Figure B
Teachers earn 25.2% less than comparable college graduates: Public school teacher weekly wage penalty (or premium) for all teachers and by gender, 1979–2025
| Year | All | Female | Male | All | Female | Male | All | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | -7.1%] | 6.5% | -16.6% | ||||||
| 1980 | -9.30% | 4.50% | -19.20% | ||||||
| 1981 | -10.10% | 3.10% | -19.00% | ||||||
| 1982 | -10.20% | 2.80% | -19.40% | ||||||
| 1983 | -11.80% | 1.00% | -20.70% | ||||||
| 1984 | -10.00% | 2.50% | -19.70% | ||||||
| 1985 | -10.20% | 1.90% | -19.50% | ||||||
| 1986 | -8.80% | 3.20% | -18.40% | ||||||
| 1987 | -7.90% | 3.90% | -18.10% | ||||||
| 1988 | -8.00% | 5.10% | -18.20% | ||||||
| 1989 | -8.20% | 3.00% | -17.00% | ||||||
| 1990 | -7.70% | 4.00% | -17.90% | ||||||
| 1991 | -9.10% | 0.60% | -16.30% | ||||||
| 1992 | -7.00% | 3.10% | -15.60% | ||||||
| 1993 | -5.1% | 4.10% | -13.1% | -5.10% | 4.10% | -13.10% | |||
| 1994 | -5.40% | 2.70% | -13.70% | ||||||
| 1995 | -5.70% | 1.30% | -14.40% | ||||||
| 1996 | -6.10% | -0.10% | -15.10% | -6.10% | -0.10% | -15.10% | |||
| 1997 | -6.20% | 1.20% | -18.60% | ||||||
| 1998 | -9.00% | -1.50% | -20.50% | ||||||
| 1999 | -10.40% | -2.70% | -21.70% | ||||||
| 2000 | -11.80% | -5.10% | -22.70% | ||||||
| 2001 | -12.10% | -4.00% | -25.30% | ||||||
| 2002 | -12.10% | -5.10% | -24.10% | ||||||
| 2003 | -11.30% | -4.90% | -21.20% | ||||||
| 2004 | -12.80% | -6.20% | -23.30% | ||||||
| 2005 | -13.30% | -6.30% | -24.50% | ||||||
| 2006 | -15.00% | -8.00% | -27.30% | ||||||
| 2007 | -11.70% | -4.70% | -23.40% | ||||||
| 2008 | -14.50% | -7.70% | -25.70% | ||||||
| 2009 | -12.50% | -4.50% | -24.70% | ||||||
| 2010 | -11.90% | -4.60% | -23.70% | ||||||
| 2011 | -12.80% | -6.40% | -24.20% | ||||||
| 2012 | -16.00% | -10.00% | -26.20% | ||||||
| 2013 | -16.40% | -10.10% | -27.30% | ||||||
| 2014 | -16.50% | -10.50% | -26.20% | ||||||
| 2015 | -18.40% | -13.40% | -26.70% | ||||||
| 2016 | -19.40% | -12.20% | -31.60% | ||||||
| 2017 | -20.90% | -15.50% | -30.50% | ||||||
| 2018 | -22.00% | -15.90% | -31.80% | ||||||
| 2019 | -19.20% | -13.20% | -30.20% | ||||||
| 2020 | -21.60% | -15.20% | -33.80% | ||||||
| 2021 | -23.50% | -17.10% | -35.20% | ||||||
| 2022 | -26.40% | -21.30% | -36.60% | ||||||
| 2023 | -26.6%
|
-21.4%
|
-36.3%
|
||||||
| 2024 | -26.9% | -21.5% | -36.4% | ||||||
| 2025 | -25.2% | -20.0% | -34.5% | ||||||
Notes: Figure shows regression-adjusted weekly wage penalties (or premiums) for public school teachers (elementary, middle, and secondary) relative to their college-educated, nonteaching peers. Data points for 1994 and 1995 are unavailable; dotted lines represent interpolated data. 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 2026.6.10 (EPI 2026a), https://microdata.epi.org.
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