How Much Do Pre-K Teachers Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary pre-k teachers make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for pre-k teachers and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of pre-k teachers are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much pre-k teachers can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Pre-K Teachers
According to data from 2022, there were about 487,169 positions for pre-k teachers in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for pre-k teachers was reported to be $35,339. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 352,941 job postings related to positions for pre-k teachers.
How Much Money Do Pre-K Teachers Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money pre-k teachers and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for pre-k teachers.
Annual Salary for Pre-K Teachers
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for pre-k teachers and related professions earned about $23,920 per year in 2022. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $58,573 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for pre-k teachers in the United States in 2022 was $35,339.
Annual Salary Range For Pre-K Teachers In 2022
Hourly Salary for Pre-K Teachers
The BLS also breaks down compensation for pre-k teachers by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for pre-k teachers in 2022 was $17. Lowest hourly earners took home $12 while the highest reported hourly salaries for pre-k teachers was $28.
Hourly Salary Range For Pre-K Teachers In 2022
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Advertised Compensation for Pre-K Teachers
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for pre-k teachers, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for pre-k teachers.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Pre-K Teachers
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 241,792 job postings related to pre-k teachers, advertised salary was included in 130,485 of them, which was 54%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for pre-k teachers was $33,472 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Pre-K Teachers
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for pre-k teachers. Based on 37% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for pre-k teachers in the United States is about $16.
Salary Trend for Pre-K Teachers
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for pre-k teachers. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for pre-k teachers dating back to September 2019, advertised salaries for pre-k teachers have increased 15%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Pre-K Teachers
What's the Job Growth for Pre-K Teachers?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for pre-k teachers over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 487,300 jobs for pre-k teachers in the United States in 2022. By 2032, it is expected that about 99,811 jobs will be added. That's a 20.5% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Pre-K Teachers
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about pre-k teachers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for pre-k teachers.
What do pre-k teachers do?
Pre-K Teachers: How do you become one?
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