Kindergarten Teacher salary

Quoted Expert
Patricia Rogan Ph.D.

Average kindergarten teacher salary

$48,029

$23.09 hourly rate

Entry-level kindergarten teacher salary
$37,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

How much does a kindergarten teacher make?

The average kindergarten teacher salary in the United States is $48,029. Kindergarten teacher salaries typically range between $37,000 and $62,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for kindergarten teachers is $23.09 per hour.

Kindergarten teacher salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Kindergarten teachers earn the highest average salary in Hawaii.

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Kindergarten teacher salary by: 

Where can a Kindergarten Teacher earn more?

Compare salary by location
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Columbus, OH$50,111
Marietta, GA$44,923
Compare salary by company
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Brooklyn Waldorf School$70,528
KIPP Northern California Public Schools$53,983

Kindergarten Teacher salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert and CareerExplorer, the average salary for a kindergarten teacher typically falls between $42,512 and $62,343.
zippia
$48,029yearly
glassdoor[1]
$58,830yearly
indeed[2]
$42,512yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$45,082yearly
SalaryExpert[4]
$62,343yearly
CareerExplorer[5]
$60,900yearly

Average kindergarten teacher salary by state

The average kindergarten teacher salary in Hawaii, Delaware, and Maryland are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average kindergarten teacher salary states are Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

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  • County View
Average Salary:

Highest paying states for kindergarten teachers

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1Pennsylvania$49,956$24.02
2Michigan$48,108$23.13
3Nevada$47,951$23.05
4Delaware$50,162$24.12
5New Jersey$49,776$23.93
6Connecticut$48,787$23.46
7Arizona$47,225$22.70
8Maryland$49,972$24.02
9Indiana$46,285$22.25
10Ohio$47,876$23.02
11District of Columbia$49,811$23.95
12New Mexico$46,219$22.22
13New York$49,453$23.78
14West Virginia$47,997$23.08
15North Carolina$46,303$22.26
16Illinois$46,245$22.23
17Oklahoma$45,139$21.70
18Wisconsin$46,521$22.37
19Virginia$48,954$23.54
20Rhode Island$47,702$22.93
21Kansas$44,985$21.63
22Tennessee$45,155$21.71
23New Hampshire$45,277$21.77
24Texas$45,727$21.98
25Minnesota$45,591$21.92
26Kentucky$45,654$21.95
27South Carolina$45,154$21.71
28California$48,708$23.42
29Massachusetts$46,637$22.42
30Arkansas$44,984$21.63
31Missouri$45,050$21.66
32Colorado$45,094$21.68
33Iowa$45,140$21.70
34Utah$45,565$21.91
35Oregon$46,589$22.40
36Florida$44,913$21.59
37Nebraska$44,647$21.46
38Alabama$44,692$21.49
39Mississippi$44,771$21.52
40Georgia$44,817$21.55
41Louisiana$45,090$21.68
42Alaska$47,884$23.02
43Hawaii$51,279$24.65
44Idaho$44,888$21.58
45Wyoming$44,472$21.38
46Montana$43,725$21.02
47South Dakota$44,471$21.38
48Washington$45,343$21.80
49North Dakota$44,272$21.28
50Vermont$43,413$20.87
51Maine$42,574$20.47

Highest paying cities for kindergarten teachers

The highest-paying cities for kindergarten teachers are Palo Alto, CA, Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC.

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1Palo Alto, CA$50,111$24.09
2Baltimore, MD$50,025$24.05
3Washington, DC$49,835$23.96
4New York, NY$49,674$23.88
5Jersey City, NJ$49,659$23.87
6Detroit, MI$48,284$23.21
7Las Vegas, NV$47,903$23.03
8Phoenix, AZ$47,283$22.73
9Milwaukee, WI$46,754$22.48
10Chicago, IL$46,443$22.33
11Portland, OR$46,307$22.26
12Austin, TX$45,842$22.04
13Bellevue, WA$45,430$21.84
14Lafayette, LA$45,230$21.75
15Miami, FL$45,119$21.69
16Denver, CO$45,109$21.69
17Marietta, GA$44,923$21.60

Kindergarten Teacher salary details

A kindergarten teacher's salary ranges from $37,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $62,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average Kindergarten Teacher Salary Graph
Average Kindergarten Teacher Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a kindergarten teacher's salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$62,000$5,167$30
75th Percentile$55,000$4,583$26
Average$48,029$4,002$23
25th Percentile$41,000$3,417$20
10th Percentile$37,000$3,083$18

Highest paying kindergarten teacher jobs

The highest paying types of kindergarten teachers are science teacher, student teacher, and reading teacher.

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Teacher-In-Training$37,214$3,101$17.89132,725
ESL Teacher$52,701$4,392$25.3463,897
Teacher$47,989$3,999$23.0771,918
Pre-K Teacher$40,301$3,358$19.3860,464
Math And Science Teacher$46,589$3,882$22.4071,273
Head Teacher$51,715$4,310$24.8673,756

How would you rate the starting salaries for Kindergarten Teachers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Patricia Rogan Ph.D.

Professor, Special Education/Urban Teacher Education, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Teacher salaries continue to grow, but they vary from state to state and district to district. According to the NEA, the average starting salary for beginning teachers in 2017-18 was $39,249. The average salary of all teachers in the U.S. was $61,730 in 2018-19, which was a 2.1% increase from the previous year. Despite COVID-19 and its impact on teachers, it is doubtful that teacher salaries will jump significantly in the years ahead (due to state economic challenges) unless teachers strike.

Which companies pay kindergarten teachers the most?

Kindergarten teacher salaries at Brooklyn Waldorf School and Rowland Hall-st. Mark's School are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average kindergarten teacher salary at companies like Turtle Rock Studios and Boston Public Schools are highly competitive.

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$51,000$50,400$49,800$49,200$48,600$48,000
MaleFemale

Kindergarten Teacher salary trends

The average kindergarten teacher salary has risen by $6,923 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average kindergarten teacher earned $41,106 annually, but today, they earn $48,029 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for kindergarten teachers over the last decade.

Compare kindergarten teacher salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average kindergarten teacher salary over time

Compare kindergarten teacher salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

    Kindergarten Teacher salary by year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2025$48,000$23.09+1.7%
    2024$47,200$22.69+2.4%
    2023$46,000$22.14+2.2%
    2022$45,000$21.64+3.0%
    2021$43,700$21.00+1.9%

    Recently added kindergarten teacher salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    Spring Education GroupKindergarten TeacherSanta Clara, CA12/17/2024$54,356
    Distinctive SchoolsKindergarten TeacherChicago, IL12/16/2024$58,682
    Compass RoseKindergarten TeacherBastrop, TX12/16/2024$57,500
    Mesa Public SchoolsTeacher-Kindergarten-Franklin Accelerated AcademyMesa, AZ12/15/2024$55,386
    AmsschoolsKindergarten TeacherPhoenix, AZ12/15/2024$48,331
    Bright HorizonsKindergarten Prep TeacherWaltham, MA12/14/2024$47,479
    Harlem Children's ZonePre-Kindergarten TeacherNew York, NY12/14/2024$65,000
    Leman Academy of ExcellencePre-Kindergarten Teacher: Parker, Colorado-Bayou Gulch CampusParker, CO12/14/2024$45,914
    Primrose SchoolsPre Kindergarten TeacherAshburn, VA12/14/2024$33,392
    Primrose SchoolsPre-Kindergarten TeacherGoodyear, AZ12/14/2024$35,479

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