The most recent teacher pay rankings for all 50 states now shows North Carolina at the top…at least for teacher pay increase (we are still 41st in amount paid to teachers).
The National Education Association data shows that North Carolina has moved up six spots in the rankings of average teacher salaries since the 2013-2014 school year (from 47th to 41st), the single-biggest improvement of any state in the country. North Carolina has also seen the largest average gains in teacher pay in the country over that same time period, according to the data.
During the 2015-2016 school year, North Carolina’s average teacher salary of $47,985 ranked 41st in the nation. When the data is adjusted for cost-of-living, North Carolina actually ranks 33rd in the nation for teacher pay, according to the John Locke Foundation.
From 2002 to 2013, under the leadership of Mike Easley and Beverly Perdue our state’s teacher pay rate dropped dramatically, from 19th in the nation, way down to 47th. Although Governor McCrory has angered many residents by supporting the i77 toll roads and the HB2 bill, he’s certainly doing well on the teacher pay front (although we still have a long way to go).
Here are the most recent NEA figures;
National Average Teacher Pay
2015-16 Av. Pay | 2015-16 Rank | 2013-14 Av. Pay | 2013-14 Rank | Ranking Improvement | Av. Pay Increase (%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | 49,781 | 35 | 48,720 | 35 | 0 | 2.2% |
Alaska | 67,443 | 7 | 65,891 | 7 | 0 | 2.4% |
Arizona | 45,477 | 47 | 45,335 | 45 | -2 | 0.3% |
Arkansas | 48,220 | 40 | 47,319 | 41 | 1 | 1.9% |
California | 72,842 | 4 | 71,396 | 4 | 0 | 2.0% |
Colorado | 50,039 | 34 | 49,615 | 31 | -3 | 0.9% |
Connecticut | 72,013 | 5 | 70,583 | 5 | 0 | 2.0% |
Delaware | 59,085 | 14 | 59,305 | 13 | -1 | -0.4% |
District of Columbia | 75,810 | 3 | 73,162 | 3 | 0 | 3.6% |
Florida | 49,199 | 36 | 47,780 | 39 | 3 | 3.0% |
Georgia | 54,190 | 24 | 52,924 | 24 | 0 | 2.4% |
Hawaii | 57,431 | 18 | 56,291 | 17 | -1 | 2.0% |
Idaho | 45,409 | 48 | 44,465 | 49 | 1 | 2.1% |
Illinois | 61,342 | 12 | 60,124 | 12 | 0 | 2.0% |
Indiana | 50,715 | 31 | 50,289 | 27 | -4 | 0.8% |
Iowa | 54,416 | 23 | 52,032 | 25 | 2 | 4.6% |
Kansas | 49,197 | 37 | 48,221 | 38 | 1 | 2.0% |
Kentucky | 51,666 | 27 | 50,560 | 26 | -1 | 2.2% |
Louisiana | 46,733 | 44 | 49,067 | 34 | -10 | -4.8% |
Maine | 50,229 | 33 | 49,232 | 33 | 0 | 2.0% |
Maryland | 66,482 | 8 | 64,546 | 9 | 1 | 3.0% |
Massachusetts | 76,981 | 2 | 73,195 | 2 | 0 | 5.2% |
Michigan | 63,878 | 11 | 62,166 | 11 | 0 | 2.8% |
Minnesota | 56,910 | 20 | 54,752 | 21 | 1 | 3.9% |
Mississippi | 42,744 | 50 | 42,187 | 50 | 0 | 1.3% |
Missouri | 47,849 | 42 | 46,750 | 42 | 0 | 2.4% |
Montana | 51,215 | 29 | 49,893 | 28 | -1 | 2.6% |
Nebraska | 51,364 | 28 | 49,539 | 32 | 4 | 3.7% |
Nevada | 56,943 | 19 | 55,813 | 20 | 1 | 2.0% |
New Hampshire | 58,802 | 16 | 57,057 | 15 | -1 | 3.1% |
New Jersey | 69,330 | 6 | 68,238 | 6 | 0 | 1.6% |
New Mexico | 47,163 | 43 | 45,727 | 43 | 0 | 3.1% |
New York | 77,957 | 1 | 76,409 | 1 | 0 | 2.0% |
North Carolina | 47,985 | 41 | 44,990 | 47 | 6 | 6.7% |
North Dakota | 50,237 | 32 | 48,666 | 36 | 4 | 3.2% |
Ohio | 56,410 | 21 | 55,913 | 19 | -2 | 0.9% |
Oklahoma | 44,921 | 49 | 44,549 | 48 | -1 | 0.8% |
Oregon | 60,064 | 13 | 58,638 | 14 | 1 | 2.4% |
Pennsylvania | 64,991 | 10 | 63,701 | 10 | 0 | 2.0% |
Rhode Island | 66,197 | 9 | 64,696 | 8 | -1 | 2.3% |
South Carolina | 48,542 | 39 | 48,430 | 37 | -2 | 0.2% |
South Dakota | 42,025 | 51 | 40,023 | 51 | 0 | 5.0% |
Tennessee | 48,708 | 38 | 47,742 | 40 | 2 | 2.0% |
Texas | 51,758 | 26 | 49,690 | 30 | 4 | 4.2% |
Utah | 46,042 | 45 | 45,695 | 44 | -1 | 0.8% |
Vermont | 58,901 | 15 | 55,958 | 18 | 3 | 5.3% |
Virginia | 50,834 | 30 | 49,826 | 29 | -1 | 2.0% |
Washington | 52,539 | 25 | 52,969 | 23 | -2 | -0.8% |
West Virginia | 45,977 | 46 | 45,086 | 46 | 0 | 2.0% |
Wisconsin | 54,766 | 22 | 53,679 | 22 | 0 | 2.0% |
Wyoming | 57,761 | 17 | 56,583 | 16 | -1 | 2.1% |