Preschool Teacher Salary, Adjusted for Cost of Living
District of Columbia pays preschool teachers the most both on paper ($62,150/yr) and after cost of living. But below the top, the ranking reshuffles sharply once a dollar's local value is taken into account.
| # | State | Nominal / yr | Cost of living | Real pay / yr | COL shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $62,150 | 110 | $56,551 | — | |
| Kansas | $47,750 | 90 | $53,015 | ▲ 3 | |
| Nebraska | $47,040 | 90 | $52,207 | ▲ 4 | |
| Vermont | $49,730 | 98 | $50,767 | ▼ 2 | |
| South Dakota | $44,500 | 89 | $50,234 | ▲ 11 | |
| New Mexico | $44,070 | 92 | $47,792 | ▲ 11 | |
| Georgia | $43,920 | 96 | $45,611 | ▲ 11 | |
| Maine | $43,890 | 97 | $45,224 | ▲ 11 | |
| Alaska | $46,130 | 102 | $45,067 | — | |
| North Dakota | $39,720 | 89 | $44,650 | ▲ 12 | |
| Hawaii | $48,780 | 110 | $44,365 | ▼ 8 | |
| New Jersey | $48,220 | 109 | $44,318 | ▼ 8 | |
| Colorado | $45,500 | 103 | $44,152 | — | |
| Connecticut | $45,740 | 104 | $44,146 | ▼ 3 | |
| Minnesota | $43,430 | 99 | $44,037 | ▲ 5 | |
| Oregon | $45,140 | 103 | $43,672 | ▼ 2 | |
| Massachusetts | $45,890 | 106 | $43,392 | ▼ 7 | |
| New York | $46,520 | 108 | $43,106 | ▼ 10 | |
| Louisiana | $38,020 | 88 | $43,103 | ▲ 6 | |
| California | $47,400 | 111 | $42,811 | ▼ 14 | |
| Washington | $45,660 | 107 | $42,668 | ▼ 9 | |
| Maryland | $44,600 | 105 | $42,493 | ▼ 7 | |
| Mississippi | $36,250 | 87 | $41,689 | ▲ 10 | |
| Illinois | $40,910 | 100 | $40,927 | ▼ 3 | |
| Missouri | $36,090 | 91 | $39,739 | ▲ 10 | |
| Arkansas | $34,190 | 87 | $39,327 | ▲ 17 | |
| Indiana | $36,650 | 93 | $39,270 | ▲ 2 | |
| Nevada | $38,870 | 100 | $38,878 | ▼ 4 | |
| Montana | $36,540 | 95 | $38,607 | ▲ 1 | |
| Michigan | $37,110 | 96 | $38,569 | ▼ 3 | |
| Iowa | $33,830 | 88 | $38,547 | ▲ 14 | |
| Wisconsin | $36,160 | 94 | $38,429 | ▲ 2 | |
| Ohio | $35,180 | 93 | $37,920 | ▲ 6 | |
| North Carolina | $35,710 | 94 | $37,858 | ▲ 4 | |
| New Hampshire | $39,350 | 104 | $37,777 | ▼ 12 | |
| Tennessee | $34,280 | 92 | $37,314 | ▲ 6 | |
| Pennsylvania | $36,050 | 98 | $36,947 | ▼ 1 | |
| South Carolina | $34,500 | 94 | $36,800 | ▲ 3 | |
| Virginia | $37,140 | 101 | $36,734 | ▼ 13 | |
| Delaware | $36,360 | 100 | $36,430 | ▼ 9 | |
| West Virginia | $32,480 | 90 | $36,292 | ▲ 6 | |
| Oklahoma | $31,790 | 88 | $36,190 | ▲ 6 | |
| Arizona | $36,300 | 101 | $36,056 | ▼ 11 | |
| Rhode Island | $36,830 | 102 | $36,009 | ▼ 16 | |
| Utah | $35,010 | 99 | $35,412 | ▼ 5 | |
| Texas | $33,860 | 97 | $34,887 | ▼ 2 | |
| Florida | $35,860 | 103 | $34,676 | ▼ 10 | |
| Idaho | $32,800 | 96 | $34,348 | ▼ 2 | |
| Kentucky | $29,780 | 90 | $33,031 | ▲ 1 | |
| Wyoming | $29,930 | 93 | $32,290 | ▼ 1 | |
| Alabama | $28,310 | 89 | $31,872 | — |
How to read this
Nominal pay is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) median wage for preschool teachers in each state. Real pay divides that by the state's cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. average = 100), so it reflects what the salary is actually worth locally. A state with high nominal pay but high costs can rank lower on real pay than a cheaper state — that's the COL shift column.
Methodology: nominal medians from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 release); cost of living from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (all items, 2024). Real pay = nominal ÷ (RPP ÷ 100). Cite as “WageAtlas Real Pay Index.”
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