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Does Wisconsin teacher pay rank 31st in the nation?

By Tom Kertscher
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.
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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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