Education · Rankings

Best US Cities for Teachers

Top US cities for Teachers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.

Top 10 cities by salary

#	City	Estimated salary	Cost mult.	vs national
1	Irvine, CA	$84,600	1.30×	+$21,600
2	San Francisco, CA	$82,800	1.45×	+$19,800
3	Boston, MA	$80,700	1.22×	+$17,700
4	Oakland, CA	$78,400	1.35×	+$15,400
5	New York City, NY	$77,100	1.32×	+$14,100
6	Honolulu, HI	$76,200	1.30×	+$13,200
7	Los Angeles, CA	$72,700	1.22×	+$9,700
8	Austin, TX	$72,400	1.05×	+$9,400
9	Baltimore, MD	$72,400	1.05×	+$9,400
10	San Diego, CA	$72,300	1.21×	+$9,300

All 50 cities, ranked

#	City	Salary	Hourly
1	Irvine, CA	$84,600	$41/hr
2	San Francisco, CA	$82,800	$40/hr
3	Boston, MA	$80,700	$39/hr
4	Oakland, CA	$78,400	$38/hr
5	New York City, NY	$77,100	$37/hr
6	Honolulu, HI	$76,200	$37/hr
7	Los Angeles, CA	$72,700	$35/hr
8	Austin, TX	$72,400	$35/hr
9	Baltimore, MD	$72,400	$35/hr
10	San Diego, CA	$72,300	$35/hr
11	Yonkers, NY	$71,800	$35/hr
12	Anchorage, AK	$71,800	$35/hr
13	Philadelphia, PA	$70,900	$34/hr
14	Seattle, WA	$70,900	$34/hr
15	Long Beach, CA	$70,900	$34/hr
16	Anaheim, CA	$70,900	$34/hr
17	Scottsdale, AZ	$70,900	$34/hr
18	Raleigh, NC	$69,900	$34/hr
19	Worcester, MA	$69,900	$34/hr
20	Chula Vista, CA	$69,600	$33/hr
21	Madison, WI	$69,500	$33/hr
22	Miami, FL	$68,300	$33/hr
23	Tucson, AZ	$67,900	$33/hr
24	Pittsburgh, PA	$67,500	$32/hr
25	Arlington, TX	$67,500	$32/hr
26	Tallahassee, FL	$67,500	$32/hr
27	Portland, OR	$67,400	$32/hr
28	Newark, NJ	$67,400	$32/hr
29	Sacramento, CA	$67,400	$32/hr
30	Riverside, CA	$67,400	$32/hr
31	St. Paul, MN	$66,800	$32/hr
32	Denver, CO	$66,500	$32/hr
33	Lexington, KY	$66,000	$32/hr
34	Buffalo, NY	$66,000	$32/hr
35	Knoxville, TN	$66,000	$32/hr
36	Winston-Salem, NC	$65,500	$31/hr
37	Mesa, AZ	$65,400	$31/hr
38	Chicago, IL	$65,200	$31/hr
39	Stockton, CA	$65,200	$31/hr
40	Aurora, CO	$65,200	$31/hr
41	Hialeah, FL	$65,200	$31/hr
42	Frisco, TX	$65,200	$31/hr
43	Spokane, WA	$64,900	$31/hr
44	Las Vegas, NV	$64,800	$31/hr
45	Minneapolis, MN	$64,800	$31/hr
46	Plano, TX	$64,800	$31/hr
47	Chandler, AZ	$64,800	$31/hr
48	Lincoln, NE	$64,500	$31/hr
49	Lubbock, TX	$64,000	$31/hr
50	Phoenix, AZ	$63,900	$31/hr
51	Atlanta, GA	$63,900	$31/hr
52	Tampa, FL	$63,900	$31/hr
53	Henderson, NV	$63,900	$31/hr
54	Reno, NV	$63,900	$31/hr
55	Gilbert, AZ	$63,900	$31/hr
56	Charleston, SC	$63,900	$31/hr
57	Salt Lake City, UT	$63,900	$31/hr
58	Orlando, FL	$63,400	$30/hr
59	Greensboro, NC	$63,100	$30/hr
60	Wilmington, DE	$63,000	$30/hr
61	Virginia Beach, VA	$63,000	$30/hr
62	Chesapeake, VA	$63,000	$30/hr
63	North Las Vegas, NV	$63,000	$30/hr
64	Boise, ID	$63,000	$30/hr
65	Fresno, CA	$63,000	$30/hr
66	Dallas, TX	$62,600	$30/hr
67	Nashville, TN	$62,600	$30/hr
68	Colorado Springs, CO	$62,600	$30/hr
69	Bakersfield, CA	$62,600	$30/hr
70	St. Petersburg, FL	$62,600	$30/hr
71	Norfolk, VA	$62,100	$30/hr
72	Jacksonville, FL	$61,700	$30/hr
73	Charlotte, NC	$61,700	$30/hr
74	Houston, TX	$61,200	$29/hr
75	Fort Worth, TX	$61,200	$29/hr
76	Glendale, AZ	$61,200	$29/hr
77	Garland, TX	$61,200	$29/hr
78	Milwaukee, WI	$60,400	$29/hr
79	Albuquerque, NM	$60,400	$29/hr
80	New Orleans, LA	$60,400	$29/hr
81	San Antonio, TX	$59,900	$29/hr
82	Grand Rapids, MI	$59,900	$29/hr
83	Columbus, OH	$59,500	$29/hr
84	Detroit, MI	$59,500	$29/hr
85	Cincinnati, OH	$59,500	$29/hr
86	Kansas City, MO	$59,500	$29/hr
87	Corpus Christi, TX	$59,500	$29/hr
88	El Paso, TX	$59,000	$28/hr
89	Cleveland, OH	$59,000	$28/hr
90	St. Louis, MO	$59,000	$28/hr
91	Indianapolis, IN	$58,600	$28/hr
92	Louisville, KY	$58,600	$28/hr
93	Omaha, NE	$58,600	$28/hr
94	Memphis, TN	$58,100	$28/hr
95	Oklahoma City, OK	$58,100	$28/hr
96	Birmingham, AL	$57,700	$28/hr
97	Toledo, OH	$57,700	$28/hr
98	Wichita, KS	$56,800	$27/hr
99	Fort Wayne, IN	$56,800	$27/hr
100	Mobile, AL	$56,800	$27/hr

