Teacher Salary in Texas

What teachers earn across Texas, and what they keep after tax, rent and everyday costs.

Median salary: $63,225
Median hourly wage: Not published
Top 10% earn: $75,750
Kept after costs: $20,777

Pay range

Half of Texas's 308,080 teachers earn more than $63,225 a year, and half earn less. The US median for the same job is $66,847.

10th percentile$49,94925th percentile$60,597Median$63,22575th percentile$69,44490th percentile$75,750

US median for the same job: $66,847

BLS publishes an annual salary only for this job; school staff are paid for the school year.

Pay over time

In Texas, teacher pay rose 20% from 2015 to 2025, but fell 12% after inflation.

Median pay, 2015 to 2025

Yearly figures, 2015 to 2025

May	Median pay	In 2025 dollars	US median
2015	$52,772	$71,681	$55,843
2016	$54,516	$73,127	$56,731
2017	$56,536	$74,255	$57,949
2018	$56,907	$72,960	$59,019
2019	$56,988	$71,764	$60,335
2020	$57,942	$72,076	$61,561
2021	$60,999	$72,474	$61,530
2022	$61,459	$67,610	$61,943
2023	$63,699	$67,303	$64,326
2024	$61,688	$63,311	$63,245
2025	$63,225	$63,225	$66,847

BLS designs these estimates as yearly snapshots and cautions against reading small year-to-year changes as trends. 2025 dollars use the CPI-U annual average.

What a teacher keeps in Texas

The median salary, after federal, payroll and state taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.

Teacher, Texas

Median salary: $63,225
Federal income tax: −$5,407
Payroll taxes: −$4,837
State income tax: $0
Rent, 1-bedroom: −$14,964
Everyday costs: −$17,240

You keep$20,777

a year, or $1,731 a month

Wages: BLS OEWS. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, statewide. Taxes: 2026 federal and state schedules, single filer.

Median salary$63,225Federal income tax−$5,407Payroll taxes−$4,837State income tax$0Rent, 1-bedroom−$14,964Everyday costs−$17,240You keep$20,777

At three pay levels

Half of teachers in Texas earn between the lower and higher pay shown here. Same statewide rent, everyday costs and taxes.

Pay level	Salary	Taxes	You keep
Lower-paid (25th percentile)	$60,597	−$9,728	$18,665
Typical (median)	$63,225	−$10,244	$20,777
Higher-paid (75th percentile)	$69,444	−$11,760	$25,480

Compare cities in Texas

Pay and rent change from city to city. Here is what a teacher keeps in each Texas city we cover, using local pay and rent.

City	Workers	Middle half earns	Median pay	1-bedroom rent	You keep
Killeen	5,240	$61,240–$74,044	$63,321	$952	$25,085
McAllen	10,830	$60,898–$65,402	$62,745	$925	$24,949
Laredo	3,590	$58,703–$64,091	$62,633	$975	$24,277
El Paso	8,470	$62,543–$65,873	$63,457	$1,029	$24,229
Houston	76,580	$61,652–$71,285	$65,193	$1,295	$21,332
Lubbock	4,690	$50,861–$63,315	$60,233	$1,072	$21,116
San Antonio	29,050	$60,078–$66,571	$61,838	$1,221	$20,636
Corpus Christi	4,460	$59,984–$65,150	$61,435	$1,237	$20,158
Dallas	76,940	$63,168–$73,756	$65,534	$1,452	$19,460
Garland	76,940	$63,168–$73,756	$65,534	$1,518	$18,668
Fort Worth	76,940	$63,168–$73,756	$65,534	$1,549	$18,296
Irving	76,940	$63,168–$73,756	$65,534	$1,560	$18,164
Arlington	76,940	$63,168–$73,756	$65,534	$1,630	$17,324
Austin	22,340	$60,281–$62,879	$61,682	$1,634	$15,559
Plano	76,940	$63,168–$73,756	$65,534	$1,846	$14,732
McKinney	76,940	$63,168–$73,756	$65,534	$1,997	$12,920
Frisco	76,940	$63,168–$73,756	$65,534	$2,079	$11,936

Workers and pay are BLS metro-area estimates; the middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.

Try a city with your own salary

Teacher in Killeen, TX

Median salary: $63,321
Federal income tax: −$5,419
Payroll taxes: −$4,844
State income tax: $0
Rent, 1-bedroom: −$11,424
Everyday costs: −$16,549

You keep$25,085

a year, or $2,090 a month

Pay: BLS OEWS metro estimates. Rent: HUD FY2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 schedules, single filer.

Salary$63,321Federal income tax−$5,419Payroll taxes−$4,844State income tax$0Rent, 1-bedroom−$11,424Everyday costs−$16,549You keep$25,085

Cost of living in Killeen

Teacher pay in other states

Ranked by what's left after taxes, rent and everyday costs, Texas comes 26 of 51. The ten states where a teacher keeps the most:

Washington$40,675
Ohio$32,802
Rhode Island$32,178
Alaska$31,099
New Mexico$30,023
Pennsylvania$28,026
Utah$27,549
California$26,532
Massachusetts$25,082
Wyoming$24,738
Texas$20,777

Compare this job in two places: any two cities or states, at three pay levels.

Teacher salary by state

Pay and what's kept for teachers in every other state we cover, A–Z.

Other jobs in Texas

The 10 jobs closest to a teacher in what they keep: median pay and what's left after the same costs.

Job	Median pay	You keep	Against a teacher
Accountant$12,777 more	$80,920	$33,554	$12,777 more
Respiratory therapist$11,805 more	$79,540	$32,582	$11,805 more
Lineman$11,383 more	$78,940	$32,160	$11,383 more
Radiologic technologist$11,165 more	$78,630	$31,942	$11,165 more
Police officer$9,245 more	$75,900	$30,022	$9,245 more
Paralegal$735 less	$62,310	$20,042	$735 less
Licensed practical nurse$791 less	$62,240	$19,986	$791 less
Firefighter$2,447 less	$60,180	$18,330	$2,447 less
Plumber$2,720 less	$59,840	$18,057	$2,720 less
Diesel mechanic$3,547 less	$58,810	$17,230	$3,547 less

All 40 salary pages in Texas

Moving for a job?

Questions people ask

How much does a teacher make in Texas?

The median teacher salary in Texas is $63,225 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $49,949 and the top 10% earn over $75,750 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

What does a teacher take home in Texas?

On the median salary, a teacher in Texas pays about $10,244 in federal, payroll and state taxes. After a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, they keeps $20,777 a year.

Where in Texas do teachers keep the most?

Of the Texas cities we cover, teachers keep the most in Killeen: a median salary of $63,321 and a $952 1-bedroom leave $25,085 a year after taxes and everyday costs.

Which states are best for teachers after costs?

Ranked by what's left after taxes, rent and everyday costs, Texas comes 26 of 51. The top states are Washington ($40,675), Ohio ($32,802), Rhode Island ($32,178).

Do teachers in Texas earn more than the US average?

No. The Texas median of $63,225 is $3,622 below the US median of $66,847.

Sources and method

Occupation codes (SOC): 25-2021, 25-2022, 25-2031. Statewide figures use the state median wage, a population-weighted statewide rent and state price levels; city figures use metro wages and city rents.

Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate