NJ Teacher Salaries Among Top In Nation, But Falling Against Inflation

NEW JERSEY — The average teacher salary in New Jersey is $77,489 — one of the nation's highest marks. But the state's average earnings among educators continue to fall behind inflation and the cost of living, which hasn't been the case in many other states.

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released data on teacher salaries in each state and their changes over time. During the 2020-21 school year — the most recent year of available data — New Jersey exceeded the national-average teacher salary ($65,090) by $12,399.

New Jersey had the nation's seventh-highest salary rate that year. However, the Garden State consistently has one of the nation's highest costs of living. And it's been decades since the growth in New Jersey's teacher salaries has kept up with inflation, according to federal data.

The state averaged a $52,015 teacher salary during the 1999-2000 school year, with the figure increasing to $65,130 for 2009-10. But against inflation, New Jersey's teacher salaries declined 2.2 percent from 2000-10 and then 2 percent from 2010-21. Only eight other states saw teacher salaries decline against inflation in both decades.

The data shows short-term impacts on teacher compensation in the current economic climate, as well. In terms of "constant 2020-21 dollars," which adjusts figures to reflect changes in inflation and cost of living, New Jersey teachers averaged $78,134 in the 2019-20 school year — $645 more than the next year's figure.

New Jersey, meanwhile, faces an educator shortage, which brewed for decades before the pandemic exacerbated the "crisis," according to the state's largest teacher's union.

"This crisis is symptomatic of a routine devaluation of the teaching profession, a chronic disease often left unspoken but felt at some point in every educator’s career," Sarah Adamo, secretary of New Jersey Education Association Preservice, wrote in April.

One of New Jersey's largest school systems filled vacancies more quickly through signing bonuses. Paterson Public Schools hired 115 new teachers by offering $7,500 bonuses back in September — $3,750 if they remain in their jobs through 2022 and the second half if they remain in the district through 2023.

"The evidence is clear that the pre-employment agreements have been effective in recruiting qualified teachers to Paterson Public Schools and helping us limit the number of our vacancies," Superintendent of Schools Eileen Shafer told northjersey.com. "It has always been our goal to recruit teachers to Paterson Public Schools. We are reaching that goal with the help of our incentive program."

The state's educational landscape also features vast payment disparities. Teachers in the Northern Valley Regional High School District — based in an affluent section of Bergen County — had the highest median salary ($115,650) in the state during the 2020-21 school year. Meanwhile, the median teacher salary in 11 districts was $50,000 or less that year, according to data from the New Jersey Department of Education.

Median pay also significantly varied by the type of school district, ranging from $60,200 for New Jersey's charter and renaissance schools to $88,575 in districts that serve grades 9-12.

Here's where New Jersey stands in terms of average teacher salary:

1. New York: $87,738
2. Massachussetts: $86,315
3. California: $85,892
4. District of Columbia: $80,659
5. Connecticut: $79,742
6. Washington: $79,529
7. New Jersey: $77,489
8. Rhode Island: $75,966
9. Maryland: $74,514
10. Alaska: $72,861