Average Salary

• In 2009 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics collated wage information from more than 1.5 million elementary teachers across the nation. Synthesizing the data the BLS concluded that the average annual pay for the profession was $53,150, equivalent to $4,429 a month. The median salary--the average among the middle 50 percent of earners--was listed as $50,510. The average pay for those in the top 10 percent of practitioners was $78,720, while the wage level among the lowest-earning 10 percent averaged $33,830.
  
  

Salary by Sector

• The vast majority of elementary school teachers work, of course, in elementary schools. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2009 survey placed the annual average salary for this sector of the education industry at $53,190. It also showed that employment opportunities exist in religious organizations, where the average wage was $42,070 and child day care services, which offered an average of $41,360. Positions within local government agencies were listed at $51,940.
  
  

Salary by State

• Geographical location bears a significant impact on elementary school teacher salaries at the state level. Calculated across all industry sectors, the Bureau of Labor Statistics listed Rhode Island and Alaska as the states with the highest average pay packages--$68,410 and $68,070, respectively. Connecticut, New York and District of Columbia completed the top five with $66,660, $65,820 and $64,200 respectively. By way of contrast, North Dakota offered an annual salary averaging $42,880.
  
  

Salary by Metropolitan Area

• In terms of metropolitan areas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2009 survey showed significant variations in pay for elementary school teachers. Across all employment sectors, the area with the highest average pay for the occupation was the Nassau, Suffolk district of New York--$83,090--followed by Waterbury in Connecticut--$74,570. The Bethesda-Frederick-Gaithersburg district of Maryland and Kingston in New York offered comparable levels of pay--$72,960 and $71,520, respectively--while the Hanford-Corcoran area of California was listed at just $47,830.
  
  

Prospects

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to see significant growth in employment opportunities across the education industry. It predicts that the job market for elementary school teachers, alongside that for their contemporaries teaching at kindergarten, middle and secondary level, will grow by about 13 percent through 2018. Overall, enrollment levels are expected to rise during that time, however the BLS cautions that employment will depend upon individual state budgets for education. In general, though, salary levels should appreciate in response to growing demand.