SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Teach students on a short-term basis as a temporary replacement for a regular classroom teacher, typically using the regular teacher’s lesson plan. Excludes long-term substitute teachers who perform all the duties of a regular teacher; these teachers are coded within the 25-1000 or 25-2000 minor groups.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 25-3031.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $28,560 | $2,380 | $549 | $13.73 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $34,170 | $2,848 | $657 | $16.43 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $41,670 | $3,472 | $801 | $20.03 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $54,890 | $4,574 | $1,056 | $26.39 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $65,790 | $5,482 | $1,265 | $31.63 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term is $41,670, which is 18% lower. Among the 64 occupations of the field Educational Instruction and Library, it ranks number 62 by median pay. With 524,770 jobs, it makes up about 34 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($46,420) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term pay by state
The highest median pay was in Alaska ($66,920), California ($60,300) and Hawaii ($58,530). The lowest was in Mississippi ($22,340), Oklahoma ($23,770) and Nevada ($24,960). The most jobs were in California (115,660), New York (36,090) and Texas (29,150). The occupation is most concentrated in Guam, where its share of all jobs is 3.5 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1,420 | $66,920 | $73,070 | $32.17 |
| California | 115,660 | $60,300 | $62,910 | $28.99 |
| Hawaii | 3,990 | $58,530 | $54,690 | $28.14 |
| Oregon | 8,090 | $58,280 | $61,100 | $28.02 |
| Washington | 14,820 | $55,740 | $56,480 | $26.80 |
| Minnesota | 8,660 | $50,390 | $53,890 | $24.22 |
| District of Columbia | 750 | $49,790 | $49,550 | $23.94 |
| West Virginia | 4,840 | $49,020 | $54,010 | $23.57 |
| Maryland | 7,610 | $46,470 | $44,000 | $22.34 |
| Rhode Island | 1,910 | $45,590 | $48,630 | $21.92 |
| Pennsylvania | 22,360 | $44,870 | $44,920 | $21.57 |
| Wisconsin | 8,420 | $43,950 | $47,660 | $21.13 |
| New Jersey | 17,100 | $43,780 | $44,570 | $21.05 |
| New York | 36,090 | $43,490 | $47,760 | $20.91 |
| North Dakota | 420 | $42,570 | $42,760 | $20.47 |
| Massachusetts | 8,410 | $41,350 | $45,830 | $19.88 |
| Michigan | 3,600 | $39,500 | $44,350 | $18.99 |
| Illinois | 17,220 | $39,410 | $43,430 | $18.95 |
| Virginia | 24,350 | $39,020 | $40,900 | $18.76 |
| Georgia | 16,400 | $38,870 | $36,240 | $18.69 |
| Arizona | 4,710 | $38,500 | $41,780 | $18.51 |
| Connecticut | 5,950 | $38,460 | $45,200 | $18.49 |
| Vermont | 1,400 | $38,200 | $42,690 | $18.37 |
| Nebraska | 3,430 | $37,690 | $51,590 | $18.12 |
| Maine | not published | $37,440 | $39,760 | $18.00 |
| Iowa | 7,300 | $37,230 | $39,200 | $17.90 |
| Ohio | 9,140 | $37,150 | $37,830 | $17.86 |
| Florida | 25,270 | $37,080 | $41,530 | $17.83 |
| Wyoming | 2,230 | $36,990 | $38,080 | $17.79 |
| Delaware | not published | $36,510 | $40,040 | $17.55 |
| Utah | 4,710 | $36,490 | $40,210 | $17.55 |
| New Mexico | 3,510 | $36,400 | $36,840 | $17.50 |
| Indiana | 9,920 | $36,360 | $39,480 | $17.48 |
| Kansas | 9,360 | $36,190 | $37,140 | $17.40 |
| New Hampshire | 1,070 | $34,990 | $38,630 | $16.82 |
| Missouri | 11,480 | $34,790 | $39,250 | $16.73 |
| Idaho | 1,800 | $34,080 | $36,240 | $16.39 |
| North Carolina | 20,360 | $33,780 | $35,220 | $16.24 |
| Texas | 29,150 | $32,040 | $32,760 | $15.41 |
| South Carolina | 7,700 | $30,400 | $39,860 | $14.62 |
| Kentucky | 320 | $29,730 | $37,430 | $14.29 |
| Tennessee | 7,690 | $29,500 | $31,740 | $14.18 |
| Arkansas | 2,560 | $29,230 | $39,080 | $14.05 |
| Montana | 2,370 | $28,050 | $30,060 | $13.49 |
| South Dakota | 1,610 | $27,840 | $29,220 | $13.39 |
| Louisiana | 1,090 | $27,370 | $32,630 | $13.16 |
| Guam | 780 | $27,210 | $31,000 | $13.08 |
| Alabama | 9,290 | $25,340 | $25,660 | $12.18 |
| Nevada | 6,600 | $24,960 | $31,550 | $12.00 |
| Oklahoma | 4,990 | $23,770 | $28,660 | $11.43 |
| Mississippi | 2,390 | $22,340 | $25,610 | $10.74 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Library Technicians$44,580 a year
- Tutors$43,350 a year
- Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary$42,910 a year
- Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education$38,140 a year
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary$36,780 a year
Common questions
How much do Substitute Teachers, Short-Term earn in the United States?
The median pay was $41,670 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $28,560 and the highest-paid 10% more than $65,790.
How many people work as Substitute Teachers, Short-Term?
About 524,770 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.