Utah teacher pay: How salaries compare to educators in other states

Utah teachers receive roughly 72 cents for every dollar earned by comparably educated professionals working in different careers, according to a recent study by the National Education Association.

It’s called the “teacher pay penalty,” or the phenomenon where teachers earn significantly less than similarly educated individuals in other professions.

“The compensation packages for those other professions have largely kept pace with [inflation,]” said Renée Pinkney, president of the Utah Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union. “Those professionals are earning salaries that are competitive.”

But teachers aren’t earning competitive salaries, or, in many cases, livable ones, according to the National Education Association study. The annual report ranks average teacher salary, average teacher starting salary and student spending by state.

This year, the NEA tracked “record-level” salary hikes in some states, but the increases haven’t come close to keeping up with inflation. Teachers nationally are now making 5% less than they did 10 years ago, the NEA reported.

“I started teaching in 1996,” Pinkney said. “I now am making less money as far as real dollars and being able to purchase commodities.”

The report states chronic low pay is “plaguing the profession.”

“A staggering 77% of U.S. school districts still pay a starting salary below $50,000″ — including Utah, it notes.

Utah ranks No. 10 in nation for starting teacher salary

First-time teachers in Utah earn an average of $49,555 annually — just enough for a single person without kids to afford a studio apartment in Salt Lake County and maintain an “adequate” standard of living, according to estimates by the Economic Policy Institute.

It’s also enough to earn Utah the No. 10 spot in the National Education Association’s rankings for average educator starting salaries. Nationally, the average starting salary for teachers sits at $44,530, the NEA reported.

This year marked some of the highest beginning salaries the NEA has tracked in over a decade — but when adjusted for inflation, first-time teachers are making $4,273 less than they did in 2008-2009.

“Specifically in Utah, in 2008, when we saw the recession begin, the recovery was really, really slow,” Pinkney said.

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Utah teacher pay: How salaries compare to educators in other states

Utah teacher pay: How salaries compare to educators in other states

Utah teacher pay: How salaries compare to educators in other states

Utah teacher pay: How salaries compare to educators in other states

Utah teacher pay: How salaries compare to educators in other states