What are the main factors that influence a Social Studies Teacher's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change a Social Studies Teacher's salary?

A Social Studies Teacher's salary grows with experience: starting around $61,215 for beginners, reaching about $64,702 at mid-level, and approach $68,558 for experts.

What are the highest paying states for a Social Studies Teacher?

Social Studies Teacher salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Social Studies Teacher roles are District of Columbia $71,638, California $71,367, Massachusetts $70,416. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Social Studies Teacher roles make?

Salaries for Social Studies Teacher level roles vary by specialization: Director Of Studies: $176,715; 6th Grade Social Studies Teacher: $56,148; Religious Studies Teacher: $55,846; 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher: $55,685; Math and Social Studies Teacher: $55,035.

How do different companies affect a Social Studies Teacher's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Social Studies Teacher roles. Large, established industry leaders like New York Police Department ($97,099) and State of New York - Metropolitan Transportation Authority ($95,962) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $75,106.

Social Studies Teacher Salary in the United States

How much does a Social Studies Teacher make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Social Studies Teacher in the United States is $64,702 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $31.

However, a Social Studies Teacher's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $81,399
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $56,172 to $73,442
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $48,406

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Social Studies Teacher Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$73,442	$6,120	$1,412	$35
Average	$64,702	$5,392	$1,244	$31
25th Percentile	$56,172	$4,681	$1,080	$27

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Key Factors That Influence Social Studies Teacher Salaries

A Social Studies 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, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Social Studies Teacher Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Social Studies 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): $61,215
Early Career (1-2 years): $61,474
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $64,702
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $68,301
Expert (over 8 years): $68,558

Levels	Salary
Entry Level Social Studies Teacher	$61,215
Intermediate Level Social Studies Teacher	$61,474
Senior Level Social Studies Teacher	$64,702
Specialist Level Social Studies Teacher	$68,301
Expert Level Social Studies Teacher	$68,558

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Social Studies 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 Social Studies Teachers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $71,638.
California: $71,367.
Massachusetts: $70,416.

District of Columbia $71,638 California $71,367 Massachusetts $70,416 Washington $70,157 New Jersey $70,131 Alaska $70,040 Connecticut $69,147 New York $68,785

Hawaii $67,627 Rhode Island $67,083 Maryland $66,715 Minnesota $66,210 Colorado $66,016 Illinois $65,951 Oregon $65,705 Delaware $65,524

New Hampshire $65,410 Virginia $65,155 Pennsylvania $64,411 Nevada $64,036 North Dakota $63,913 Michigan $63,719 Wisconsin $63,648 Vermont $63,505

Texas $63,111 Maine $63,085 Arizona $63,046 Ohio $63,001 Georgia $62,405 Indiana $62,108 Wyoming $62,050 Utah $61,959

Iowa $61,920 Kansas $61,610 Louisiana $61,519 North Carolina $61,487 Missouri $61,474 Florida $61,221 Montana $61,085 Nebraska $60,956

Kentucky $60,885 South Carolina $60,626 Tennessee $60,464 Idaho $60,400 New Mexico $59,927 Oklahoma $59,824 Alabama $59,442 South Dakota $58,801

Arkansas $58,452 West Virginia $58,264 Mississippi $57,702

Top Paying Cities for Social Studies 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: $81,609
San Francisco: $80,807
Oakland: $79,014

