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Digest of Education Statistics
2012 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 90. Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools: Selected years, 1959-60 through 2011-12
School year Current dollars Average public school teachers' salary in
constant 2011-12 dollars2
Average public school teachers' salary Wage and salary accruals per full-time-equivalent (FTE) employee1 Ratio of average teachers' salary to accruals per FTE employee
All teachers Elementary teachers Secondary teachers All teachers Elementary teachers Secondary teachers
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1959-60 $4,995 $4,815 $5,276 $4,749 1.05 $38,685 $37,291 $40,861
1961-62 5,515 5,340 5,775 5,063 1.09 41,753 40,428 43,722
1963-64 5,995 5,805 6,266 5,478 1.09 44,234 42,832 46,233
1965-66 6,485 6,279 6,761 5,934 1.09 46,250 44,781 48,219
1967-68 7,423 7,208 7,692 6,533 1.14 49,671 48,232 51,471
                 
1969-70 8,626 8,412 8,891 7,486 1.15 51,965 50,676 53,561
1970-71 9,268 9,021 9,568 7,998 1.16 53,092 51,677 54,810
1971-72 9,705 9,424 10,031 8,521 1.14 53,670 52,116 55,473
1972-73 10,174 9,893 10,507 9,056 1.12 54,084 52,591 55,855
1973-74 10,770 10,507 11,077 9,667 1.11 52,566 51,282 54,064
                 
1974-75 11,641 11,334 12,000 10,411 1.12 51,148 49,800 52,726
1975-76 12,600 12,280 12,937 11,194 1.13 51,702 50,389 53,085
1976-77 13,354 12,989 13,776 11,971 1.12 51,777 50,362 53,413
1977-78 14,198 13,845 14,602 12,811 1.11 51,586 50,303 53,054
1978-79 15,032 14,681 15,450 13,807 1.09 49,938 48,772 51,327
                 
1979-80 15,970 15,569 16,459 15,050 1.06 46,813 45,637 48,246
1980-81 17,644 17,230 18,142 16,461 1.07 46,351 45,263 47,659
1981-82 19,274 18,853 19,805 17,795 1.08 46,607 45,589 47,891
1982-83 20,695 20,227 21,291 18,873 1.10 47,982 46,897 49,364
1983-84 21,935 21,487 22,554 19,781 1.11 49,042 48,040 50,426
                 
1984-85 23,600 23,200 24,187 20,694 1.14 50,777 49,916 52,040
1985-86 25,199 24,718 25,846 21,685 1.16 52,698 51,692 54,051
1986-87 26,569 26,057 27,244 22,700 1.17 54,356 53,308 55,737
1987-88 28,034 27,519 28,798 23,777 1.18 55,071 54,059 56,572
1988-89 29,564 29,022 30,218 24,752 1.19 55,513 54,495 56,741
                 
1989-90 31,367 30,832 32,049 25,762 1.22 56,216 55,257 57,438
1990-91 33,084 32,490 33,896 26,935 1.23 56,220 55,210 57,599
1991-92 34,063 33,479 34,827 28,169 1.21 56,086 55,124 57,344
1992-93 35,029 34,350 35,880 29,245 1.20 55,930 54,845 57,288
1993-94 35,737 35,233 36,566 30,030 1.19 55,619 54,835 56,909
                 
1994-95. 36,675 36,088 37,523 30,857 1.19 55,489 54,601 56,772
1995-96. 37,642 37,138 38,397 31,822 1.18 55,443 54,701 56,555
1996-97. 38,443 38,039 39,184 33,058 1.16 55,052 54,474 56,114
1997-98 39,350 39,002 39,944 34,635 1.14 55,364 54,874 56,200
1998-99 40,544 40,165 41,203 36,306 1.12 56,073 55,549 56,985
                 
1999-2000 41,807 41,306 42,546 38,176 1.10 56,198 55,524 57,191
2000-01 43,378 42,910 44,053 39,722 1.09 56,378 55,770 57,255
2001-02 44,655 44,177 45,310 40,579 1.10 57,028 56,417 57,864
2002-03 45,686 45,408 46,106 41,704 1.10 57,090 56,742 57,615
2003-04 46,542 46,187 46,976 43,301 1.07 56,914 56,480 57,445
                 
2004-05 47,516 47,122 47,688 44,941 1.06 56,408 55,940 56,612
2005-06 49,086 48,573 49,496 46,755 1.05 56,134 55,547 56,603
2006-07 51,052 50,740 51,529 48,867 1.04 56,911 56,563 57,442
2007-08 52,800 52,385 53,262 50,670 1.04 56,756 56,310 57,253
2008-09 54,319 53,998 54,552 51,608 1.05 57,585 57,245 57,832
                 
2009-10 55,202 54,918 55,595 52,533 1.05 57,960 57,662 58,373
2010-11 55,623 55,217 56,225 53,974 1.03 57,253 56,835 57,872
2011-12 56,643 56,384 57,008 56,643 56,384 57,008
—Not available.
1 The average monetary remuneration earned by FTE employees across all industries in a given year, including wages, salaries, commissions, tips, bonuses, voluntary employee contributions to certain deferred compensation plans, and receipts in kind that represent income. Calendar-year data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, have been converted to a school-year basis by averaging the two appropriate calendar years in each case.
2 Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index, prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis.
NOTE: Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Standard errors are not available for these estimates, which are based on state reports.
SOURCE: National Education Association, Estimates of School Statistics, 1959-60 through 2011-12; and unpublished tabulations. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts, tables 6.6B-D, retrieved November 2, 2011, from http://www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/SelectTable.asp. (This table was prepared May 2012.)

2012 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest