Teacher Salary Gap

Teacher Pay GAP

New data shows Maine still far behind

The Economic Policy Institute recently released a report on the teacher pay gap in the United States, and despite the work of MEA to increase Maine teachers’ starting salary to $40,000 the state still lags behind.

Maine’s pay gap, as measured as the difference between what a teacher earns and what a person with similar education and experience earns in other professions, is 23.1%, compared to a national average pay gap of 19.2%. This means Maine’s educators earn almost one-quarter less than their counterparts in other professions. What’s worse, Maine has the 14th largest teacher pay gap in the United States.

Adjusted For Inflation

Adjusted for inflation, the pay gap has grown from 6% nationally in 1996 to 19.2% in 2019, the most recent year data is available. However, the pay gap did dip from 2018, when it was 22%. This is due in significant part to the Red for Ed movement that swept the countrywhich is great news, but time will tell the long-term impact of this change.

What About Benefits?

Benefits are generally better for educators than their counterparts, and that’s a bright spot for Maine educators. The study found that nationally, teachers generally have a 9% better benefit package than their counterparts, bringing the total compensation gap for teachers down to 10.2% nationally. The study did not break down benefits data by state, so Maine’s benefits could be weighted differently than the national average, but this should be a handy shorthand comparison.