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Teacher salary to per capita GDP ratio

By Natalie on Oct 15, 2008
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Graph Table Map Absolute Relative More Options

Type	Vertical Scale	Time Scale	Data Aggregation
Bar Horizontal Bar Scatter Line Pie Other Views Table	Absolute Relative to Average Relative to Range	Yearly	Average High Low Total Count Distinct None

Sources: AFT Salary Survey (http://www.aft.org/salary/i...)

Are we paying our teachers enough? A survey from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) believes that America's teachers need a raise. In 2005, America's public schools were served by 3 million full-time teachers who earned an average salary of $47,602. While the average salary did increase 2.2% from the previous year, it's not enough to keep pace with the inflation, growth in the economy, or the earnings of other workers in the private and public sectors. This graph shows the ratio of teacher salary to per capita GDP. Within context of the larger economic picture, teachers are making less than they have in the past.

What does this all mean? Teachers are less likely to stay in the profession if they feel they can't make enough money; one of three teachers cites salary as a significant reason for leaving the profession before 10 years of service. It also means that it will be harder to attract high-quality teachers, thus leaving children with a lower quality education. The survey claims that in order to make teacher pay competitive with other professions by the end of the decade, teachers need a 30% raise. —Natalie