San Jose, CA $81,609

San Francisco, CA $80,807

Oakland, CA $79,014

New York, NY $74,983

Queens Village, NY $74,498

Paramus, NJ $73,981

Passaic, NJ $73,916

Bergenfield, NJ $73,851

Stamford, CT $73,754

Huntington, NY $73,689

Newark, NJ $73,269

Bridgeport, CT $73,139

New Brunswick, NJ $72,926

Vallejo, CA $72,790

Middlesex, NJ $72,751

Somerset, NJ $72,693

Petaluma, CA $72,544

Santa Cruz, CA $72,292

Boston, MA $72,162

Monterey, CA $71,839

Fairbanks, AK $71,794

Los Angeles, CA $71,671

Washington, DC $71,638

Seattle, WA $71,522

Santa Rosa, CA $71,509

Juneau, AK $71,321

Orange, CA $71,108

Anchorage, AK $70,991

Anaheim, CA $70,946

Santa Ana, CA $70,849

Nassau, NY $70,810

Long Beach, CA $70,784

Danbury, CT $70,765

Santa Maria, CA $70,545

Everett, WA $70,532

Bremerton, WA $70,215

Trenton, NJ $70,092

Sacramento, CA $70,066

San Diego, CA $70,034

Brockton, MA $70,008

Tacoma, WA $69,982

Santa Barbara, CA $69,891

Lowell, MA $69,633

New Suffolk, NY $69,607

Nashua, NH $69,529

Lompoc, CA $69,426

Ventura, CA $69,361

Stockton, CA $69,341

New Haven, CT $69,212

Atlantic City, NJ $69,044

Hartford, CT $68,901

Modesto, CA $68,869

Poughkeepsie, NY $68,727

New Britain, CT $68,694

Olympia, WA $68,604

Kennewick, WA $68,604

New London, CT $68,591

Norwich, CT $68,571

Lawrence, MA $68,539

Bakersfield, CA $68,358

Riverside, CA $68,267

New Bedford, MA $68,267

Richland, WA $68,203

Portsmouth, NH $68,151

Vineland, NJ $68,138

San Bernardino, CA $68,086

Boulder, CO $67,905

Worcester, MA $67,853

Portland, OR $67,795

Saint Paul, MN $67,717

Minneapolis, MN $67,717

Philadelphia, PA $67,627

Honolulu, HI $67,284

Springfield, MA $67,057

Providence, RI $67,051

Chicago, IL $66,863

Bellingham, WA $66,786

Baltimore, MD $66,715

Chico, CA $66,553

Wilmington, DE $66,443

Pittsfield, MA $66,378

Manchester, NH $66,255

Spokane, WA $65,970

Denver, CO $65,964

Albany, NY $65,660

Troy, NY $65,634

Schenectady, NY $65,498

Burlington, VT $65,356

Portland, ME $65,129

Salem, OR $65,078

Yakima, WA $65,065

Ann Arbor, MI $65,045

Rochester, MN $64,864

Fresno, CA $64,832

Reno, NV $64,832

Milwaukee, WI $64,773

Detroit, MI $64,709

Allentown, PA $64,689

Carson City, NV $64,683

Houston, TX $64,586

Colorado Springs, CO $64,579

Syracuse, NY $64,547

Eugene, OR $64,424

Bismarck, ND $64,346

Gary, IN $64,346

Galveston, TX $64,346

Springfield, OR $64,295

Medford, OR $64,139

Fort Collins, CO $64,114

Austin, TX $64,062

Mesa, AZ $63,926

Phoenix, AZ $63,913

Dallas, TX $63,894

Reading, PA $63,855

Saint Cloud, MN $63,829

Concord, NH $63,771

Madison, WI $63,745

Utica, NY $63,570

Raleigh, NC $63,518

Las Vegas, NV $63,512

Rochester, NY $63,466

Des Moines, IA $63,460

Atlanta, GA $63,356

Battle Creek, MI $63,337

Salt Lake City, UT $63,318

Lancaster, PA $63,221

Champaign, IL $63,208

Harrisburg, PA $63,130

Durham, NC $63,072

Kansas City, MO $63,065

Kansas City, KS $63,052

Fort Worth, TX $63,046

Boca Raton, FL $63,020

Cleveland, OH $63,014

Columbus, OH $63,001

Pittsburgh, PA $62,994

Richmond, VA $62,968

Indianapolis, IN $62,955

Cincinnati, OH $62,871

Petersburg, VA $62,774

Billings, MT $62,632

Lansing, MI $62,632

Huntsville, AL $62,632

Lebanon, PA $62,625

Dayton, OH $62,619

Pueblo, CO $62,619

Appleton, WI $62,599

Buffalo, NY $62,574

Racine, WI $62,541

Charlotte, NC $62,535

Saint Louis, MO $62,515

Springfield, IL $62,489

Elkhart, IN $62,477

