Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education · SOC 25-2031
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Educations
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas
Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Top 25 of 375 metro areas
| # | Metro area | Median annual | Employment | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $121,190 | 240 | 4.6 |
| 2 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $108,850 | 2,210 | 6.8 |
| 3 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $108,230 | 4,130 | 3.6 |
| 4 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $105,200 | 490 | 3.8 |
| 5 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $105,060 | 6,040 | 5.6 |
| 6 | Walla Walla, WA | $104,940 | 120 | 4.5 |
| 7 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $104,180 | 420 | 4.5 |
| 8 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $104,110 | 200 | 4.8 |
| 9 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $102,880 | 11,520 | 4.9 |
| 10 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $102,840 | 1,060 | 5.3 |
| 11 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $102,810 | 6,690 | 4.4 |
| 12 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $102,670 | 7,720 | 3.7 |
| 13 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $102,600 | 720 | 5.6 |
| 14 | Vallejo, CA | $102,590 | 800 | 5.6 |
| 15 | Napa, CA | $102,510 | 300 | 3.9 |
| 16 | Bellingham, WA | $102,160 | 430 | 4.7 |
| 17 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $102,010 | 730 | 15.0 |
| 18 | Modesto, CA | $101,890 | 1,900 | 9.7 |
| 19 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $101,730 | 1,040 | 5.0 |
| 20 | Salinas, CA | $101,590 | 1,200 | 6.4 |
| 21 | Kingston, NY | $101,300 | 560 | 9.5 |
| 22 | Barnstable Town, MA | $101,120 | 750 | 7.9 |
| 23 | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $101,010 | 260 | 5.2 |
| 24 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $100,960 | 32,250 | 5.1 |
| 25 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $100,800 | 75,780 | 8.0 |
Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.