Teacher Salary vs Student-Teacher Ratio by State 2026: Chart Analysis
Average public school teacher pay varies widely across states, but higher nominal pay does not map neatly to lower pupil/teacher ratios. Matching NEA's 2025-26 estimated teacher salaries with NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 final pupil/teacher ratios produces a near-zero state-level relationship.
Salary estimates cover all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NCES does not report a 2024-25 teacher FTE value for Tennessee, so the full table retains Tennessee while correlation and ratio-based comparisons use 50 matched jurisdictions.
Salary and Staffing Statistics
The salary benchmark is NEA's national 2025-26 estimate. The ratio benchmark is the median of the 50 jurisdictions with published NCES pupil/teacher ratios.
Teacher Pay and Pupil/Teacher Ratio by State
Each plotted jurisdiction has both a 2025-26 NEA salary estimate and a 2024-25 NCES pupil/teacher ratio.
Average Teacher Salary vs. Students per Teacher FTE
X-axis: estimated average teacher salary. Y-axis: public school membership per teacher FTE.
The fitted line is nearly flat. Higher nominal statewide salary is not paired with systematically lower pupil/teacher ratios in this cross-state match.
Relationship details
- The fitted slope is about +0.12 students per teacher for each $10,000 of salary, a small descriptive change across the observed range.
- 9 jurisdictions fall above the U.S. salary benchmark and below the ratio median, while 7 fall above both benchmarks.
Teacher Salary and Pupil/Teacher Ratio for All States and DC
Salary rank is based on the displayed 2025-26 NEA estimate. Lower-ratio rank assigns rank 1 to the lowest published NCES ratio. The salary-staffing group uses $76,552 and 13.75 as the two reference values.
| Salary rank | State | Salary | Pupil/teacher ratio | Lower-ratio rank | Region | Salary-staffing group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $105,726 | 21.7 | 50 | West | Above U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 2 | New York | $100,367 | 11.6 | 6 | Northeast | Above U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 3 | Washington | $99,649 | 17.9 | 45 | West | Above U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $96,971 | 10.9 | 2 | South | Above U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $96,165 | 11.9 | 9 | Northeast | Above U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 6 | Connecticut | $91,081 | 11.8 | 7 | Northeast | Above U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 7 | Maryland | $90,741 | 14.1 | 29 | South | Above U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $88,120 | 12.9 | 14 | Northeast | Above U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 9 | New Jersey | $86,096 | 11.8 | 7 | Northeast | Above U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 10 | Oregon | $83,727 | 17.4 | 41 | West | Above U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 11 | Alaska | $82,629 | 18.9 | 47 | West | Above U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $81,142 | 13.0 | 15 | Northeast | Above U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 13 | Illinois | $80,077 | 13.4 | 18 | Midwest | Above U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 14 | Delaware | $78,614 | 14.8 | 31 | South | Above U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 15 | Minnesota | $78,007 | 15.0 | 33 | Midwest | Above U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 16 | Hawaii | $77,812 | 13.7 | 22 | West | Above U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 17 | Utah | $75,306 | 21.6 | 49 | West | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 18 | Nevada | $75,074 | 19.5 | 48 | West | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 19 | Colorado | $74,790 | 16.2 | 37 | West | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 20 | Vermont | $73,694 | 10.3 | 1 | Northeast | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 21 | Michigan | $73,088 | 16.5 | 39 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 22 | Georgia | $72,758 | 14.1 | 29 | South | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 23 | Virginia | $72,014 | 13.3 | 17 | South | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 24 | Ohio | $71,868 | 16.6 | 40 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $71,857 | 11.4 | 4 | Northeast | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 26 | New Mexico | $71,057 | 12.4 | 11 | West | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $68,943 | 13.6 | 21 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 28 | Maine | $68,820 | 11.0 | 3 | Northeast | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 29 | Texas | $68,001 | 14.9 | 32 | South | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 30 | Wyoming | $67,914 | 12.1 | 10 | West | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 31 | South Carolina | $67,107 | 13.8 | 26 | South | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 32 | Iowa | $67,041 | 13.9 | 28 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 33 | Arizona | $66,748 | 17.8 | 44 | West | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 34 | Idaho | $66,085 | 17.7 | 43 | West | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 35 | Nebraska | $64,854 | 13.7 | 22 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 36 | Alabama | $64,466 | 17.4 | 41 | South | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 37 | Kansas | $63,411 | 13.2 | 16 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 38 | Indiana | $63,116 | 15.4 | 34 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 39 | Tennessee | $62,941 | N/A | N/A | South | Ratio unavailable |
| 40 | Kentucky | $62,457 | 15.4 | 34 | South | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 41 | North Dakota | $62,325 | 11.5 | 5 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $62,055 | 16.2 | 37 | South | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 43 | South Dakota | $60,451 | 13.8 | 26 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 44 | Montana | $60,392 | 13.7 | 22 | West | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 45 | Arkansas | $60,120 | 12.5 | 12 | South | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 46 | North Carolina | $59,971 | 16.0 | 36 | South | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 47 | Missouri | $59,534 | 12.6 | 13 | Midwest | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 48 | West Virginia | $58,281 | 13.4 | 18 | South | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 49 | Florida | $58,069 | 18.3 | 46 | South | Below U.S. salary / higher ratio |
| 50 | Louisiana | $57,660 | 13.7 | 22 | South | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
| 51 | Mississippi | $56,504 | 13.5 | 20 | South | Below U.S. salary / lower ratio |
Coverage and ranking notes
- Tennessee remains in the 51-row table with a 2025-26 salary estimate, but its 2024-25 NCES ratio and lower-ratio rank are unavailable.
