Collective Bargaining Continues to Support Educators, NEA Report Reveals

United Teachers Los Angeles teachers, students, SEIU 99 union members, and Los Angeles Unified School District workers held a rally in advance of a planned strike, March 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. Credit: Ted Soqui/Sipa USA via AP Images

https://prospect.org/2026/05/01/collective-bargaining-support-educators-nea-report-teacher-pay-gap/

In 2024-2025, unionized educators saw significant pay improvements due to collective bargaining.
Naomi Bethune by Naomi Bethune May 1, 2026

Everyone knows that teachers are underpaid, overworked, and often unappreciated. In a time when education in the U.S. is undergoing a serious transformation from the top down, educators are in a particularly vulnerable position. With Teacher Appreciation Week approaching, the National Education Association’s (NEA) release of its annual reports on educator pay provide a comprehensive look into just how much teachers are making. While the pay gap between teachers and similarly educated professionals is stark, unionization and the power of collective bargaining are highlighted as a consistent vehicle for ensuring that educators are paid what they deserve.

As the nation’s largest labor union, the NEA has over three million members and affiliates in every state. It represents a wide range of personnel who work in education: public school teachers, education support professionals (ESPs), and higher-education faculty. Each year, the organization releases several reports that examine educator pay, as well as issues that impact schools and, consequently, their students.

In 2023-2024, the average public school teacher was earning $72,030, with the highest-paying state, California, at $101,084 and the lowest, Missouri, at $55,132. Between 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, the average change in salaries was about 3.5 percent. However, after factoring in inflation, teachers actually have seen a 5 percent decrease in real earnings, or constant dollars, compared to ten years ago. Across the board, Americans are feeling the effects of the rising cost of living, with research from the Urban Institute showing that 49 percent of American families don’t have the resources to pay for crucial expenses.

Public school teachers are particularly feeling the squeeze. For every dollar that similarly educated professionals earn, teachers received 73.1 cents in 2024, creating a teacher pay gap of 27 percent. Nationally, teachers entering the workforce in 2024-2025 received a salary of $48,112, and the average top teacher salary was $87,331.

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