Education & Library

STEM Teachers, K-12

SOC 25-2020

Teach math and science in middle and high school.

The job

Median pay

$64k

Estimated

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Declining

-0.4% projected

BLS figure for Elementary and middle school teachers

Openings a year

127k

BLS figure for Elementary and middle school teachers

Typical education

Bachelor's plus cert

Our model

AI exposure

Not measured

No task data or O*NET work context for this role, so it is not ranked

Future-proof

54/100

Take the next step

See where it pays mostWashington DC leads at $85k; every state is below Find careers like itOpen the map at STEM Teachers, K-12 and explore its neighbours See open jobsSTEM Teachers, K-12 roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for STEM Teachers, K-12, who lean most on subject mastery Real pay & reviewsWhat STEM Teachers, K-12 say they actually earn

Key skills

Subject mastery
Classroom management
Curriculum design
Patience
Communication

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
California	242,026	13.3	1.0×	$73k~
Texas	184,539	13.1	1.0×	$65k~
New York	155,563	16.1	1.2×	$72k~
Florida	99,852	10.1	0.8×	$56k~
Illinois	85,564	14.0	1.1×	$64k~
Pennsylvania	81,972	13.5	1.0×	$65k~
Ohio	71,817	12.9	1.0×	$65k~
New Jersey	66,525	15.5	1.2×	$69k~
Georgia	62,285	12.7	1.0×	$65k~
North Carolina	61,729	12.5	1.0×	$52k~

All 51 states

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Massachusetts	56,363	15.5	1.2×	$82k~
Virginia	56,299	13.7	1.1×	$65k~
Michigan	52,457	11.9	0.9×	$63k~
Washington	44,339	12.5	1.0×	$70k~
Maryland	38,517	13.9	1.1×	$70k~
Minnesota	37,713	12.8	1.0×	$63k~
Missouri	37,495	12.8	1.0×	$52k~
Wisconsin	36,316	12.3	0.9×	$62k~
Indiana	36,047	11.3	0.9×	$55k~
Colorado	34,593	12.0	0.9×	$66k~
Tennessee	34,535	10.5	0.8×	$62k~
Arizona	33,721	10.4	0.8×	$54k~
Connecticut	28,282	16.7	1.3×	$70k~
South Carolina	26,955	11.7	0.9×	$63k~
Oregon	26,250	13.3	1.0×	$65k~
Alabama	25,288	12.0	0.9×	$60k~
Louisiana	24,222	12.5	1.0×	$60k~
Kentucky	24,180	12.1	0.9×	$56k~
Iowa	24,162	15.5	1.2×	$51k~
Oklahoma	22,609	13.2	1.0×	$51k~
Utah	22,175	12.8	1.0×	$61k~
Kansas	19,901	13.8	1.1×	$52k~
Arkansas	16,529	12.7	1.0×	$55k~
Mississippi	15,490	13.3	1.0×	$52k~
Nebraska	13,789	13.5	1.0×	$64k~
Nevada	13,117	8.5	0.7×	$58k~
New Mexico	11,869	13.6	1.1×	$67k~
Idaho	9,817	11.4	0.9×	$57k~
West Virginia	9,394	13.4	1.0×	$56k~
Hawaii	9,113	14.5	1.1×	$63k~
Maine	9,105	14.2	1.1×	$61k~
New Hampshire	9,002	13.2	1.0×	$64k~
Rhode Island	7,829	15.6	1.2×	$69k~
Washington DC	7,297	10.4	0.8×	$85k~
Montana	6,389	12.5	1.0×	$51k~
Delaware	6,336	13.1	1.0×	$65k~
South Dakota	5,853	12.8	1.0×	$52k~
Vermont	5,666	18.6	1.4×	$65k~
North Dakota	5,575	13.0	1.0×	$58k~
Wyoming	4,502	16.0	1.2×	$56k~
Alaska	4,380	13.5	1.0×	$80k~

Explore the rankings

Explore STEM Teachers, K-12 interactively →

BLS does not publish this occupation on its own. Pay and outlook here are BLS's figures for Elementary and middle school teachers (SOC 25-2020), the occupation it is grouped with, so the real figures for this job could sit either side of them. Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.