2026 educator pay reports show low Missouri rankings

WASHINGTON (KQTV) — Despite a slight rise in the national average pay, Missouri ranks low on many lists among other states for teacher pay, according to the National Education Association (NEA).

According to the Educator Pay Date Report from the NEA for 2026, the average public school teacher salary in America saw a 3.5% increase from the 2023-24 school year to the last school year. While higher education faculty salaries rose 3.6%, coming to around $105,000.

The report states that the national average starting teacher salary is $48,112.

Missouri, however, is low on many lists, including the average teacher starting salary, where it ranks 49. Teachers in Missouri are getting an average starting salary of $40,682, close to $19,000 short of the average minimum living wage, which is $59,079.

Kansas has Missouri beat on starting pay for teachers, with around $44,000 per year, ranking at 40. However, this is about $20,000 shorter of the Kansas Minimum Living wage according to NEA, which is around $64,000.

Points of pride for the Show Me State in this report include the average higher education support professional, which is $46,410.

This ranks number 25 in the NEA report, which is above neighboring Kansas, which ranks 39 with earnings close to $33,000 per year.

The next-highest ranking for Missouri is from average K-12 Educator Support and average Higher Education Faculty Salaries, which are at number 37. T

he K-12 stat sees individuals in the field earning around $33,000 per year, while the higher education faculty staff is getting $92,000 per year.

In competing with the Sunflower State, K-12 educator support roles are 47th on the list at $29,786, with being right below Missouri with Higher Education Faculty Salaries, which are 28th in the nation, and earning around $91,000 a year.

For the full report from the National Education Association, click here.