Digest of Education Statistics
2016 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 211.50. Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools: Selected years, 1959-60 through 2015-16
School year Current dollars Average public school teachers’ salary in
constant 2015-16 dollars1
Average public school teachers’ salary Wage and salary
accruals per
full-time-
equivalent (FTE)
employee2
Ratio of
average teachers’
salary to
accruals per
FTE employee
All teachers Elementary teachers3 Secondary teachers4 All teachers Elementary teachers3 Secondary teachers4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1959-60 $4,995 $4,815 $5,276 $4,749 1.05 $40,506 $39,046 $42,785
1961-62 5,515 5,340 5,775 5,063 1.09 43,718 42,331 45,780
1963-64 5,995 5,805 6,266 5,478 1.09 46,315 44,848 48,409
1965-66 6,485 6,279 6,761 5,934 1.09 48,427 46,889 50,488
1967-68 7,423 7,208 7,692 6,533 1.14 52,009 50,503 53,894
                 
1969-70 8,626 8,412 8,891 7,486 1.15 54,411 53,061 56,082
1970-71 9,268 9,021 9,568 7,998 1.16 55,591 54,109 57,390
1971-72 9,705 9,424 10,031 8,521 1.14 56,196 54,569 58,084
1972-73 10,174 9,893 10,507 9,056 1.12 56,630 55,066 58,484
1973-74 10,770 10,507 11,077 9,667 1.11 55,040 53,696 56,609
                 
1974-75 11,641 11,334 12,000 10,411 1.12 53,556 52,144 55,208
1975-76 12,600 12,280 12,937 11,194 1.13 54,136 52,761 55,584
1976-77 13,354 12,989 13,776 11,971 1.12 54,214 52,732 55,927
1977-78 14,198 13,845 14,602 12,811 1.11 54,014 52,671 55,551
1978-79 15,032 14,681 15,450 13,807 1.09 52,288 51,068 53,742
                 
1979-80 15,970 15,569 16,459 15,050 1.06 49,016 47,785 50,517
1980-81 17,644 17,230 18,142 16,461 1.07 48,533 47,394 49,902
1981-82 19,274 18,853 19,805 17,795 1.08 48,801 47,735 50,145
1982-83 20,695 20,227 21,291 18,873 1.10 50,241 49,104 51,687
1983-84 21,935 21,487 22,554 19,781 1.11 51,350 50,301 52,799
                 
1984-85 23,600 23,200 24,187 20,694 1.14 53,167 52,266 54,489
1985-86 25,199 24,718 25,846 21,685 1.16 55,178 54,125 56,595
1986-87 26,569 26,057 27,244 22,700 1.17 56,914 55,818 58,360
1987-88 28,034 27,519 28,798 23,777 1.18 57,663 56,604 59,235
1988-89 29,564 29,022 30,218 24,752 1.19 58,126 57,060 59,412
                 
1989-90 31,367 30,832 32,049 25,762 1.22 58,862 57,858 60,142
1990-91 33,084 32,490 33,896 26,935 1.23 58,866 57,809 60,310
1991-92 34,063 33,479 34,827 28,169 1.21 58,726 57,719 60,043
1992-93 35,029 34,350 35,880 29,245 1.20 58,562 57,427 59,985
1993-94 35,737 35,233 36,566 30,030 1.19 58,237 57,416 59,588
                 
1994-95 36,675 36,088 37,523 30,857 1.19 58,100 57,170 59,444
1995-96 37,642 37,138 38,397 31,822 1.18 58,053 57,276 59,217
1996-97 38,443 38,039 39,184 33,058 1.16 57,644 57,038 58,755
1997-98 39,350 39,002 39,944 34,638 1.14 57,970 57,457 58,845
1998-99 40,544 40,165 41,203 36,280 1.12 58,712 58,164 59,667
                 
1999-2000 41,807 41,306 42,546 38,144 1.10 58,843 58,138 59,883
2000-01 43,378 42,910 44,053 39,727 1.09 59,031 58,394 59,950
2001-02 44,655 44,177 45,310 40,589 1.10 59,712 59,073 60,588
2002-03 45,686 45,408 46,106 41,629 1.10 59,777 59,413 60,326
2003-04 46,542 46,187 46,976 43,259 1.08 59,593 59,139 60,149
                 
2004-05 47,516 47,122 47,688 44,908 1.06 59,063 58,573 59,277
2005-06 49,086 48,573 49,496 46,626 1.05 58,776 58,162 59,267
2006-07 51,052 50,740 51,529 48,713 1.05 59,589 59,225 60,146
2007-08 52,800 52,385 53,262 50,504 1.05 59,428 58,961 59,948
2008-09 54,319 53,998 54,552 51,409 1.06 60,295 59,939 60,554
                 
2009-10 55,202 54,918 55,595 52,413 1.05 60,688 60,376 61,120
2010-11 55,623 55,217 56,225 53,975 1.03 59,947 59,510 60,596
2011-12 55,418 54,704 56,226 55,398 1.00 58,026 57,279 58,872
2012-13 56,103 55,344 57,077 56,356 1.00 57,782 57,000 58,785
2013-14 56,610 56,395 56,886 57,128 0.99 57,407 57,189 57,687
                 
2014-15 57,420 57,092 57,678 58,775 0.98 57,808 57,478 58,068
2015-16 58,064 57,598 59,568 58,064 57,598 59,568
—Not available.
1 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.
2 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.
3 Teachers at schools that are classified as elementary by state and local practice and composed of any span of grades not above grade 8. Preschool or kindergarten schools are included only if they are an integral part of an elementary school or a regularly established school system.
4 Teachers at schools comprising any span of grades beginning with the next grade following an elementary or middle school (usually 7, 8, or 9) and ending with or below grade 12. Includes both junior high schools and senior high schools.
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 2015-16; and unpublished tabulations. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts, table 6.6D, retrieved August 23, 2016, from http://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=9&step=1#reqid=9&step=3&isuri=1&903=201. (This table was prepared August 2016.)

2016 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest