Substitute Teacher Salary by StateBLS figures for short-term substitute teachers in K-12 schools
BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS occupation: SOC 25-3031 Substitute Teachers, Short-Term
Short-term substitute teachers (SOC 25-3031), the BLS occupation for substitute teachers, earned a median $42,890 a year ($20.62 an hour) in elementary and secondary schools, public and private together, in May 2025.
The middle half earned between $34,170 and $57,660.
In privately owned elementary and secondary schools alone (BLS industry 611105, national), the median for short-term substitute teachers was $36,210 on 33,290 jobs.
This is the BLS occupation for short-term substitute teachers (25-3031) in all K-12 schools, public and private together.
Most subs are paid by the day, so yearly figures depend on how many days they work.
In privately owned schools alone, the BLS median for this occupation was $36,210.
BLS publishes hourly and annual figures only, not a day rate, so this page shows both and does not convert them.
The annual figure is the hourly wage × 2,080 hours, not what a substitute who works part of the school year earns.
Annual figures are BLS hourly wages × 2,080 hours. BLS has no private school or charter school occupation code. The K-12 figures count public district, charter and private schools together; only the privately owned schools figure isolates private schools. OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers only and leaves out the self-employed, overtime pay and most bonuses.
How pay spreads across Substitute Teachers, Short-Term
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $28,360 | $13.64 |
| 25th | $34,170 | $16.43 |
| 50th (median) | $42,890 | $20.62 |
| 75th | $57,660 | $27.72 |
| 90th | $68,830 | $33.09 |
| Mean (average) | $47,560 | $22.87 |
SOC 25-3031 Substitute Teachers, Short-Term, the BLS occupation for substitute teachers, in elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 611100, public and private): 407,590 wage-and-salary jobs, BLS OEWS May 2025. The privately owned schools figure is shown as a median, mean and job count only.
Pay for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term by State
Median annual wage for SOC 25-3031 Substitute Teachers, Short-Term in each state, BLS OEWS May 2025, alphabetical: all schools, public and private, in each state.
BLS publishes no private school figure by state.
BLS state figures cover every employer of the occupation in the state; nationally, 77% of these jobs are in elementary and secondary schools. "vs. U.S." compares the state median with the national all-employer median of $41,670; it is not adjusted for living costs.
| State | Median | Hourly | 10th–90th | Jobs | vs. U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $25,340 | $12.18 | $18,170–$30,020 | 9,290 | −39% |
| Alaska | $66,920 | $32.17 | $38,250–$132,530 | 1,420 | +61% |
| Arizona | $38,500 | $18.51 | $31,170–$50,290 | 4,710 | −8% |
| Arkansas | $29,230 | $14.05 | $24,440–$36,040 | 2,560 | −30% |
| California | $60,300 | $28.99 | $39,040–$78,670 | 115,660 | +45% |
| Colorado | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | — |
| Connecticut | $38,460 | $18.49 | $35,050–$63,980 | 5,950 | −8% |
| Delaware | $36,510 | $17.55 | $31,200–$50,590 | Not published | −12% |
| District of Columbia | $49,790 | $23.94 | $46,450–$51,090 | 750 | +19% |
| Florida | $37,080 | $17.83 | $30,300–$60,520 | 25,270 | −11% |
| Georgia | $38,870 | $18.69 | $20,800–$45,900 | 16,400 | −7% |
| Hawaii | $58,530 | $28.14 | $45,690–$60,620 | 3,990 | +40% |
| Idaho | $34,080 | $16.39 | $29,110–$45,240 | 1,800 | −18% |
| Illinois | $39,410 | $18.95 | $31,200–$58,040 | 17,220 | −5% |
| Indiana | $36,360 | $17.48 | $28,540–$56,330 | 9,920 | −13% |
