How do teacher salaries in New Jersey compare with other states? See the list
New Jersey teachers had the seventh-highest average salary in the country during the 2022-23 school year, data from the National Education Association shows.
The average teacher in the Garden State made $81,102 last year, a 3.5% increase from $78,387 in 2021-22. That figure is more than $10,000 higher than the national average of $69,544.
California came in at No. 1 on the list, with an average salary of $95,160, the NEA data shows. New York, Massachusetts, Washington, the District of Columbia and Connecticut also finished ahead of New Jersey, with salaries ranging from $83,400 to $92,696.
The continuation of a higher-than-average amount — New Jersey also came in at seventh in 2021-22 behind the same five states and Washington, D.C. — comes amid an ongoing teacher shortage in the state that has lawmakers and educators concerned about the future of teaching jobs.
"If New Jersey does not act soon, there will not be enough qualified candidates to replace teachers leaving the profession," said Mark Weber, a public school teacher who authored a 2022 report on the decline in prospective educators.
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Last May, New Jersey legislators unveiled a dozen bills designed to reduce costs and expand pathways to attract new teachers into the field. In November, Gov. Phil Murphy signed one of those bills, to eliminate a skills test previously required for teachers to get certified, and the other measures have since made progress in Trenton.
Nationwide, the average teacher salary increased by 4.1% from 2021-22 to 2022-23. But adjusting for inflation, teachers make 5% less than they did a decade ago and 9% less than the peak in 2009-10, the NEA said.
New Jersey's 3.5% increase year over year was below the national average and 22nd in the country, the data shows. New Mexico had the largest increase, at 17.2%, followed by Mississippi (11.4%) and Alabama (8.2%). All three were in the bottom half of states' average salaries in 2021-22.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Teacher salaries in NJ rank in top 10 across United States
