New Pay Data Shows Wisconsin Educators’ Wages Keep Losing to Inflation

NEA's new 2026 educator data reports show that educators remain underpaid throughout the United States. Even in places that saw modest increases in net pay, salaries are not keeping up with inflation. 

That is certainly true in Wisconsin, where teacher pay is 27th in the nation and $6,700 per year below the national average. Pay for starting teachers is 44th in the nation. Wisconsin trails all neighboring states in teachers' average pay except Iowa. Every surrounding state has higher starting teacher pay than Wisconsin except Michigan, which was just one slot lower at 45^th. 

Nationally, on average, teachers make 27 percent less than other similarly educated professionals. 

WEAC President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen said, “Starting pay has now fallen one more spot to 44^rd in the nation, and great, young educators are looking elsewhere to start their careers. Meanwhile, experienced educators only need to cross the border to Minnesota or Illinois to increase their salaries by thousands of dollars per year. There is no question that this impacts our students.”

The gains that WEAC locals have made through the Fair Pay Now program, coordinated bargaining and organizing have not made up for the losses suffered in the last 13 years because of state budget cuts and changes in Wisconsin’s bargaining law for public employees.