How much do new teachers make? A state-by-state guide

America runs on teachers. In 2017, there were some 3.6 million full-time teachers in U.S., according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 3.2 million of them were public school teachers, serving local communities across the country.

According to the NCES, the average salary for a U.S. public school teacher in the 2016-2017 school year was $58,950, 2% lower than the average salary in the 1990-1991 school year when adjusted for inflation.

Stagnant wages may be the reason why fewer college students have chosen to major in education. But teachers are more necessary than ever. NCES predicts there will be over 50 million students in public schools by 2025.

Few teachers chose education as a career path because it’s lucrative — but there are some states where becoming a new teacher may be more profitable than others.

Learn how one teacher budgets their money.

According to the National Education Association, a national professional organization for teachers, the average starting salary for public school teachers in the 2017-2018 school year was $39,249, but this varied widely by location. In the District of Columbia, new teachers made an average starting salary of $55,209, the highest in the country, while in Montana they made $31,418, the lowest.

Here’s how much new teachers made on average in every state.

Alabama

Average starting teacher salary: $38,491

Alaska

Average starting teacher salary: $46,954

Arizona

Average starting teacher salary: $34,473

Arkansas

Average starting teacher salary: $33,323

California

Average starting teacher salary: $46,992

Colorado

Average starting teacher salary: $33,483

Connecticut

Average starting teacher salary: $45,922

Delaware

Average starting teacher salary: $41,639

District of Columbia

Average starting teacher salary: $55,209

Florida

Average starting teacher salary: $37,636

Georgia

Average starting teacher salary: $35,474

Hawaii

Average starting teacher salary: $46,790

Idaho

Average starting teacher salary: $34,801

Illinois

Average starting teacher salary: $39,236

Indiana

Average starting teacher salary: $35,943

Iowa

Average starting teacher salary: $37,048

Kansas

Average starting teacher salary: $35,769

Kentucky

Average starting teacher salary: $36,752

Louisiana

Average starting teacher salary: $40,303

Maine

Average starting teacher salary: $34,788

Maryland

Average starting teacher salary: $45,147

Massachusetts

Average starting teacher salary: $45,498

Michigan

Average starting teacher salary: $36,599

Minnesota

Average starting teacher salary: $38,529

Mississippi

Average starting teacher salary: $34,784

Missouri

Average starting teacher salary: $32,226

Montana

Average starting teacher salary: $31,418

Nebraska

Average starting teacher salary: $34,465

Nevada

Average starting teacher salary: $39,054

New Hampshire

Average starting teacher salary: $37,395

New Jersey

Average starting teacher salary: $51,443

New Mexico

Average starting teacher salary: $36,405

New York

Average starting teacher salary: $45,589

North Carolina

Average starting teacher salary: $37,631

North Dakota

Average starting teacher salary: $38,611

Ohio

Average starting teacher salary: $35,923

Oklahoma

Average starting teacher salary: $32,010

Oregon

Average starting teacher salary: $36,319

Pennsylvania

Average starting teacher salary: $44,647

Rhode Island

Average starting teacher salary: $41,689

South Carolina

Average starting teacher salary: $33,148

South Dakota

Average starting teacher salary: $38,098

Tennessee

Average starting teacher salary: $37,305

Texas

Average starting teacher salary: $41,481

Utah

Average starting teacher salary: $38,499

Vermont

Average starting teacher salary: $38,499

Virginia

Average starting teacher salary: $40,453

Washington

Average starting teacher salary: $42,240

West Virginia

Average starting teacher salary: $33,715

Wisconsin

Average starting teacher salary: $38,181

Wyoming

Average starting teacher salary: $45,241

While teachers have a tough salary to budget on, there are a host of freebies available to them. Here are 50.

Image: Phillipe Giraud