LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The average pay for a Michigan public school teacher reached a record $69,068 in 2023-24, according to a recent report released by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).

Michigan teacher pay has increased from $62,170 in 2018-19, not adjusted for inflation. The average teacher salary in the U.S. was $69,597 in 2022-23, according to the latest research from the National Education Association (NEA).

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Average teacher pay is not always a predictor of individual teacher salaries. That’s because in teachers in Michigan are paid based on seniority. And when the more experienced teachers retire with the higher salaries, they are replaced by younger, lower paid teachers. That can lower the average salary calculations.

Utica Public Schools in Macomb County is one of the state’s highest-paying districts. The average teacher pay in Utica was $87,259.

Teacher pay can vary significantly, even in neighboring school districts.

For example, the cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joe are just three miles apart in Berrien County. Yet, the average teacher salary at Benton Harbor Area Schools was $46,011 in 2023-24. At bordering St. Joseph Public Schools, the average teacher salary was $69,695, or 51% higher. Yet, Benton Harbor’s General Fund received $34,116-per pupil in overall funding while St. Joseph was given $13,440 per pupil.