- Ratio ties share the same lower-ratio rank; salary ranks are derived from the 51 displayed salary estimates.
Where Salary and Staffing Patterns Separate
The paired data reveal several combinations that a salary ranking or ratio ranking alone does not show.
Above U.S. Salary, Lower Ratio
9 jurisdictions: New York, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Hawaii.
Above U.S. Salary, Higher Ratio
7 jurisdictions: California, Washington, Maryland, Oregon, Alaska, Delaware, and Minnesota.
Below U.S. Salary, Lower Ratio
16 jurisdictions, including Vermont, North Dakota, Arkansas, Missouri, Maine, and New Mexico.
Below U.S. Salary, Higher Ratio
18 jurisdictions, including Utah, Nevada, Florida, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, and Ohio.
Nearly Equal Salaries, Very Different Ratios
Close salary values can sit beside large staffing-ratio differences.
New Hampshire vs. Ohio
Estimated salaries differ by only $11: $71,857 in New Hampshire and $71,868 in Ohio. Their pupil/teacher ratios are 11.4 and 16.6, a 5.2-student gap.
New York vs. Washington
Estimated salaries differ by $718: $100,367 in New York and $99,649 in Washington. Their ratios are 11.6 and 17.9.
Vermont vs. Nevada
Estimated salaries differ by $1,380: $73,694 in Vermont and $75,074 in Nevada. Their ratios are 10.3 and 19.5.
Equal Ratios, Different Salaries
The reverse pattern also appears: identical statewide ratios can accompany large salary differences.
Illinois vs. West Virginia
Both report a 13.4 pupil/teacher ratio. Estimated salaries are $80,077 and $58,281, a difference of $21,796.
Hawaii vs. Louisiana
Both report a 13.7 ratio. Estimated salaries are $77,812 and $57,660, a difference of $20,152.
Oregon vs. Alabama
Both report a 17.4 ratio. Estimated salaries are $83,727 and $64,466, a difference of $19,261.
Average Pupil/Teacher Ratio by Salary Band
Unweighted averages across the 50 jurisdictions with both measures.
Average ratios do not decline steadily as salary bands rise. The $75,000-$89,999 band has the highest average ratio among the five groups.
Salary-band details
- The $75,000-$89,999 band averages 15.64 students per teacher, compared with 14.10 in the $65,000-$74,999 band.
- The $90,000+ band has a median ratio of 11.9 but an average of 14.27, showing how high-ratio jurisdictions pull the mean upward.
Regional Salary and Staffing Pattern
Regional values are unweighted averages of matched jurisdictions using the four Census regions.
| Region | Matched jurisdictions | Average salary | Average ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 9 | $84,149 | 11.74 |
| Midwest | 12 | $67,726 | 14.10 |
| South | 16 | $67,862 | 14.52 |
| West | 13 | $77,455 | 16.97 |
Regional differences
- The Northeast has the highest regional average salary and the lowest average ratio in the matched data.
- The West has the second-highest average salary but the highest average ratio, reinforcing the weak national salary-ratio pattern.
Same-Year Salary Sensitivity Check
Using 2024-25 salary data with the 2024-25 NCES ratio tests whether the one-year reporting offset drives the main result.
The near-zero relationship changes very little when salary and ratio are aligned to the same school year.
How the Two Measures Should Be Interpreted
The comparison is useful for describing state-level patterns, but the two indicators measure different parts of public school staffing.
Average Salary Is Not Starting Salary
The NEA measure is the statewide average salary of public school teachers. It does not represent a beginning salary, a district salary schedule, or an individual teacher's pay.
Pupil/Teacher Ratio Is Not Class Size
NCES calculates the ratio from student membership and teacher full-time equivalents. A statewide value does not report the number of students assigned to a typical classroom.
Nominal Pay Is Not Cost-Adjusted Pay
The salary values are current-dollar statewide averages. Regional price differences are not removed, so the ranking does not measure purchasing power.
State Averages Hide District Variation
District salary schedules, vacancies, enrollment patterns, teacher experience, grade span, and school organization can vary widely inside the same state.
Data Sources, Definitions, and Comparability
National Education Association, Rankings of the States 2025 and Estimates of School Statistics 2026, August 2026 update, Table E-6. The 2025-26 values are estimates of average public school teacher salaries.
National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2024-25 Final Version 1a, Summary Table 2. Teacher counts are full-time equivalents and student membership excludes adult education students.
The salary series contains 50 states and the District of Columbia. NCES does not publish a 2024-25 teacher FTE count or pupil/teacher ratio for Tennessee, leaving 50 matched jurisdictions for correlation, regional averages, and ratio-based ranks.
Salary rank is ordered from highest to lowest across 51 jurisdictions. Lower-ratio rank is ordered from lowest to highest across the 50 published ratios. Pearson correlation, ordinary least-squares R², salary bands, regional averages, and the 13.75 ratio median are calculated from the displayed official-source values.
Salary values are shown to the nearest dollar as published by NEA. NCES pupil/teacher ratios are shown to one decimal place. Regional and model statistics use unweighted jurisdiction-level observations. Tied ratio values receive the same lower-ratio rank. No cost-of-living, enrollment, poverty, vacancy, teacher-experience, or district-level adjustment is applied.
The scatter combines a projected 2025-26 salary series with final 2024-25 staffing ratios. The same-year 2024-25 sensitivity check produces nearly the same correlation, but the comparison remains descriptive. It does not estimate the effect of teacher pay on hiring, retention, vacancies, staffing decisions, or class size.