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Elementary school teachers can expect stability in their profession for the foreseeable future, as employment in elementary school education is expected to grow by 7% by 2030.
A career as an elementary school teacher can be impactful and rewarding, as teachers help shape the development of young children in their early educational stages. Oftentimes, elementary school—especially pre-K and kindergarten—is where a child first learns to follow specific routines, socialize outside of their family environment, and comprehend rules and consequences from someone other than a family member. Elementary education also marks a child's introduction to various subjects they will continue to learn over the years.
Some typical job duties of elementary school teachers include creating lesson plans for specific subjects such as English or math, assigning and grading homework, observing students' performances, and communicating with parents about their child's progress. There will always be a need for educators in society, and though there's currently a nationwide demand for all sorts of teachers—in the subject areas of mathematics, science, special education, and teaching English as a second language, especially—there's been a noticeable shortage of elementary school teachers in recent years.
It's been a challenging few years for school employees, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has given way to a whole host of obstacles in retaining teachers—temporary school closures, staffing absences, low wages, and increased demands of educators, among them. In order to reduce staffing shortages, school districts are working on a variety of strategies, such as increasing compensation through federal recovery funds, creating teaching residencies, investing in more recruitment staff, adding more staff members to support students and parents, and overall focusing on employee retention.
The job outlook for educators in elementary and secondary schools is expected to change for the better. Study.com examined the total employment and growth rate for elementary school teachers projected in 2028 across every state, utilizing data from Projections Central, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
States are ranked by expected percent increase in elementary school teacher jobs between 2018 and 2028. Estimates for average annual job openings are based on projections, taking into account annual growth and net replacement. To contextualize the current employment base across the country, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is included for each state.
Keep reading to see how elementary school teacher employment is projected to change across the nation.
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#50. Maine
- Projected employment in 2028: 4,830 (-6.2% decrease from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 5,760
- Average annual wage in 2020: $53,640
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 340
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#49. Vermont
- Projected employment in 2028: 3,910 (-1.8% decrease from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 3,870
- Average annual wage in 2020: $62,750
- - Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 280
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#48. Connecticut
- Projected employment in 2028: 16,220 (-1.6% decrease from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 15,000
- Average annual wage in 2020: $79,610
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,180
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#47. Ohio
- Projected employment in 2028: 49,460 (-.9% decrease from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 52,910
- Average annual wage in 2020: $64,700
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 3,620
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#46. Alaska
- Projected employment in 2028: 2,260 (-.9% decrease from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 3,380
- Average annual wage in 2020: $74,720
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 170
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#45. Illinois
- Projected employment in 2028: 61,210 (-.7% decrease from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 57,880
- Average annual wage in 2020: $66,140
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 4,480
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#44. New Hampshire
- Projected employment in 2028: 5,610 (+.5% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 6,480
- Average annual wage in 2020: $60,730
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 420
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#43. Rhode Island
- Projected employment in 2028: 3,360 (+.9% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 4,020
- Average annual wage in 2020: $71,640
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 250
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#42. Delaware
- Projected employment in 2028: 4,400 (+.9% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 3,810
- Average annual wage in 2020: $66,140
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 330
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#41. Massachusetts
- Projected employment in 2028: 32,110 (+1.1% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 29,900
- Average annual wage in 2020: $84,810
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 2,390
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#40. Missouri
- Projected employment in 2028: 24,990 (+1.8% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 20,580
- Average annual wage in 2020: $52,050
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,870
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#39. Hawaii
- Projected employment in 2028: 6,520 (+2.2% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 4,810
- Average annual wage in 2020: $65,060
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 490
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#38. Virginia
- Projected employment in 2028: 36,440 (+2.8% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 37,160
- Average annual wage in 2020: $72,620
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 2,750
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#37. Oklahoma
- Projected employment in 2028: 17,830 (+2.8% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 16,670
- Average annual wage in 2020: $48,570
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,350
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#36. Montana
- Projected employment in 2028: 4,550 (+2.9% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 4,610
- Average annual wage in 2020: $50,270
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 340
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#35. Alabama
- Projected employment in 2028: 24,900 (+2.9% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 20,750
- Average annual wage in 2020: $51,280
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,880
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#34. New Jersey
- Projected employment in 2028: 45,760 (+3.2% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 37,870
- Average annual wage in 2020: $73,330
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 3,460
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#33. South Carolina
- Projected employment in 2028: 22,530 (+3.3% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 20,740
- Average annual wage in 2020: $52,960
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,710
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#32. North Carolina
- Projected employment in 2028: 39,420 (+3.3% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 43,200
- Average annual wage in 2020: $50,130
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 2,990
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#31. West Virginia
- Projected employment in 2028: 5,740 (+3.4% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 6,080
- Average annual wage in 2020: $47,780
