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Literacy teacher salary

Quoted expert
Patricia Rogan Ph.D.

Average literacy teacher salary

$54,453

$26.18 hourly rate

Entry-level literacy teacher salary
$43,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Literacy Teacher Salary

The average salary for literacy teachers in the United States is approximately $54,453 per year. This figure can change significantly based on factors such as location, years of experience, and educational background. For example, states like California and New York tend to offer higher salaries due to increased demand and living costs.

Where Can Literacy Teachers Earn More?

Literacy teachers can expect to earn more in urban areas where educational resources are prioritized. Additionally, those with advanced degrees or specialized certifications often see a salary boost. According to recent data, teachers in metropolitan areas can make upwards of $60,000 annually.

Salary Estimates Across the Web

Comparing various salary sources shows consistency in the average wage for literacy teachers, reinforcing the idea of a stable career path in education. By analyzing these salary estimates, prospective teachers can make informed decisions about their career trajectory.

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Where can a Literacy Teacher earn more?

Compare salary by location
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72k
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Columbus, OH$69,780
Oklahoma City, OK$42,369
Compare salary by company
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City of Roanoke, Virginia - Government$56,985
Wayne RESA$42,731

Literacy teacher salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a literacy teacher typically falls between $50,868 and $62,654.
zippia
$54,453yearly
glassdoor[1]
$51,364yearly
Salary.com[2]
$62,654yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$61,670yearly
payscale[4]
$50,868yearly

Average literacy teacher salary by state

The highest-paying states for literacy teachers are Maryland, New Jersey, and California. The lowest average literacy teacher salary states are Mississippi, Nevada, and Indiana.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for literacy teachers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Maryland$75,147$36.13
2New Jersey$69,645$33.48
3Minnesota$62,955$30.27
4Washington$67,595$32.50
5Connecticut$60,754$29.21
6New York$64,428$30.98
7District of Columbia$65,689$31.58
8Nebraska$57,895$27.83
9Pennsylvania$58,447$28.10
10Massachusetts$63,048$30.31
11California$68,562$32.96
12Michigan$55,557$26.71
13Oregon$61,588$29.61
14New Hampshire$54,755$26.32
15Rhode Island$60,130$28.91
16Wyoming$56,409$27.12
17Virginia$59,239$28.48
18Alaska$62,742$30.16
19Kansas$54,559$26.23
20Illinois$54,121$26.02
21Montana$52,772$25.37
22Utah$56,743$27.28
23Ohio$53,733$25.83
24New Mexico$50,903$24.47
25Florida$52,903$25.43
26Vermont$55,416$26.64
27Tennessee$51,240$24.63
28Colorado$50,429$24.24
29Kentucky$52,381$25.18
30Alabama$51,316$24.67
31Delaware$50,806$24.43
32Georgia$50,740$24.39
33North Carolina$48,225$23.19
34Wisconsin$49,310$23.71
35Missouri$48,672$23.40
36North Dakota$49,613$23.85
37South Carolina$45,933$22.08
38Nevada$43,386$20.86
39Louisiana$47,734$22.95
40Hawaii$53,431$25.69
41Texas$44,164$21.23
42Idaho$46,453$22.33
43Indiana$43,085$20.71
44Oklahoma$42,352$20.36
45Arizona$42,084$20.23
46Arkansas$44,391$21.34
47South Dakota$45,604$21.93
48Maine$45,797$22.02
49West Virginia$44,381$21.34
50Iowa$42,836$20.59
51Mississippi$43,450$20.89

Highest paying cities for literacy teachers

The highest-paying cities for literacy teachers are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Portsmouth, VA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$69,780$33.55
2New York, NY$64,491$31.01
3Portsmouth, VA$59,370$28.54
4Detroit, MI$55,657$26.76
5Woodstock, IL$54,274$26.09
6Great Falls, MT$52,861$25.41
7Denver, CO$50,391$24.23
8Greensboro, NC$48,197$23.17
9New Orleans, LA$47,924$23.04
10Nampa, ID$46,620$22.41
11Lewiston, ME$45,679$21.96
12El Paso, TX$44,989$21.63
13Henderson, NV$43,264$20.80
14Oklahoma City, OK$42,369$20.37

Literacy teacher salary details

A literacy teacher's salary ranges from $43,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $67,000 at the 90th percentile.

