Average weekly wages of public school teachers and other college graduates, 1979–2017 (2017 dollars)
| Year | College graduates | Public teachers | College graduates | Public teachers | College graduates | Public teachers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | $1,202.31 | $944.51 | ||||
| 1980 | $1,168.93 | $911.12 | ||||
| 1981 | $1,162.98 | $918.59 | ||||
| 1982 | $1,169.53 | $931.30 | ||||
| 1983 | $1,169.51 | $942.70 | ||||
| 1984 | $1,175.28 | $977.22 | ||||
| 1985 | $1,187.27 | $998.09 | ||||
| 1986 | $1,264.53 | $1,041.65 | ||||
| 1987 | $1,275.58 | $1,062.18 | ||||
| 1988 | $1,275.65 | $1,078.94 | ||||
| 1989 | $1,330.24 | $1,091.37 | ||||
| 1990 | $1,326.45 | $1,095.55 | ||||
| 1991 | $1,321.90 | $1,089.39 | ||||
| 1992 | $1,333.03 | $1,100.62 | ||||
| 1993 | $1,336.95 | $1,121.09 | $1,336.95 | $1,121.09 | ||
| 1994 | $1,339.46 | $1,184.78 | ||||
| 1995 | $1,346.25 | $1,174.13 | ||||
| 1996 | $1,339.45 | $1,163.66 | $1,339.45 | $1,163.66 | ||
| 1997 | $1,352.61 | $1,155.74 | ||||
| 1998 | $1,445.36 | $1,169.99 | ||||
| 1999 | $1,486.92 | $1,172.37 | ||||
| 2000 | $1,500.26 | $1,172.38 | ||||
| 2001 | $1,518.80 | $1,159.40 | ||||
| 2002 | $1,528.62 | $1,170.13 | ||||
| 2003 | $1,528.59 | $1,183.30 | ||||
| 2004 | $1,518.71 | $1,189.21 | ||||
| 2005 | $1,508.58 | $1,152.96 | ||||
| 2006 | $1,501.65 | $1,139.42 | ||||
| 2007 | $1,485.77 | $1,144.65 | ||||
| 2008 | $1,472.95 | $1,136.68 | ||||
| 2009 | $1,500.51 | $1,177.93 | ||||
| 2010 | $1,490.82 | $1,194.62 | ||||
| 2011 | $1,460.82 | $1,150.94 | ||||
| 2012 | $1,446.30 | $1,134.24 | ||||
| 2013 | $1,444.94 | $1,128.24 | ||||
| 2014 | $1,441.07 | $1,112.40 | ||||
| 2015 | $1,464.83 | $1,130.23 | ||||
| 2016 | $1,486.85 | $1,142.12 | ||||
| 2017 | $1,476.01 | $1,137.03 |
Note: Teachers are elementary, middle, and secondary public school teachers. "College graduates" excludes public school teachers. Non-imputed data are unavailable for 1994 and 1995; data points for these years have been extrapolated and are represented by dotted lines (see Appendix A for more details).
Note: Teachers are elementary, middle, and secondary public school teachers. "College graduates" excludes public school teachers. Wages are adjusted to 2017 dollars using the CPI-U-RS. Data are for workers age 18–64 with positive wages (excluding self-employed workers). Non-imputed data are unavailable for 1994 and 1995; data points for these years have been extrapolated and are represented by dotted lines (see Appendix A for more details).
Source: Authors' analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group data