2026 Cost of Living Analysis
Best States for Teachers:
Salary vs. Cost of Living
Raw salary numbers lie. A $58,000 salary in Iowa goes further than $92,000 in California once you factor in what things actually cost. Here's the real ranking, adjusted for purchasing power.
How COL-Adjusted Salary Works
State Average Salary
The NEA-reported average annual teacher salary for all experience levels and education tiers in the state.
Cost of Living Index
The BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) — 100 means prices equal the national average. California at 115 means 15% more expensive. West Virginia at 84 means 16% cheaper.
Adjusted Salary
Divide the average salary by the RPP/100. This converts every state's salary into "what it would buy at national average prices" — a true apples-to-apples comparison.
The Biggest Surprises
↑ Best Value States
States where your salary goes much further than the national ranking suggests.
↓ High Cost States
States where the headline salary looks great but costs eat into your real pay.
Full Rankings: All 50 States
Sorted by COL-adjusted salary. Click any state to see its full salary guide.
| COL Rank | State | Avg Salary | COL Index | Adjusted Salary | vs. Raw Rank | Open Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | $92,000 | 115.3 | $79,792 | — | 30,480 |
| #2 | Connecticut | $83,507 | 108.9 | $76,682 | — | 1,731 |
| #3 | New York | $87,427 | 115.7 | $75,564 | +5 | 667 |
| #4 | Massachusetts | $83,622 | 112 | $74,663 | +2 | 15 |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | $72,280 | 97.3 | $74,286 | — | 629 |
| #6 | Rhode Island | $73,127 | 104.3 | $70,112 | -2 | 279 |
| #7 | Illinois | $67,882 | 97.7 | $69,480 | +2 | 1,895 |
| #8 | Michigan | $64,086 | 92.6 | $69,207 | +14 | 12 |
| #9 | Maryland | $73,444 | 108.3 | $67,815 | -6 | 202 |
| #10 | Minnesota | $64,818 | 96 | $67,519 | +11 | 3,645 |
| #11 | Wyoming | $63,900 | 95.2 | $67,122 | +4 | 306 |
| #12 | New Jersey | $76,000 | 113.5 | $66,960 | -5 | 1,035 |
| #13 | Iowa | $59,010 | 89.7 | $65,786 | +15 | 3,233 |
| #14 | Delaware | $66,533 | 102.1 | $65,165 | +4 | 844 |
| #15 | Ohio | $59,382 | 91.5 | $64,898 | +11 | 4,506 |
| #16 | Alaska | $70,277 | 108.5 | $64,771 | -6 | 436 |
| #17 | Georgia | $59,131 | 92.2 | $64,133 | +12 | 1,524 |
| #18 | Oregon | $67,954 | 106.1 | $64,047 | -5 | 2,895 |
| #19 | Virginia | $66,036 | 103.4 | $63,865 | -2 | 1,914 |
| #20 | Alabama | $55,461 | 87.5 | $63,384 | +20 | 4,933 |
| #21 | North Dakota | $57,826 | 92 | $62,854 | +11 | 199 |
| #22 | Washington | $67,687 | 108 | $62,673 | -6 | 6,595 |
| #23 | New Mexico | $55,820 | 90.5 | $61,680 | +14 | 191 |
| #24 | Kentucky | $54,206 | 88.1 | $61,528 | +14 | — |
| #25 | Indiana | $55,427 | 90.4 | $61,313 | +16 | 1,484 |
| #26 | Tennessee | $55,453 | 90.6 | $61,206 | +5 | 1,081 |
| #27 | North Carolina | $56,643 | 93 | $60,906 | +7 | 3,501 |
| #28 | Oklahoma | $53,088 | 87.4 | $60,741 | +20 | 1,943 |
| #29 | Texas | $57,641 | 95 | $60,675 | -9 | 4,166 |
| #30 | Arkansas | $52,582 | 86.8 | $60,578 | +16 | 1,358 |
| #31 | Nebraska | $54,934 | 90.8 | $60,500 | +4 | 654 |
| #32 | Nevada | $61,390 | 101.7 | $60,364 | -7 | 128 |
| #33 | South Carolina | $55,368 | 91.8 | $60,314 | -3 | 2,825 |
| #34 | Missouri | $53,490 | 89.1 | $60,034 | +10 | 1,059 |
| #35 | West Virginia | $50,162 | 84.2 | $59,575 | +15 | 3,645 |
| #36 | Kansas | $52,913 | 88.9 | $59,520 | +11 | 1,959 |
| #37 | Louisiana | $54,278 | 91.3 | $59,450 | +2 | 687 |
| #38 | Wisconsin | $55,066 | 93.7 | $58,768 | -2 | 3,791 |
| #39 | South Dakota | $52,050 | 89.3 | $58,287 | +8 | 315 |
| #40 | Mississippi | $49,534 | 85.9 | $57,665 | +8 | 261 |
| #41 | Utah | $55,432 | 96.8 | $57,264 | -27 | 139 |
| #42 | New Hampshire | $60,710 | 106.3 | $57,112 | -15 | 2,272 |
| #43 | Vermont | $60,561 | 106.9 | $56,652 | -19 | — |
| #44 | Maine | $53,902 | 96.4 | $55,915 | -2 | 165 |
| #45 | Arizona | $53,658 | 96 | $55,894 | -2 | 2,088 |
| #46 | Colorado | $57,753 | 104.2 | $55,425 | -13 | — |
| #47 | Montana | $50,890 | 94.5 | $53,852 | — | 181 |
| #48 | Florida | $53,100 | 99.8 | $53,206 | -3 | 258 |
| #49 | Idaho | $49,734 | 93.8 | $53,021 | — | 2,125 |
| #50 | Hawaii | $62,250 | 118.7 | $52,443 | -27 | 850 |
COL Index = BEA Regional Price Parity (100 = national average). Adjusted salary = avg salary ÷ (COL Index ÷ 100).
Find Teaching Jobs in Your Target State
Browse open positions across all active states — updated daily from official district HR websites.
Methodology & Sources
Salary data: State average teacher salaries are from the National Education Association (NEA) Rankings and Estimates report, 2023–24 school year. These represent the average across all experience levels, education levels, and school districts within each state.
Cost of living data: Regional Price Parities (RPP) are from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), 2022 data (most recent available for all states). RPP measures the prices of goods and services in each state relative to the national average (100). An RPP of 115 means prices in that state are 15% above the national average.
Adjusted salary formula: COL-Adjusted Salary = (State Average Salary) ÷ (RPP ÷ 100). This normalizes all salaries to what they would buy at national average price levels.
Limitations: State-level RPP averages mask large within-state variation — a teacher in rural Iowa faces very different costs than one in Des Moines. Salary data reflects averages and may not represent entry-level pay; see each state's salary guide for entry-level figures. Benefits, pension plans, and healthcare contributions are not included but can be significant.
Data source: National Education Association (NEA) Rankings and Estimates 2023–24; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2022