Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of preschool teacher salary by state for the United States:
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Hawaii has the highest preschool teacher salary of $43,575
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Alabama has the lowest preschool teacher salary of $21,021
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The national average salary for preschool teachers is $33,582
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The national hourly pay for preschool teachers is $16.15
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Without fail, in surveys across basically every demographic, the number one most important aspect of a job for most people is the salary — how much do preschool teachers get paid where I live?
And while there are many things to go into how much you, specifically, can expect to make, there’s really good data for average salaries for preschool teacher by state across America broken down by seniority level. So while your city may be slightly different than the state average, these averages give you a rough sense of what to expect for your salary.
The state with the best salary for preschool teachers after this adjustment? That would be Hawaii.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for preschool teacher salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Preschool Teachers By State
| Rank | State | Average Preschool Teacher Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $43,575 | $34,000 | $55,000 |
| 2 | California | $40,866 | $27,000 | $60,000 |
| 3 | New York | $40,587 | $28,000 | $57,000 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $38,878 | $26,000 | $57,000 |
| 5 | Vermont | $38,135 | $29,000 | $49,000 |
| 6 | Wyoming | $38,125 | $28,000 | $51,000 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $37,724 | $28,000 | $49,000 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $37,409 | $26,000 | $53,000 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $36,776 | $26,000 | $51,000 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $36,010 | $26,000 | $48,000 |
| 11 | West Virginia | $35,882 | $24,000 | $51,000 |
| 12 | Washington | $35,504 | $27,000 | $46,000 |
| 13 | Oregon | $35,145 | $26,000 | $46,000 |
| 14 | Colorado | $34,889 | $25,000 | $48,000 |
| 15 | Texas | $34,524 | $22,000 | $52,000 |
| 16 | Kansas | $34,371 | $24,000 | $48,000 |
| 17 | Virginia | $34,087 | $23,000 | $50,000 |
| 18 | Arizona | $34,075 | $22,000 | $50,000 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $34,016 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 20 | Maryland | $33,939 | $23,000 | $49,000 |
| 21 | Nevada | $33,665 | $23,000 | $48,000 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $33,664 | $24,000 | $45,000 |
| 23 | Maine | $32,169 | $25,000 | $41,000 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $32,046 | $24,000 | $42,000 |
| 25 | Alaska | $31,922 | $27,000 | $36,000 |
| 26 | Illinois | $31,892 | $23,000 | $43,000 |
| 27 | Iowa | $31,342 | $23,000 | $42,000 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $31,190 | $21,000 | $45,000 |
| 29 | Utah | $30,603 | $22,000 | $42,000 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $30,507 | $22,000 | $41,000 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $30,485 | $22,000 | $40,000 |
| 32 | Michigan | $30,371 | $22,000 | $41,000 |
| 33 | Missouri | $30,315 | $21,000 | $42,000 |
| 34 | Montana | $29,973 | $23,000 | $38,000 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $28,574 | $19,000 | $42,000 |
| 36 | Idaho | $28,574 | $21,000 | $38,000 |
| 37 | Arkansas | $28,472 | $19,000 | $41,000 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $28,435 | $19,000 | $40,000 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $28,003 | $18,000 | $42,000 |
| 40 | Ohio | $27,919 | $19,000 | $39,000 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $27,789 | $18,000 | $41,000 |
| 42 | Rhode Island | $27,446 | $19,000 | $37,000 |
| 43 | Indiana | $27,252 | $19,000 | $38,000 |
| 44 | Delaware | $27,187 | $18,000 | $39,000 |
| 45 | Georgia | $26,336 | $17,000 | $39,000 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $26,298 | $18,000 | $38,000 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $24,775 | $16,000 | $36,000 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $24,667 | $16,000 | $37,000 |
| 49 | Florida | $24,137 | $16,000 | $36,000 |
| 50 | Alabama | $21,021 | $14,000 | $31,000 |
Methodology: Preschool Teacher Salary By State
To better understand preschool teacher pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for preschool teachers by state.
We took the average annual salary data for preschool teachers from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for preschool teachers.
Preschool Teacher Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for preschool teachers?
The highest-paid state for preschool teachers is Hawaii with an average salary of $43,575 per year.
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What city pays preschool teachers the most?
San Jose, CA pays preschool teachers the most with an average salary of $41,428 per year.
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What is the worst state for preschool teachers?
The worst state for preschool teachers is Alabama with an average salary of $21,021 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
