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Middle School Teacher

$62,970
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Teach core subjects to early teens, plan lessons, grade work, and guide students through an awkward age.

Where you work

Public and private middle schools

The hours

School days, plus grading nights and weekends

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$62,970
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~40,500
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-2%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
633,700
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's degree and license.

License or certification

A state teaching license or certification is required in public schools.

What it takes

Lesson planningClassroom managementPatienceSubject knowledge

The honest take

Steady public-sector work with summers off, though districts are trimming rolls as enrollment dips.

Standard Occupational Classification 25-2022. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.