York, PA $62,477

Gastonia, NC $62,470

Benton Harbor, MI $62,470

Beaumont, TX $62,431

Lorain, OH $62,418

Toledo, OH $62,392

Binghamton, NY $62,360

Rock Hill, SC $62,354

Rockford, IL $62,321

Fargo, ND $62,289

Elyria, OH $62,289

Flagstaff, AZ $62,244

Fort Lauderdale, FL $62,205

Miami, FL $62,166

Duluth, MN $62,062

Bangor, ME $61,978

Cedar Rapids, IA $61,907

Louisville, KY $61,875

Grand Rapids, MI $61,862

Hialeah, FL $61,855

Casper, WY $61,765

Scranton, PA $61,687

New Orleans, LA $61,668

Virginia Beach, VA $61,661

Akron, OH $61,629

Peoria, IL $61,545

Sarasota, FL $61,532

Green Bay, WI $61,487

Baton Rouge, LA $61,454

Charleston, SC $61,441

Nashville, TN $61,422

Jamestown, NY $61,409

Davenport, IA $61,409

Tucson, AZ $61,377

Cheyenne, WY $61,357

Saint Petersburg, FL $61,338

Tampa, FL $61,325

Omaha, NE $61,312

Port Arthur, TX $61,286

Evansville, IN $61,286

Bradenton, FL $61,260

Santa Fe, NM $61,144

Orlando, FL $61,079

Clearwater, FL $61,008

Canton, OH $60,872

La Crosse, WI $60,872

Grand Forks, ND $60,853

Albuquerque, NM $60,833

Tulsa, OK $60,833

Newport News, VA $60,827

High Point, NC $60,807

Ogden, UT $60,781

Corpus Christi, TX $60,730

Laramie, WY $60,691

Norfolk, VA $60,691

Rock Island, IL $60,652

Saginaw, MI $60,639

Jacksonville, FL $60,633

Salisbury, NC $60,620

Memphis, TN $60,607

Moline, IL $60,574

Fort Myers, FL $60,555

Waterloo, IA $60,471

Spartanburg, SC $60,406

Lincoln, NE $60,374

Fort Wayne, IN $60,361

Birmingham, AL $60,290

Cedar Falls, IA $60,277

Provo, UT $60,270

Springfield, OH $60,264

San Antonio, TX $60,251

Greensboro, NC $60,225

South Bend, IN $60,218

Winston Salem, NC $60,212

Boise, ID $60,193

Savannah, GA $60,147

Muskegon, MI $60,031

Lima, OH $59,953

Lake Charles, LA $59,927

Anderson, IN $59,914

Lexington, KY $59,895

Augusta, GA $59,876

Greenville, SC $59,876

Wichita, KS $59,817

Tuscaloosa, AL $59,817

Columbia, SC $59,759

Bloomington, IN $59,597

Roanoke, VA $59,558

Asheville, NC $59,474

Knoxville, TN $59,364

Shreveport, LA $59,358

Wilmington, NC $59,274

Frankfort, KY $59,151

Oklahoma City, OK $59,106

Chillicothe, OH $59,080

Longview, TX $59,073

Topeka, KS $59,054

Mobile, AL $58,957

Terre Haute, IN $58,931

Erie, PA $58,924

Altoona, PA $58,892

Melbourne, FL $58,873

Amarillo, TX $58,847

Killeen, TX $58,827

Fayetteville, AR $58,776

Sioux Falls, SD $58,730

Chattanooga, TN $58,691

Idaho Falls, ID $58,685

Gainesville, FL $58,549

Portsmouth, OH $58,517

Little Rock, AR $58,504

Lynchburg, VA $58,504

Lafayette, LA $58,478

Youngstown, OH $58,478

Temple, TX $58,452

Daytona Beach, FL $58,439

Clarksville, TN $58,433

Pensacola, FL $58,426

Hopkinsville, KY $58,232

Charleston, WV $58,226

Florence, SC $58,193

Sioux City, IA $58,154

Macon, GA $57,967

Tallahassee, FL $57,960

Fayetteville, NC $57,947

Waco, TX $57,934

Wichita Falls, TX $57,934

Pine Bluff, AR $57,909

Vincennes, IN $57,786

Lubbock, TX $57,760

Great Falls, MT $57,721

Alamogordo, NM $57,714

Abilene, TX $57,663

Rapid City, SD $57,579

Monroe, LA $57,579

Albany, GA $57,540

Huntington, WV $57,533

Jackson, MS $57,527

Greenville, MS $57,520

Parkersburg, WV $57,456

Montgomery, AL $57,443

Johnstown, PA $57,430

Springfield, MO $57,378

Biloxi, MS $57,346

Sumter, SC $57,210

Columbus, GA $57,203

Twin Falls, ID $57,164

Pascagoula, MS $57,080

Kingsport, TN $56,912

Gulfport, MS $56,893

Alexandria, LA $56,679

