
$???
2023
$55,180
2024
$54,403
2025
$53,965
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$55,180
2024
$54,403
2025
$53,965
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for K-5 Teacher
Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers
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Compensation Planning
Common company salaries for K-5 Teacher
Here are companies hiring for K-5 Teacher and their salaries, click below for more details.
N
$97,099/per year
New York Police Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$95,962/per year
State of New York - Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$94,615/per year
US Department of Transportation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$93,141/per year
US General Services Administration
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$92,342/per year
Los Angeles County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
D
$92,011/per year
Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,967/per year
US Department of Commerce
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,755/per year
US Department of Energy
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
F
$91,673/per year
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$90,276/per year
Naval Sea Systems Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,975/per year
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$88,721/per year
San Diego County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,664/per year
The TTB
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$87,569/per year
Lutheran Services
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
M
$85,066/per year
Maryland Inc
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$83,780/per year
State University of New York
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$82,969/per year
New York State
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
P
$82,703/per year
Puerto Rico Department of Education
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$80,526/per year
US Central Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
H
$80,286/per year
Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$79,270/per year
Air Force Reserve
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$78,505/per year
American Automobile Association (AAA)
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$76,678/per year
State of Florida - Department of Health
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$75,183/per year
New York State Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$75,106/per year
State University System of Florida
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
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