While teachers are tasked with the critical responsibility to educate the next generation, a new report shows that starting salaries for K–12 educators fall below the average salaries for all other occupations nationwide.
The report from Business.org ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on the percentage difference between the average state salary and the average starting salary for teachers.
Louisiana came out on top with average starting teacher pay sitting at $40,303, only 5.5% lower than the average annual salary for all other state occupations of $42,660.
Arizona has one of the largest pay gaps with the starting rate for teachers of $34,473 falling 30.1% lower than the average salary in the state, which is $49,290.
Read more and see the rankings from the Phoenix Business Journal.