| Iowa | $37,230 | $17.90 | $30,980–$47,770 | 7,300 | −11% |
| Kansas | $36,190 | $17.40 | $28,980–$44,900 | 9,360 | −13% |
| Kentucky | $29,730 | $14.29 | $24,120–$64,680 | 320 | −29% |
| Louisiana | $27,370 | $13.16 | $20,730–$44,350 | 1,090 | −34% |
| Maine | $37,440 | $18.00 | $31,110–$49,590 | Not published | −10% |
| Maryland | $46,470 | $22.34 | $32,870–$47,360 | 7,610 | +12% |
| Massachusetts | $41,350 | $19.88 | $33,590–$58,930 | 8,410 | −1% |
| Michigan | $39,500 | $18.99 | $29,720–$61,370 | 3,600 | −5% |
| Minnesota | $50,390 | $24.22 | $37,750–$75,890 | 8,660 | +21% |
| Mississippi | $22,340 | $10.74 | $16,430–$33,320 | 2,390 | −46% |
| Missouri | $34,790 | $16.73 | $29,220–$49,850 | 11,480 | −17% |
| Montana | $28,050 | $13.49 | $22,930–$38,230 | 2,370 | −33% |
| Nebraska | $37,690 | $18.12 | $28,080–$61,450 | 3,430 | −10% |
| Nevada | $24,960 | $12.00 | $24,960–$40,620 | 6,600 | −40% |
| New Hampshire | $34,990 | $16.82 | $28,870–$46,490 | 1,070 | −16% |
| New Jersey | $43,780 | $21.05 | $34,170–$58,670 | 17,100 | +5% |
| New Mexico | $36,400 | $17.50 | $30,170–$43,960 | 3,510 | −13% |
| New York | $43,490 | $20.91 | $35,090–$60,010 | 36,090 | +4% |
| North Carolina | $33,780 | $16.24 | $28,390–$45,040 | 20,360 | −19% |
| North Dakota | $42,570 | $20.47 | $33,780–$55,080 | 420 | +2% |
| Ohio | $37,150 | $17.86 | $28,480–$47,470 | 9,140 | −11% |
| Oklahoma | $23,770 | $11.43 | $18,300–$42,550 | 4,990 | −43% |
| Oregon | $58,280 | $28.02 | $54,870–$74,290 | 8,090 | +40% |
| Pennsylvania | $44,870 | $21.57 | $30,470–$63,930 | 22,360 | +8% |
| Rhode Island | $45,590 | $21.92 | $36,410–$60,640 | 1,910 | +9% |
| South Carolina | $30,400 | $14.62 | $22,460–$78,690 | 7,700 | −27% |
| South Dakota | $27,840 | $13.39 | $25,560–$34,700 | 1,610 | −33% |
| Tennessee | $29,500 | $14.18 | $21,570–$35,970 | 7,690 | −29% |
| Texas | $32,040 | $15.41 | $22,870–$39,090 | 29,150 | −23% |
| Utah | $36,490 | $17.55 | $24,710–$53,780 | 4,710 | −12% |
| Vermont | $38,200 | $18.37 | $31,470–$54,120 | 1,400 | −8% |
| Virginia | $39,020 | $18.76 | $27,670–$53,540 | 24,350 | −6% |
| Washington | $55,740 | $26.80 | $45,790–$67,700 | 14,820 | +34% |
| West Virginia | $49,020 | $23.57 | $41,440–$75,290 | 4,840 | +18% |
| Wisconsin | $43,950 | $21.13 | $35,740–$59,890 | 8,420 | +5% |
| Wyoming | $36,990 | $17.79 | $30,600–$45,590 | 2,230 | −11% |
BLS does not publish this figure for Colorado. BLS suppresses estimates it cannot publish reliably; no figure is estimated for it here and it has no state page.
Pay by employer
National figures for short-term substitute teachers (SOC 25-3031): every employer, then K-12 schools of every ownership, then privately owned K-12 schools only, BLS OEWS May 2025.
BLS publishes no split by type of private school (independent, Catholic, other faith-based) or by employer, so these rows are the narrowest national cuts.
Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 611100) counts public district, charter and private schools together.
The privately owned schools row is a separate BLS industry series (611105); BLS industry estimates are national only, and this page shows that row as a median, mean and job count (no hourly figure or percentiles).
| Employer | Median | Mean | Hourly median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All industries (every employer) | $41,670 | $46,420 | $20.03 | 524,770 |
| K-12 schools, public and private (NAICS 611100) | $42,890 | $47,560 | $20.62 | 407,590 |
| Privately owned K-12 schools only (BLS industry 611105) | $36,210 | $40,940 | Not shown | 33,290 |
Job outlook for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term
BLS projects employment of short-term substitute teachers to grow 2.0%, from about 556,100 in 2025 to 567,000 in 2035 (BLS Employment Projections 2025–35).