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

What is a literacy teacher's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$67,000$5,583$32
75th Percentile$60,000$5,000$29
Average$54,453$4,538$26
25th Percentile$48,000$4,000$23
10th Percentile$43,000$3,583$21

Highest paying literacy teacher jobs

The highest paying types of literacy teachers are science teacher, student teacher, and reading teacher.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
English Language Arts Teacher$48,483$4,040$23.3188,793
Elementary School Teacher$52,161$4,347$25.0884,607
Language Arts Teacher$51,969$4,331$24.9988,551
Long Term Substitute Teacher$42,808$3,567$20.5869,133
Reading Teacher$55,452$4,621$26.6668,234
Summer School Teacher$52,828$4,402$25.4086,467

How would you rate the starting salaries for literacy teachers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Patricia Rogan Ph.D.

Professor, Special Education/Urban Teacher Education, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Teacher salaries continue to grow, but they vary from state to state and district to district. According to the NEA, the average starting salary for beginning teachers in 2017-18 was $39,249. The average salary of all teachers in the U.S. was $61,730 in 2018-19, which was a 2.1% increase from the previous year. Despite COVID-19 and its impact on teachers, it is doubtful that teacher salaries will jump significantly in the years ahead (due to state economic challenges) unless teachers strike.

Which companies pay literacy teachers the most?

Literacy teacher salaries at City of Roanoke, Virginia - Government and Guilford County Schools are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average literacy teacher salary at companies like New York City School Construction Authority and Yu Ming Charter School are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1City of Roanoke, Virginia - Government$56,985$27.40
2Guilford County Schools$56,900$27.36
3New York City School Construction Authority$54,881$26.39
4Yu Ming Charter School$54,860$26.38
5Panay Power Corporation$54,479$26.19
6Colorado State Express$54,447$26.18
7Americorps$54,329$26.12
8Nyc Parks$54,104$26.01
9Presidio Knolls School$53,369$25.66
10Union County Public Schools$52,062$25.03
11Addison Trail High School$50,770$24.41
12Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES$50,200$24.13
13Aspen School District$50,087$24.08
14State of West Virginia$50,025$24.05
15COPE$49,930$24.00
16State of Colorado$47,047$22.62
17Edmond Public Schools$46,638$22.42
18Metropolitan State University of Denver$46,366$22.29
19Lewiston Public Schools$43,207$20.77
20Wayne RESA$42,731$20.54

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$52,000$51,400$50,800$50,200$49,600$49,000
MaleFemale

Literacy teacher salary trends

The average literacy teacher salary has risen by $7,238 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average literacy teacher earned $47,215 annually, but today, they earn $54,453 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for literacy teachers over the last decade.

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

Average literacy teacher salary over time

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

Literacy teacher salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$54,500$26.18+2.1%
2024$53,300$25.63+2.4%
2023$52,000$25.02+1.8%
2022$51,100$24.56+2.4%
2021$49,900$23.97+1.6%

Recently added literacy teacher salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Sierra Vista Unified School DistrictElementary Literacy InterventionistSierra Vista, AZ06/28/2025$30,679
Connor GroupYouth Financial Literacy TeacherDayton, OH06/24/2025$59,000
Virginia Beach Public SchoolLiteracy TeacherVirginia Beach, VA06/24/2025$54,065
International Leadership of TexasChinese Literacy TeacherHouston, TX06/13/2025$56,000
Putnam Public SchoolsLiteracy ParaeducatorPutnam, CT06/13/2025$41,051
Haverhill Public SchoolsLiteracy Interventionist Whittier Middle SchoolHaverhill, MA06/12/2025$53,753
Lansing School DistrictLiteracy TeacherLansing, MI06/11/2025$46,942
Virginia Beach Public SchoolLiteracy TeacherVirginia Beach, VA05/30/2025$54,065
Ohio Department of EducationLiteracy Teacher-Multi-Tiered System of Supports (Mtss)Dayton, OH05/29/2025$47,496
International Leadership of TexasChinese Literacy TeacherHouston, TX05/29/2025$56,000

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