US Teacher Statistics

The typical educator will teach more than 3,000 students throughout their career
Approximately 83% of students credit teachers for boosting their self-esteem
Around 88% of individuals acknowledge the significant positive impact teachers have had on their lives
About 75% of students perceive teachers as mentors and role models
The average student-to-teacher ratio has decreased from 15.9 in 2000 to 14.3 in 2019
The average age of teachers in the United States is 42.4 years
Teachers, on average, spend $750 per year on school supplies for their classrooms
In the United States, teachers dedicate approximately 998 hours per year to classroom teaching
Around 80% of teachers are dedicating more time to address students’ mental health concerns
About 71% of teachers are spending more of their own money on classroom materials
Teachers are experiencing reduced planning time (55%) due to staff shortages and other factors
Roughly 51% of people consider teaching to be one of the most notable professions.
On average, teachers work 400 hours of overtime each year
Between 2009 and 2014, there was a 35% decrease in enrollment for teacher education programs

How many teachers are there in the USA?

Teachers total 2.5% of the entire US workforce
There are 4,007,908 teachers in the USA
More than half of all teachers are elementary school teachers
Just under a quarter of all teachers are high school teachers
A small percentage of schools cover kindergarten, all the way through to 12th grade – teachers at these schools make up 12%

Grade	No. of teachers	%
K-12 combined schools	291,724	7.3%
Elementary school	2,006,810	50.1%
Middle school and junior high	641,485	16.0%
High school	992,386	24.8%
Other	75,503	1.9%
Total	4,007,908	100.0%

Teachers have a median annual salary of just over $61,000
The median US income in 2021 was $69,717 – $8,717 more than the median salary for a teacher
Teachers earn 23.5% less than comparable college graduates
The median income of a person with a master’s degree is $81,848
The median income of a teacher with a master’s degree is $70,279 – $11,569 less than the median income of a person with a master’s degree
Teachers are only paid for the days they work – meaning that teachers are not paid for the extended summer vacations
However, many teachers choose to take their 9 months of salary in 12 monthly payments

Item	% of teachers spending money on it
Incentives (gold stars, prizes. candy)	90%
Stationary	82%
Snacks for kids	73%
Books	73%
Games	55%
Items crucial for the curriculum	44%
Cleaning supplies	52%
Technology	24%
Filed trips	20%

Teacher attrition in the USA is twice as high as in countries with well-regarded education systems like Finland and Singapore
It causes a distract $20,000 every time a teacher quits
Teachers of mathematics, science, special education, English language development, and foreign languages are more likely to leave either their school or teaching
Turnover rates are 50% higher for teachers in Title I schools – schools that serve a high percentage of low-income students

Between February 2020 – May 2022, it was estimated that over 300,000 public school teachers and other staff quit due to burnout
55% of female teachers have reported that they are burned out
This is at a much higher rate than the 44% of male teachers who have reported they are burned out
35% of US educators regard their job as highly stressful

46% of teachers work more than 50 hours a week
38% work 40 to 45 hours a week
55% of the teachers intend to leave the profession due to excessive workload
In 2023, 4 in 5 teachers (81%) claim that their workload has increased
Teachers have reported as many as 27 hours of additional work without an increase in pay