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Literacy specialist salary

Average literacy specialist salary

$59,520

$28.62 hourly rate

Entry-level literacy specialist salary
$45,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Literacy Specialist Salary

The average salary for a Literacy Specialist is approximately $59,520 per year, equating to around $29 per hour. Factors influencing this figure include geographic location, years of experience, and the specific educational institution type. For instance, Literacy Specialists in urban areas or those with advanced degrees often command higher salaries.

Highest Paying States for Literacy Specialists

Literacy Specialists can find the most lucrative opportunities in states like California, New York, and Texas. These locations not only offer competitive salaries but also provide diverse job prospects in various educational settings, from public schools to private institutions.

Job Opportunities

  • Literacy Coach
  • Reading Specialist
  • Educational Consultant

With the increasing emphasis on literacy in education, the demand for qualified Literacy Specialists continues to grow. This career path not only offers a chance to make a significant impact on students' lives but also provides numerous advancement opportunities in the education sector.

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Where can a Literacy Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
97k
77k
57k
37k
17k
Columbus, OH$71,058
Fountain, CO$47,344
Compare salary by company
Vs
85k
65k
45k
25k
Excel Academy Charter Schools$70,285
University Settlement$55,015

Literacy specialist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a literacy specialist typically falls between $53,500 and $67,277.
zippia
$59,520yearly
glassdoor[1]
$67,277yearly
comparably[2]
$58,674yearly
Salary.com[3]
$65,706yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$66,307yearly
payscale[5]
$53,500yearly

Average literacy specialist salary by state

The highest-paying states for literacy specialists are New York, Maine, and California. The lowest average literacy specialist salary states are Nebraska, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for literacy specialists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1North Dakota$63,455$30.51
2New York$70,990$34.13
3Wyoming$56,489$27.16
4Pennsylvania$59,895$28.80
5Montana$58,522$28.14
6South Dakota$56,831$27.32
7Idaho$60,512$29.09
8Minnesota$56,282$27.06
9Kansas$57,678$27.73
10Louisiana$56,972$27.39
11Maryland$60,165$28.93
12Maine$65,329$31.41
13Indiana$56,983$27.40
14Washington$65,051$31.27
15California$65,191$31.34
16Hawaii$57,579$27.68
17Massachusetts$57,646$27.71
18North Carolina$50,976$24.51
19South Carolina$56,269$27.05
20Alabama$54,826$26.36
21Iowa$48,429$23.28
22Texas$52,500$25.24
23Arizona$50,566$24.31
24Oregon$53,634$25.79
25Florida$49,804$23.94
26Wisconsin$54,423$26.16
27Illinois$52,550$25.26
28Nevada$46,117$22.17
29Alaska$48,256$23.20
30Ohio$50,736$24.39
31Vermont$47,351$22.76
32West Virginia$47,436$22.81
33New Jersey$53,295$25.62
34New Hampshire$47,442$22.81
35Virginia$50,248$24.16
36Delaware$46,271$22.25
37Michigan$44,859$21.57
38Colorado$47,276$22.73
39Rhode Island$47,499$22.84
40Nebraska$43,079$20.71
41Arkansas$43,120$20.73
42New Mexico$44,674$21.48
43Utah$44,978$21.62
44Kentucky$46,361$22.29
45Connecticut$47,270$22.73
46Tennessee$43,026$20.69
47District of Columbia$45,313$21.79
48Oklahoma$39,450$18.97
49Mississippi$42,930$20.64
50Missouri$42,788$20.57
51Georgia$34,162$16.42

Highest paying cities for literacy specialists

The highest-paying cities for literacy specialists are New York, NY, San Rafael, CA, and Seattle, WA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York, NY$71,058$34.16
2San Rafael, CA$67,481$32.44
3Seattle, WA$65,442$31.46
4Lewiston, ME$65,351$31.42
5Frederick, MD$59,920$28.81
6Helena, MT$58,660$28.20
7Wichita, KS$57,836$27.81
8Boston, MA$57,698$27.74
9Pittsburgh, PA$57,668$27.73
10Charleston, SC$56,384$27.11
11Minneapolis, MN$56,266$27.05
12Birmingham, AL$54,694$26.30
13San Antonio, TX$52,878$25.42
14Chicago, IL$52,674$25.32
15Miami, FL$50,633$24.34
16Phoenix, AZ$50,591$24.32
17Charlotte, NC$50,581$24.32
18Columbus, OH$50,390$24.23
19Richmond, VA$49,973$24.03
20Fountain, CO$47,344$22.76

