The teacher weekly wage penalty is greater than 25% in 20 states: Regression-adjusted estimates by state, pooled CPS data for 2019–2024
| State | Teacher weekly pay penalty |
|---|---|
| Colorado | -38.5% |
| Alabama | -34.3% |
| Arizona | -33.8% |
| Minnesota | -33.3% |
| Virginia | -32.7% |
| Oklahoma | -32.6% |
| Missouri | -32.5% |
| New Hampshire | -32.2% |
| Kentucky | -30.8% |
| Utah | -29.5% |
| Oregon | -29.4% |
| Michigan | -28.8% |
| Tennessee | -28.5% |
| Louisiana | -28.2% |
| Washington | -28.1% |
| Georgia | -27.5% |
| Idaho | -27.3% |
| Kansas | -27.1% |
| Maryland | -26.9% |
| North Carolina | -25.4% |
| Wisconsin | -24.6% |
| Arkansas | -24.5% |
| Nebraska | -24.5% |
| Indiana | -24.4% |
| Connecticut | -24.3% |
| Florida | -23.9% |
| Illinois | -23.7% |
| Montana | -23.2% |
| Texas | -23.0% |
| Massachusetts | -22.5% |
| West Virginia | -21.4% |
| Maine | -20.7% |
| North Dakota | -20.0% |
| California | -19.8% |
| Alaska | -19.7% |
| Hawaii | -19.6% |
| Nevada | -19.5% |
| Pennsylvania | -19.5% |
| District of Columbia | -19.5% |
| Iowa | -19.3% |
| New Mexico | -17.3% |
| Ohio | -17.3% |
| New York | -17.0% |
| Delaware | -15.9% |
| Mississippi | -15.8% |
| South Dakota | -15.8% |
| South Carolina | -14.1% |
| Vermont | -13.0% |
| New Jersey | -12.7% |
| Wyoming | -11.0% |
| Rhode Island | -10.0% |
Notes: Figure shows state-specific regression-adjusted weekly wage penalties for public school teachers (elementary, middle, and secondary) relative to their college-educated, nonteaching peers. See Allegretto and Mishel 2019, Appendix A, for more details on data and methodology.
Figure reports state-specific regression-adjusted teacher weekly wage penalties: how much less, in percentage terms, public school teachers (elementary, middle, and secondary) earn in weekly wages relative to their college-educated, nonteaching peers. College-educated workers refers to workers who have a bachelor’s degree or more education. The dependent variable is (log) weekly wages with indicator controls on public school teacher, public school teacher interacted with each state (relevant estimate), private school teacher, gender, and married, along with indicator sets on education (M.A., professional degree, Ph.D.) and race/ethnicity (Black, Hispanic, other); also included are age as a quartic, state fixed effects. See Allegretto and Mishel 2019, Appendix A, for more details on data and methodology.
Source: Author’s analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group data accessed via the EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 2025.7.10 (EPI 2025a), https://microdata.epi.org.