DC teachers rank among highest paid in the nation

(Getty Images)(Getty Images/iStockphoto/AndreaObzerova)

Teachers in D.C. are among the highest paid in the nation with Maryland teachers also faring well as Virginia teachers fall behind, according to a report ranking salaries across the nation recently released by the National Education Association.

The U.S. average one-year change in public school teacher salaries from the 2016 to 2017 school year to the 2017 to 2018 school year was 1.58%.

The study is based on information from state departments of education with the NEA collecting, maintaining, and analyzing data on issues and trends affecting the nation’s public
education systems and their employees.

D.C. teachers were the fourth highest paid in the nation, earning an average salary of $76,486. In Maryland, teachers were the eighth highest paid with an average salary of $69,627. Teachers in Virginia rank 32nd overall with an average salary of $51,994 per year.

The U.S. average public school teacher salary for 2017 to 2018 was $60,477, according to the report.

The 10 states where teachers are paid the highest average salary:

  1. New York, $84,227
  2. California, $80,680
  3. Massachusetts, $80,357
  4. Washington, D.C., $76,486
  5. Connecticut, $74,517
  6. New Jersey, $69,917
  7. Alaska, $69,682
  8. Maryland, $69,627
  9. Pennsylvania, $67,535
  10. Rhode Island, $66,758

The lowest average salary in the U.S. were Mississippi at $44,926, West Virginia at $45,642 and Oklahoma at $46,300.

Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

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