SOC 25-2031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education — Texas
Texas · 10 metro areas compared
In Texas the median wage is $63,590.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -1.6%
- Openings per year
- 66,200
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Texas.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Texas the median wage is $63,590. That is 11.7% lower than the national median of $72,040. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $61,390 and $73,720. The lowest tenth earn under $50,410, while the highest tenth earn more than $78,020.
Employment stands at 111,660, or 7.9 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 51 states with published data for this occupation, Texas ranks 28th by median wage. Odessa leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $66,620. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 307th of 794 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $50,410 | −30.0% |
| 25th | $61,390 | −14.8% |
| Median (50th) | $63,590 | −11.7% |
| 75th | $73,720 | +2.3% |
| 90th | $78,020 | +8.3% |
| Mean | $65,740 | −8.7% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Texas
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odessa | $66,620 | 580 | |
| 2 | Dallas | $65,890 | 28,000 | |
| 3 | Houston | $65,540 | 26,260 | |
| 4 | Midland | $65,540 | 680 | |
| 5 | Laredo | $64,970 | 1,070 | |
| 6 | Killeen | $63,650 | 1,670 | |
| 7 | Beaumont | $63,210 | 1,320 | |
| 8 | Corpus Christi | $63,020 | 1,470 | |
| 9 | El Paso | $62,570 | 3,620 | |
| 10 | Sherman | $62,530 | 400 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Texas run 2.9% below the national average, so the median of $63,590 goes as far as $65,489 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 9.1% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$63,590as reported by BLSLocal price level
97.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$65,489US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $63,590 a year, 11.7% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $50,410 to $78,020 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 111,660 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 28th of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Odessa, at $66,620.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Texas?
The median annual wage is $63,590, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $72,040, so pay in Texas is 11.7% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Texas earns more than $78,020 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $50,410 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Odessa, at $66,620 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 111,660 jobs in this occupation in Texas. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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