The projection covers every employer, public and private, with no split for private schools.
It includes the self-employed and comes from a different BLS program, so it is not directly comparable with the OEWS job counts above.
Pay by school role
BLS publishes wages by occupation, not job title, and has no private school or charter school code.
Teaching assistants and substitute teachers have a BLS occupation of their own.
Classroom and special education teachers, counselors, librarians and office staff are counted in broader groups.
Heads of school, instructional coaches and school nurses borrow the closest available occupation, labelled in the last column.
Compare figures with the same basis only.
| Role | Median, all K-12 schools | Median, privately owned schools | What the number is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private School Teacher | $63,980 | $58,140 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 25-2021) |
| Special Education Teacher | $65,080 | $61,030 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 25-2052) |
| Teaching Assistant | $36,990 | $37,090 | BLS occupation (SOC 25-9045) |
| Substitute Teacher | $42,890 | $36,210 | BLS occupation (SOC 25-3031) |
| Head of School | $105,840 | $98,020 | Closest available occupation, a stand-in (SOC 11-9032) |
| Instructional Coach | $81,050 | $68,290 | Closest available occupation (SOC 25-9031) |
| School Counselor | $76,760 | $62,190 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 21-1012) |
| School Nurse | $69,340 | $74,090 | Closest available occupation (SOC 29-1141) |
| School Librarian | $74,130 | $59,460 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 25-4022) |
| School Administrative Assistant | $47,050 | $46,020 | Broader BLS occupation (SOC 43-6014) |
Substitute Teacher salary questions
01How much do substitute teachers make a year?
The median annual wage for short-term substitute teachers (SOC 25-3031), the BLS occupation for substitute teachers, in elementary and secondary schools, public and private together, was $42,890 in May 2025 (BLS OEWS).
The 10th percentile was $28,360 and the 90th percentile $68,830.
In privately owned schools alone, the median was $36,210.
02How much do substitute teachers make an hour?
The median hourly wage for short-term substitute teachers in K-12 schools was $20.62 in May 2025.
BLS converts between hourly and annual figures at 2,080 hours a year, so this is the same median per hour, before overtime or bonuses.
03Which state pays substitute teachers the most?
For short-term substitute teachers, counting every employer in the state (public and private schools together), Alaska had the highest median in May 2025 at $66,920.
Mississippi had the lowest at $22,340.
These are not adjusted for living costs, and BLS publishes no private school figure by state; the state table above lists every state BLS published.
04What is the average substitute teacher salary?
The mean (average) annual wage for short-term substitute teachers in K-12 schools, public and private, was $47,560 in May 2025, against a $42,890 median.
In privately owned schools alone the mean was $40,940.
The median is the better guide to a typical salary, because a smaller number of high earners pull the average up.
05Is demand for substitute teachers growing?
BLS projects employment of short-term substitute teachers to grow 2.0% from 2025 to 2035, from about 556,100 to 567,000 jobs, with about 65,000 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections 2025–35).
Those projections cover every employer, public and private, include the self-employed and come from a different BLS program, so they are not directly comparable with the OEWS job counts on this page.
06How does pay in privately owned schools compare?
The privately owned schools median was lower on the May 2025 BLS figures: $36,210 in privately owned schools against $42,890 in all K-12 schools.
BLS publishes privately owned elementary and secondary schools as a separate national industry series (611105); the all-schools figure counts public district, charter and private schools together, so it includes the private schools.
BLS publishes no private school figure by state.
07How much do substitute teachers make a day?
BLS does not publish a day rate.
Its figures for short-term substitute teachers (SOC 25-3031) are hourly and annual: a median $20.62 an hour in K-12 schools in May 2025.
BLS does not publish how many paid hours a substitute's school day runs, so this page does not turn the hourly figure into a day rate.
The annual figure ($42,890) is the hourly median × 2,080 hours, BLS's full-year convention, so it is not what a substitute who works only some school days earns.