Jennifer Pullen, Senior Research Economist
In 2019, the median annual wage for secondary school teachers in the Tucson Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was $40,870 ranking Tucson last among peer western MSAs. The median secondary school teacher wage in the Phoenix MSA was $50,650 in 2019, nearly $10,000 higher than in Tucson. However, Phoenix also ranked poorly among peer MSAs placing third to last, ahead of only Tucson and Colorado Springs (Figure 1). Secondary school teachers in San Diego had the highest wage at $87,510, almost twice the median wage for their Tucson counterparts.
Figure 1: Median Annual Wage for Secondary School Teachers (2019), Select Peer Western Metro Areas
Among Tucson’s educators, middle school teachers were the lowest paid, while wages for elementary and secondary school teachers were slightly higher. In Tucson, teacher wages were significantly below state and national levels in 2019 (Figure 2). Wages for teachers in Phoenix exceeded state levels but remained far below their national peers. For reference, the median wage for secondary school teachers in Tucson was more than 30% less than their peers’ national median, while wages in Phoenix were 18% lower.
Adjustment for Differences in Cost of Living
Figure 1 displays the median wage for secondary school teachers. Please note these figures have not yet been adjusted for cost of living. The purchasing power parity data for 2019 published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis used to make relative adjustments for cost-of-living will not be available until December 2020. You can however view the adjusted ranking for 2018 on the Making Action Possible for Southern Arizona (MAP) Dashboard. The MAP will include the 2019 adjusted data when it becomes available. We encourage you to read the full analysis of comparative teacher wages and explore other important education indicators on the MAP Dashboard.
The graphics and analysis presented here are courtesy of the MAP Dashboard Project.
