Money · 1 of 5
What teachers make
Typical
$63,970
First year
$47,960
Long service, top tenth
$104,340
The national median is $63,970 a year, and the bottom tenth start near $47,960. These are the published figures for elementary school teachers. The spread is mostly geography and years served: the same job pays very differently in New York or California than in Mississippi or West Virginia.