Fort Smith, AR $56,517

El Paso, TX $56,343

Helena, MT $56,259

Las Cruces, NM $56,052

Harlingen, TX $55,870

Pocatello, ID $55,812

Florence, AL $55,793

Brownsville, TX $55,780

Dothan, AL $55,676

Mcallen, TX $55,644

Columbus, MS $55,165

Altus, OK $54,868

Lawton, OK $54,745

Pierre, SD $54,512

What Skills Can Increase a Social Studies Teacher's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Commitment (Mentioned in 12.82% Job Postings): An agreement or pledge to do something in the future a commitment to improve conditions at the prison especially : an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date.
Spring (Mentioned in 1.97% Job Postings): Spring is the season during which the natural world revives and reinvigorates after the colder winter months. During spring, dormant plants begin to grow again, new seedlings sprout out of the ground and hibernating animals awake.
Safety Standards (Mentioned in 1.43% Job Postings): Safety standards are designed to ensure the safety of products, activities and processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Commitment	12.82%
Spring	1.97%
Safety Standards	1.43%

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 Social Studies Teacher's salary.

Pediatric: Can increase your salary by up to 47%.
Safety Training: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Analysis: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Pediatric	$95,112	47%
Safety Training	$70,526	9%
Analysis	$69,878	8%
LMS	$67,290	4%
Physiology	$67,290	4%
Computer Science	$67,290	4%

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How Education impacts a Social Studies Teacher's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Social Studies Teachers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Social Studies Teacher with a Bachelor's Degree is between $53,681 and $58,408).

Social Studies Teacher Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Social Studies Teacher

No Diploma 44.4%

High School 55.6%

Associates 0.0%

Bachelors 44.4%

Masters 55.6%

Doctorate 0.0%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	44.4%
High School	55.6%
Associates	0.0%
Bachelors	44.4%
Masters	55.6%
Doctorate	0.0%

view as graph

Social Studies Teacher Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Social Studies 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.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

$56,172

Average $64,702/year

$73,442

$4,681

Average $5,392/month

$6,120

$1,080

Average $1,244/week

$1,412

$27

Average $31/hour

$35

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$73,442	$6,120	$1,412	$35
Average	$64,702	$5,392	$1,244	$31
25th Percentile	$56,172	$4,681	$1,080	$27

Salaries of jobs related to Social Studies Teacher

Salary Trends for Social Studies Teacher

Salaries for a Social Studies Teacher can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $56,051 in 2023 to around $54,140 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Social Studies Teacher salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Social Studies Teacher Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$56,051

2024

$55,335

2025

$54,140

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$56,051
2024	$55,335
2025	$54,140
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Social Studies Teacher

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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