What Utah Teachers Actually Earn Compared To The National Average

One of my kids is a teacher at one of the high schools here in southern Utah. Another one of my kids is working on a teaching certificate along with a masters program and also hopes to be in the classroom. And for years my wife was a teacher's aid at one of the elementary schools in town, so I've been around people working in education for sometime.

I have deep appreciation for those who work hard and sacrifice to see that out kids are taught. They have, in may ways a thankless job, and, by in large, teachers here in Utah do stellar work.

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There is a familiar argument in America that teachers simply aren’t paid enough. And depending on where you live, there is certainly some evidence to support it. But when you start looking at the numbers, the picture gets a little more complicated — especially here in Utah.

According to USAFacts, the median annual wage for a pre-K through 12 teacher in the United States was $65,100 in 2025. That means half of teachers made more and half made less. The lowest-paid 10% earned $48,200 or less, while the highest-paid 10% made at least $104,300. For comparison, the median wage for all American occupations was $51,000.

Utah's numbers are particularly interesting.

A man pointing at computer code projected on a screen in a workspace — Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash

USAFacts reports that Utah teachers had median wages ranging from about $36,300 for preschool teachers to $79,200 for middle-school teachers in 2025. In fact, Utah middle-school teachers made about 23% more than the national median for that category. Overall, Utah teachers earned more than their national counterparts at four of the five grade levels reported.

That certainly doesn't sound like Utah is trying to get away with paying teachers in buttons and pieces of string.

Utah Preschool Teachers Are Below The National Average

There is, however, a rather large exception. Utah preschool teachers had a median wage of about $36,300, roughly 36% below the national median for preschool teachers. And even within Utah, the difference between the lowest- and highest-paid teaching categories is enormous.

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Another measure tells a somewhat different story. The National Education Association puts Utah's average teacher salary at $69,161 for the 2023-24 school year, with an average starting salary of $55,711. That starting salary ranked fifth nationally.

So, are Utah teachers underpaid?

That's probably not a question that can be answered with one number. Salaries vary considerably by grade level, experience and location, and what a teacher actually takes home is only part of the compensation picture.

A teacher writing physics equations on a green chalkboard in a classroom — Photo by Tra Nguyen on Unsplash

But the next time somebody says Utah teachers are universally among the nation's lowest-paid workers, it might be worth checking the numbers first. My high school teaching child has a higher salary than I have ever had. And I think that's great.