Teachers across the United States continued to earn significantly less than similarly educated workers in other professions in 2025, with the pay gap higher than 25 percent in half the country, according to a new report. The report, released by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), found that the nationwide teacher pay penalty stood at an estimated 25.2 percent in 2025, meaning teachers earned about a quarter less than comparable college graduates in other professions. While that marked a slight improvement from the record-high penalty of 26.9 percent in 2024, it remained more than four times higher than the 6.1 percent gap recorded in 1996.
Teaching is among the lowest-paid jobs requiring a college degree, with average teacher salaries failing to keep up with inflation. Education advocates have long argued that the low pay discourages talented graduates from entering the profession and pushes experienced teachers to leave for higher-paying careers. Advocates argue that competitive wages for teachers are critical as school districts across the country grapple with teacher shortages and face challenges recruiting and retaining experienced educators.
The data showed variations in the teacher pay gap among states, but that teachers earned 25 percent less than comparable college graduates in other professions in 25 states. Colorado saw the highest gap—40.7 percent—between what teachers were paid compared to college graduates in other professions, followed by Missouri with 35.9 percent, Arizona with 34.6 percent and New Hampshire with 33.8 percent. Rhode Island saw the smallest teacher pay penalty at 10.4 percent.
The report also highlighted a long-running trend in which teacher earnings have failed to keep pace with wages in other professions requiring a college degree. Inflation-adjusted weekly wages for public schoolteachers declined 6.2 percent over the past three decades, the report said. By contrast, weekly wages for other college graduates increased 28.8 percent during the same period.
It found that the average weekly wage of public schoolteachers was $1,472 in 2025, while it was $2,396 for other college graduates. Teachers typically receive better benefits packages than other professionals, according to the report. But even after accounting for the difference in benefits, teachers were still left with a total compensation gap of 14.5 percent in 2025, according to the report.
The report also found the pay gap has been particularly pronounced for men in the teaching profession. Male teachers earned 34.5 percent less in 2025 compared to comparable college graduates working in other occupations, up from 20.5 percent in 1960. Female teachers earned 6.5 percent more than comparable college graduates in 1960, though that has fallen in the years since.
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