Does location actually decide Teacher pay?

Teacher work is rarely remote, so the metro you choose still largely determines what you earn. Pay ranges from $56,800 in Mobile to $84,600 in Irvine — a spread of 49%.

Worth checking before you plan around these numbers: Teacher needs State teaching license/certification required for public schools, and reciprocity between states varies from automatic to nonexistent. The higher-paying metro is only worth what you can actually earn there after re-credentialing.

Highest-paying is not the same as best-off

The number that ranks these metros is not the number you live on. In Irvine, $84,600 against $2,600/month rent leaves roughly $53,400 a year after housing. In Mobile, $56,800 against $850 leaves about $46,600. The top still wins after rent, but by $6,800 rather than the $27,800 the headline suggests.

Why these metros and not others

The metros at the top are not simply the expensive ones; they are where the hiring is. Irvine (University of California, Irvine, Broadcom); San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Boston (Mass General Brigham, Harvard University). Depth of demand for education work is what lifts pay above the local baseline, and it is why two equally costly cities can pay this role differently.

Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which city pays Teachers the most?▾

Irvine, at roughly $84,600. Rent there averages $2,600 a month for a one-bedroom, so about $31,200 of that salary goes to housing before anything else. The metros near the top combine high local costs with concentrated education employment — the second part is what actually lifts pay above the local baseline.

Does a bigger salary here mean more money left over?▾

Usually not. The cost-adjusted column matters more than the nominal one — a Teacher earning less in a cheaper metro often keeps more. Rank by what remains after housing and tax, not by gross.

Can a Teacher work remotely from a cheaper city?▾

Largely no — the work is rarely remote. For this occupation the metro you live in and the metro that pays you are the same, which makes the ranking above a genuine relocation decision rather than something you can arbitrage.

Do I need a new license to work as a Teacher in another state?▾

Often yes. Teacher requires State teaching license/certification required for public schools, issued state by state. Some states have reciprocity agreements that make the transfer routine; others require re-examination. Confirm with the destination board before treating a higher-paying metro as reachable.