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FACT BRIEF

Does Wisconsin teacher pay rank 31st in the nation?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

The average public school teacher salary in Wisconsin was just under $60,000 and ranked 23rd in the nation, according to the latest figures from the National Education Association teachers union. Starting salaries for teachers were lower than the national average, however, ranking in 34th place at $38,961.

The figures, from the 2020-21 school year, were originally published on April 23, 2021.

Wisconsin ranked 19th best for teacher salaries in a report by Business.org, which used data from the National Center on Education Statistics on average teacher salaries during the 2020-21 school year.

The $60,000 teacher salary average was 13% higher than the average salary for all occupations in Wisconsin.

In 2022, the average salary for public school teachers in Milwaukee was $66,229, and in Madison was $62,882, according to the nonprofit Wisconsin Policy Forum research group.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
National Education Association Educator Pay and Student Spending: How Does Your State Rank?
Business.org Best States for Teacher Pay in 2022
Education Week The Current State of Teacher Pay, in Charts
Wisconsin Watch Do Wisconsin teachers make about $27,000 on average?
Wisconsin Policy Forum School Datatool – Teacher Demographics
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.