Literacy specialist salary details

A literacy specialist's salary ranges from $45,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $77,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average literacy specialist salary graph
Average literacy specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a literacy specialist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$77,000$6,417$37
75th Percentile$68,000$5,667$33
Average$59,520$4,960$29
25th Percentile$51,000$4,250$25
10th Percentile$45,000$3,750$22

Highest paying literacy specialist jobs

The highest paying types of literacy specialists are literacy consultant, esol instructor, and transitional studies instructor.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Adult Education Teacher$41,280$3,440$19.8570,775
Curriculum Coordinator$47,586$3,965$22.889,654
5th Grade Teacher$46,300$3,858$22.2657,358
Adult Education Instructor$45,926$3,827$22.0843,991
Education Instructor$37,103$3,092$17.8446,335
First Grade Teacher$49,757$4,146$23.9270,517

Which companies pay literacy specialists the most?

Literacy specialist salaries at Excel Academy Charter Schools and Boston Public Schools are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average literacy specialist salary at companies like EDC and Newton Public Schools are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Excel Academy Charter Schools$70,285$33.79
2Boston Public Schools$65,421$31.45
3EDC$64,882$31.19
4Newton Public Schools$63,877$30.71
5International Rescue Committee$61,524$29.58
6Broward County Public Schools$60,602$29.14
7KIPP SoCal Public Schools$59,585$28.65
8Rocky Mountain Prep$59,394$28.55
9Hemet Unified School District$59,130$28.43
10Archdiocese Of San Antonio$58,636$28.19
11826 National$58,498$28.12
12The New York Public Library$58,478$28.11
13YES Prep Public Schools$58,387$28.07
14Americorps$58,384$28.07
15Washington State University$58,237$28.00
16Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES$56,701$27.26
17Biddeford Middle School$56,645$27.23
18Athlos Academies$56,214$27.03
19Gwinnett County Board of Education$55,056$26.47
20University Settlement$55,015$26.45

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$61,000$60,400$59,800$59,200$58,600$58,000
MaleFemale

Literacy Specialist salary by industry

The average literacy specialist salary varies across industries:

  • The average literacy specialist salary in the retail industry is $58,630, the highest of any industry.
  • The average literacy specialist salary in the finance industry is $57,495.
  • Literacy specialists in the education industry earn an average salary of $55,347, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for literacy specialists

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Retail$58,630$28.19
2Government$57,495$27.64
3Professional$55,468$26.67
4Education$55,347$26.61

High paying literacy specialist jobs

Literacy specialist salary trends

The average literacy specialist salary has risen by $8,581 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average literacy specialist earned $50,939 annually, but today, they earn $59,520 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for literacy specialists over the last decade.

Compare literacy specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average literacy specialist salary over time

Compare literacy specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Literacy specialist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$59,500$28.62+1.8%
2024$58,400$28.10+1.3%
2023$57,700$27.73+2.9%
2022$56,000$26.94+2.8%
2021$54,500$26.19+0.7%

Recently added literacy specialist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Hofstra UniversityLiteracy SpecialistHempstead, NY06/28/2025$73,045
Real Journey AcademiesElementary Literacy SpecialistSan Bernardino, CA06/28/2025$80,000
ShakerLong-Term Substitute Literacy SpecialistCleveland, OH06/27/2025$74,610
Vance County SchoolsEarly Literacy Specialist-Harnett CountyHenderson, NC06/27/2025$68,000
Archdiocese of Seattle Catholic SchoolsLiteracy Specialist/ESL TeacherBremerton, WA06/27/2025$40,000
Ma HperdLiteracy Specialist-Boston MetroBoston, MA06/27/2025$57,234
Ohio Department of EducationLong-Term Substitute Literacy SpecialistCleveland, OH06/26/2025$74,610
Bay Area Community ResourcesExpanded Learning Literacy Specialist (Richmond Elementary Schools)Richmond, CA06/25/2025$48,001
Public School of North CarolinaNC DPI Early Literacy SpecialistGreenville, NC06/25/2025$68,000
Rantoul City School District 137Literacy SpecialistKane, IL06/25/2025$54,359

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