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 440
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#30. Michigan
- Projected employment in 2028: 38,300 (+3.5% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 36,190
- Average annual wage in 2020: $68,850
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 2,910
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#29. Louisiana
- Projected employment in 2028: 24,220 (+3.6% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 21,580
- Average annual wage in 2020: $49,620
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 80
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#28. Indiana
- Projected employment in 2028: 26,560 (+3.6% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 25,360
- Average annual wage in 2020: $53,650
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 2,020
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#27. New Mexico
- Projected employment in 2028: 7,180 (+3.8% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 7,860
- Average annual wage in 2020: $60,740
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 550
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#26. Kansas
- Projected employment in 2028: 16,500 (+4.0% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 15,250
- Average annual wage in 2020: $54,460
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,260
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#25. Minnesota
- Projected employment in 2028: 24,500 (+4.6% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 23,200
- Average annual wage in 2020: $62,560
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,870
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#24. California
- Projected employment in 2028: 196,500 (+4.9% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 156,920
- Average annual wage in 2020: $85,110
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 15,070
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#23. Tennessee
- Projected employment in 2028: 29,830 (+5.2% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 27,870
- Average annual wage in 2020: $53,430
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 2,290
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#22. Kentucky
- Projected employment in 2028: 18,720 (+5.2% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 18,170
- Average annual wage in 2020: $52,950
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,440
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#21. Nebraska
- Projected employment in 2028: 11,900 (+5.6% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 9,020
- Average annual wage in 2020: $61,890
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 920
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#20. Wisconsin
- Projected employment in 2028: 34,590 (+5.7% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 26,790
- Average annual wage in 2020: $58,340
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 2,670
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#19. Arkansas
- Projected employment in 2028: 12,660 (+6.0% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 12,750
- Average annual wage in 2020: $49,380
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 980
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#18. Wyoming
- Projected employment in 2028: 2,610 (+6.1% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 2,440
- Average annual wage in 2020: $59,300
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 200
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#17. South Dakota
- Projected employment in 2028: 4,520 (+6.1% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 3,880
- Average annual wage in 2020: $44,790
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 350
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#16. Pennsylvania
- Projected employment in 2028: 56,820 (+7.1% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 53,460
- Average annual wage in 2020: $69,410
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 4,430
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#15. Iowa
- Projected employment in 2028: 23,530 (+7.1% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 16,290
- Average annual wage in 2020: $55,040
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,830
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#14. Florida
- Projected employment in 2028: 79,570 (+7.2% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 73,840
- Average annual wage in 2020: $57,520
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 6,200
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#13. North Dakota
- Projected employment in 2028: 4,410 (+7.3% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 4,190
- Average annual wage in 2020: $55,850
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 350
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#12. Mississippi
- Projected employment in 2028: 14,880 (+7.4% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 12,150
- Average annual wage in 2020: $43,280
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 100
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#11. New York
- Projected employment in 2028: 90,350 (+8.0% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 92,700
- Average annual wage in 2020: $84,380
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 7,090
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#10. Oregon
- Projected employment in 2028: 14,480 (+8.3% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 15,030
- Average annual wage in 2020: $71,420
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,140
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#9. Texas
- Projected employment in 2028: 149,970 (+10.8% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 131,370
- Average annual wage in 2020: $56,760
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 11,980
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#8. Arizona
- Projected employment in 2028: 8,690 (+11.0% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 23,370
- Average annual wage in 2020: $47,910
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 700
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#7. Idaho
- Projected employment in 2028: 8,680 (+11.3% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 8,050
- Average annual wage in 2020: $50,850
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 90
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#6. Nevada
- Projected employment in 2028: 11,840 (+13.8% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 9,870
- Average annual wage in 2020: $56,780
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 960
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#5. Maryland
- Projected employment in 2028: 34,400 (+14.4% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 27,050
- Average annual wage in 2020: $77,470
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 2,810
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#4. Colorado
- Projected employment in 2028: 28,870 (+15.5% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 25,130
- Average annual wage in 2020: $56,150
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 2,370
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#3. Georgia
- Projected employment in 2028: 61,500 (+15.8% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 43,610
- Average annual wage in 2020: $61,290
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 5,070
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#2. Utah
- Projected employment in 2028: 16,400 (+16.0% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 12,800
- Average annual wage in 2020: $59,680
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 1,350
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#1. Washington
- Projected employment in 2028: 39,940 (+17.4% increase from 2018)
- Total employment in 2020: 29,080
- Average annual wage in 2020: $74,400
- Average annual job openings 2018-2028: 3,910