NY Public School Teacher Pay Ranks No. 2 Nationwide, Report Shows

NEW YORK — Even with recent pay increases, teacher salaries in most states haven’t kept pace with inflation over the past decade, according to a new report from the National Education Association.

When adjusted for inflation, the nation’s K-12 public school teachers made 5 percent less than they did 10 years ago, according to the report. The report is based on 2022-23 school year data and projected 2023–24 data.

New York's’s average starting teacher salary of $49,315 in 2022-23 ranked No. 11 in the country, while the average teacher salary of $92,696 ranked No. 2, the report showed. Compare that to educational support personnel in New York, who earned an average of $39,845 during the same period, ranking No 7.

The average minimum living wage is $69,433 in New York.

Per-pupil spending in New York for the 2022-23 school year was $30,867, which ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Compared to other college-educated professionals with similar experience, the teacher pay gap is 86 cents, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute in September 2023.

Nationwide, the recent teacher pay hikes represent the largest year-over-year increase in more than a decade. But educators overall are inadequately paid and greater investments in public education are needed to maintain the momentum, the national teacher’s union said.

"Too many school support professionals, like classroom teachers, endure a lack of respect, lack of support, and poor working conditions. They are also egregiously underpaid," the report said. "These factors are driving the chronic staff shortages in school districts and on college campuses across the nation, which have hit the ranks of education support professionals (ESPs) who include school bus drivers, food service professionals, paraeducators, campus security staff, custodial and maintenance staff and more, especially hard."

Overall, the report showed:

• The national average public school teacher salary in 2022-23 increased 4.1 percent from the previous year to $69,544 and is projected to grow a further 3.1 percent in 2023-24.
• The national average beginning teacher salary was $44,530. At 3.9 percent, the increase in the average starting salary was the largest in the 14 years that NEA has been tracking teacher salary benchmarks. However, when adjusted for inflation, the starting teacher salaries are now $4,273 below the 2008-09 levels.
• A staggering 77 percent of U.S. school districts still pay a starting salary below $50,000 (28.6 percent start teachers at less than $40,000), while teacher salaries top out over $100,000 in only 16.6 percent of districts.
• The starting salary of teachers in states with a bargaining law is $1,653 more than in states without a bargaining law.
• Top pay is $12,998 higher in states where collective bargaining laws covering educational support personnel, with average earnings of $38,167, compared to states where bargaining is prohibited, where these people earn an average of $32,308.

The picture is slightly different in higher education.

The average faculty salary in higher ed was $101,606. The average salary for higher ed support personnel was $48,643, which was ranked No. 6 in the nation.

Noting that low pay limits the ability of schools to attract and retain high quality teachers, the NEA warned a widespread educator shortage is looming amid sagging morale across the profession.