NEA reports continue to show lagging pay for U.S. educators amidst gains

U.S. educators continue to face challenges with insufficient wages and a lack of recognition for their professional contributions, according to four new reports released by the National Education Association (NEA). These reports highlight ongoing issues of educator pay and public school funding from pre-kindergarten through college, emphasizing the difficulty schools face in attracting and retaining quality educators, alongside morale issues within the profession.

Despite some progress, financial compensation for educators is still not keeping up with inflation. Teacher pay has seen the most substantial year-over-year increase in over a decade, partly due to advocacy by NEA members and supportive elected leaders. States like California, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon have made noticeable advancements in teacher salaries. Meanwhile, Montana and Rhode Island have taken steps toward increasing pay for K-12 education support professionals. Faculty pay at public four-year universities has seen improvement in Maryland, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

However, significant challenges persist in addressing the teacher pay penalty and ensuring fair wages for all educators to strengthen public school systems. NEA President Becky Pringle commented on the situation, stating, "In some states, educators are seeing long-overdue pay increases, thanks to union-led advocacy, but overall, educator pay is still not keeping up with inflation. This hard-won progress is now under threat from the Trump administration's careless, callous, and reckless actions, and students will pay the price."

The reports, including NEA's "Rankings and Estimates," "Teacher Salary Benchmark Report," "Education Support Professional Earnings Report," and "Higher Education Faculty Salary Analysis," provide comprehensive data on salary trends and disparities nationwide. During 2023-2024, the national average public school teacher salary increased by 3.8% to $72,030, with a projected 3% rise for 2024-2025. However, real earnings have seen a 5% decrease over the past decade, failing to keep pace with inflation.

Additionally, a large portion of school districts continue to offer starting salaries below $50,000, and full-time faculty wages have not returned to pre-pandemic levels after adjusting for inflation. NEA data also demonstrate that unionized teachers and support staff earn more on average in states with collective bargaining laws.

Pringle further criticized external influences on public education, adding, "As Donald Trump and Elon Musk attempt to take a chainsaw to public education so that billionaires can get another tax cut, our students will pay the price."

For more detailed information on these findings, the NEA provides access to salary data reports on its website.

For the full NEA reports, please visit www.nea.org/educatorpay.