NJ Teacher Pay Is Among Highest In The U.S. In 2024: Report

NEW JERSEY — Garden State educators have among the highest average teacher salaries in the U.S., according to the National Education Association’s 2024 Educator Pay in America report.

The national average teacher salary is $69,544, according to the report. New Jersey teachers on average earn a salary of $81,102, ranking No. 7 in the nation for educator pay. The average teacher starting salary in the state is $56,434, ranking No. 2 in the nation for starting pay (the national average starting teacher salary is $44,530).

This is less than the state’s minimum living wage of $73,517, which is the “income needed for a family of one adult and one child to have a modest but adequate standard of living in the most affordable metro area,” the report said.

California teachers earn the most in the country, taking home, on average, $95,160 each year. Florida teachers earn the least on average at $53,098 annually.

The teacher pay gap in New Jersey compared to other college-educated professionals with similar experience is 92 cents, according to the report.

Across the board, despite record-level increases in some states, teacher pay hasn’t kept up with inflation, the NEA said. Teachers are making 5 percent less than they did 10 years ago.

“Low pay limits the ability to attract and retain quality educators in the profession amid a looming educator shortage and sagging educator morale due chiefly to low pay and poor working conditions,” the association said.

-With reporting by Tiffany Razzano.