Teacher Salaries Fell 6% 2002-2022

(Reason Foundation) Reason Foundation published its 2025 K-12 Education Spending Spotlight, which brings together over two decades of public school finance data for all 50 states. All 50 states increased K-12 funding from 2002 to 2023, but inflation-adjusted average teacher salaries fell by 6.1% between 2002 and 2022. Between 2002 and 2023, public school funding rose by 35.8% from $14,969 per student to $20,322 per student after adjusting for inflation. 

More from Reason Foundation