Public school teachers nationwide are earning an average of $35,104 this year, according to a survey released last week by the American Federation of Teachers.
The average salary is 3.2 percent above last year’s level, the survey notes, adding that the increase this year and a similar rise last year represent the smallest annual growth in salaries in more than three decades.
In addition to tracking average salaries for each state, the survey for the first time this year includes data on differences in teacher pay within states. Some states showed marked disparities in local pay levels, including two states--Missouri and Illinois--where the highest-paid 5 percent of teachers earned more than twice as much as the lowest-paid 5 percent.
Copies of the salary report are available for $10 each from the A.F.T. Research Department, 555 New Jersey Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001-2079.
1992-93 Average Salaries of Teachers, by State
Average Salary Percent Change
State 1992-93 1990-91 to 1992-93
Connecticut $48,918 10.2
Alaska 46,799 7.8
New York 44,999 6.9
New Jersey 43,355 12.9
Michigan 42,256 5.9
Pennsylvania 41,515 15.1
Rhode Island 40,548 6.1
D.C. 40,228 2.0
California 39,922 1.2
Massachusetts 39,245 7.6
Maryland 38,753 1.2
Illinois 38,701 11.8
Nevada 37,360 5.9
Wisconsin 36,477 10.3
Hawaii 36,472 8.7
Delaware 36,217 2.8
Oregon 35,883 11.1
Washington 35,870 8.4
Vermont 35,328 13.1
Minnesota 35,093 5.9
Indiana 35,068 6.5
Ohio 34,100 6.7
New Hampshire 33,931 8.7
Colorado 33,541 5.4
Virginia 32,896 5.0
Arizona 31,352 1.9
Florida 31,172 2.0
Kentucky 31,115 6.9
Texas 30,974 8.2
Kansas 30,713 9.0
Wyoming 30,317 4.6
West Virginia 30,301 16.7
Maine 30,250 6.1
Iowa 30,124 7.7
Missouri 29,421 4.0
Tennessee 29,313 3.8
South Carolina 29,151 3.0
North Carolina 29,108 2.9
Nebraska 28,768 8.2
Georgia 28,758 3.5
Arkansas 28,013 17.3
Montana 27,617 3.1
Alabama 27,490 2.3
Idaho 27,011 5.9
Utah 26,997 5.5
New Mexico 26,463 2.7
Oklahoma 26,355 8.1
Louisiana 26,074 -0.4
North Dakota 25,211 6.9
Mississippi 24,367 0.3
South Dakota 24,291 8.6
SOURCE: American Federation of Teachers, 1993 teacher-salary survey.
