Teacher Starting Salaries During the 2020–2021 v. 2021–2022 School Year (USA)
How badly are our teachers getting paid? In our current world, the unfortunate fact is that teachers have been globally known to be underpaid and overworked. The main question then becomes, ‘How bad is it, and can we fix it?’. The truth of the matter is that we are severely underpaying the people who are helping raise future generations.
To give perspective, the above map shows the current starting salary for teachers worldwide as of 2023. By looking at the world, the United States is in the green. However, the average cost of living in the United States is $3,000, and the average salary is $34,850, making the monthly paycheck about $2,180. That leaves teachers with $820 for emergencies and savings, which is insufficient.
Teachers leave this career and enter the corporate world for many reasons, including lack of pay. Teachers are finally standing up for themselves by requesting more pay, which should have been done many years ago. In comparison, from one year to the next, the pay is getting better for certain states like Illinois; however, most states are underpaid.
Each area of the U.S. has a different lifestyle, which also means the cost of living is different. For the states that are highlighted green, the reason their pay is high is due to the student-teacher ratio. In the states highlighted in red pay is low due to the lack of enrollment and funding. The more enrollment a state gets, the more funding it gets from the government, which can afford better teacher salaries.
Although these salary estimates are not where teachers want them, it is an improvement. The states are getting more school funding, so the teachers get raises, updated curricula, and supplies. This will be an uphill battle, but it will happen, and teachers will be paid what they should be getting paid.
As shown from the maps above, there are not enough changes for teachers in terms of pay throughout the United States. However, we are paying teachers more than the rest of the world. Teachers should be paid sufficiently so they can live comfortably in the state they choose to live in.