Home > Education Issues > Myth v. Reality	Print View

Teachers Nationally Earned 18 Cents for Every New Dollar in Other Professions from 1994-2004

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Minnesota ranked 19th in the nation for its average teacher salary in 2003-04, according to the American Federation of Teachers’ (AFT) annual teacher salary survey, released October 2005. Minnesota was one of 28 states where the increase in average teacher salary was lower than the national rate of inflation.

The average teacher salary in Minnesota for the 2003-04 school year was $45,010, up 0.6 percent from the previous year. Minnesota ranked 21st in the nation for average beginning teacher salary, at $30,772, an increase of 0.6 percent from 2002-03.

Nationally, average teacher salary growth failed to keep up with inflation for the first time since the 1999-2000 school year. The average teacher salary in 2003-04 was $46,597, an increase of 2.2 percent from 2002-03. The national rate of inflation in 2004 was 2.7 percent. When adjusted for inflation, the 2003-04 salary is actually a drop of 0.4 percent from 2002-03.

“Current salaries fail to reflect the professional qualifications, preparation and challenges that teachers must meet every day in the classroom,” said AFT President Edward J. McElroy. “At the very least, teachers’ pay should be a measure of their educational backgrounds and the demands of their jobs. Teachers, like all workers, deserve a salary that enables them to comfortably support themselves and their families.”

The survey also reports that, from 1994-2004, compensation for teachers, after adjusting for inflation, increased at a far slower rate than salaries earned by other professionals, with teachers gaining just 18 cents for every new dollar earned by private sector workers with similar educational backgrounds.

Other states in the Great Lakes region ranked in the AFT survey as follows: Michigan was 5th in the nation, at $54,474; Illinois was 6th, at $53,820; Ohio was 14th, at $47,791; Indiana was 16th, at $45,791; and Wisconsin was 27th, at $41,687.

Connecticut had the highest average teacher salary at $56,516, while South Dakota reported the lowest at $33,236. Alaska led the nation with the highest average beginning teacher salary for 2003-04, at $40,027. Wisconsin had the nation’s lowest average beginning teacher salary, at $23,952.

2004 Survey & Analysis of Teacher Salary Trends: Minnesota
American Federation of Teachers