Elementary & middle school teachers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

3.4M

Average Age

42.9

Average Salary

$51,283

Average Male Salary

$56,406

Average Female Salary

$49,957

About

Elementary & middle school teachers are most often employed by the Elementary & secondary schools industry. The average yearly wage for Elementary & middle school teachers was $51,283 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Elementary & middle school teachers by wage are Loan interviewers & clerks, Riggers, and Heating, air conditioning, & refrigeration mechanics & installers.

Elementary & middle school teachers are part of the Education, Training, & Library Occupations, along with Postsecondary teachers, Preschool & kindergarten teachers, Elementary & middle school teachers, Secondary school teachers, Special education teachers, and 7 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Elementary & middle school teachers are Forsyth County PUMA, GA, Fort Bend County (West & South) PUMA, TX, and Fort Worth (Northwest) & Saginaw Cities PUMA, TX. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Elementary & middle school teachers are Hempstead Town (East Central) PUMA, NY, Carr 2 (Sur) PUMA, PR, and Edinburg City PUMA, TX.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Elementary & middle school teachers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Elementary & secondary schools is the industry that employs the most Elementary & middle school teachers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Elementary & middle school teachers, by average wage, is Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers. Elementary & middle school teachers are paid most in Murray Hill, Gramercy & Stuyvesant Town PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Hempstead Town (East Central) PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$51,283

AVERAGE SALARY

± $389

In 2020, Elementary & middle school teachers earned an average of $51,283, $4,671 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Loan interviewers & clerks make somewhat more than Elementary & middle school teachers while Riggers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Elementary & middle school teachers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.284

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Elementary & middle school teachers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.284, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Elementary & middle school teachers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Elementary & middle school teachers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Elementary & middle school teachers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Elementary & middle school teachers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Elementary & middle school teachers, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Other schools & instruction and educational support services, Religious organizations, Business, technical & trade schools and training, Child day care services, Employment services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Justice, public order, & safety activities , Amusement & Recreation, Individual & family services, and Museums, art galleries, historical sites, & similar institutions.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Elementary & middle school teachers, by average wage, are Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, and Administration of human resource programs.

Industries by Share

3.4M

2020 Workforce

± 44,728

−3.76%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 1.92%

The number of people employed as Elementary & middle school teachers has been declining at a rate of −3.76%, from 3,529,438 people in 2019 to 3,396,906 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Elementary & middle school teachers employed by various industries. Elementary & secondary schools employs the largest share of Elementary & middle school teachers at 99.2%, followed by Other schools & instruction and educational support services with 0.132% and Religious organizations with 0.126%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Elementary & middle school teachers in the US. The average age of male Elementary & middle school teachers in the workforce is 43.1 and of female Elementary & middle school teachers is 42.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Elementary & middle school teachers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

699k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 20,472

2.7M

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 39,961

79.4% of Elementary & middle school teachers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Elementary & middle school teachers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Elementary & middle school teachers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

75.2% of Elementary & middle school teachers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 9.37% of Elementary & middle school teachers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Elementary & middle school teachers.

Age by Sex

43.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.37

42.9

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.183

The median age of Elementary & middle school teachers is 42.9, and Male employees are generally 0.217 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Elementary & middle school teachers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Elementary & middle school teachers is Education but a relatively high number of Elementary & middle school teachers hold a major in Education.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Elementary & middle school teachers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Elementary & middle school teachers need many skills, but most especially Learning Strategies, Instructing, and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Elementary & middle school teachers need more than the average amount of Learning Strategies, Instructing, and Social Perceptiveness.