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Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2025

Are Oklahoma teacher salaries among the lowest?

Matthew Yim, Oklahoma Watch
yes

Oklahoma’s average teacher starting salary and the average teacher salary rank No.45 and No.35 in the nation, respectively. 

The average teacher starting salary in Oklahoma is $41,152 and the average teacher salary is $61,330. Those figures are 12% and 15% below their respective national averages.

Oklahoma was recently ranked the fifth most affordable state in the nation, with the fourth lowest cost of living and the seventh most affordable housing.

The minimum adequate living wage required for a one adult one child household in Oklahoma is $73,652. The median household income in Oklahoma is $62,138. 

House Bill 1087, signed in June, extends the number of years for which teachers’ minimum salaries, based on years of experience and type of degree, increase annually from 25 to 35 years. The minimum salary for teachers with 35 years of experience and a doctoral degree is $65,319. 

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