How big is the teaching penalty in your state?: Depending on the state, the relative teaching penalty ranges from 10.0% to 38.5% less than comparable college-educated workers
| State | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Alabama | -34.3% |
| Alaska | -19.7% |
| Arizona | -33.8% |
| Arkansas | -24.5% |
| California | -19.8% |
| Colorado | -38.5% |
| Connecticut | -24.3% |
| Delaware | -15.9% |
| District of Columbia | -19.5% |
| Florida | -23.9% |
| Georgia | -27.5% |
| Hawaii | -19.6% |
| Idaho | -27.3% |
| Illinois | -23.7% |
| Indiana | -24.4% |
| Iowa | -19.3% |
| Kansas | -27.1% |
| Kentucky | -30.8% |
| Louisiana | -28.2% |
| Maine | -20.7% |
| Maryland | -26.9% |
| Massachusetts | -22.5% |
| Michigan | -28.8% |
| Minnesota | -33.3% |
| Mississippi | -15.8% |
| Missouri | -32.5% |
| Montana | -23.2% |
| Nebraska | -24.5% |
| Nevada | -19.5% |
| New Hampshire | -32.2% |
| New Jersey | -12.7% |
| New Mexico | -17.3% |
| New York | -17.0% |
| North Carolina | -25.4% |
| North Dakota | -20.0% |
| Ohio | -17.3% |
| Oklahoma | -32.6% |
| Oregon | -29.4% |
| Pennsylvania | -19.5% |
| Rhode Island | -10.0% |
| South Carolina | -14.1% |
| South Dakota | -15.8% |
| Tennessee | -28.5% |
| Texas | -23.0% |
| Utah | -29.5% |
| Vermont | -13.0% |
| Virginia | -32.7% |
| Washington | -28.1% |
| West Virginia | -21.4% |
| Wisconsin | -24.6% |
| Wyoming | -11.0% |
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.