SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-3031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term — Odessa

Odessa, TX · 10 metro areas compared

$28,410 /year
$13.66per hour
−31.8%vs US median

Median pay in Odessa, TX is $28,410 a year, 31.8% under the national median of $41,670 for this occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $41,670MEDIAN$28,41090TH$82,350

How pay has moved

$36,653$14,498201920212022202320242025$28,410
$18,190 in 2019 to $28,410 in 2025, +56.2% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+1.6%
Openings per year
61,100
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

5.0% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Odessa, TX.

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

Median pay in Odessa, TX is $28,410 a year, 31.8% under the national median of $41,670 for this occupation. Half of workers earn between $24,960 and $29,260. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $23,950 and the ninetieth at $82,350.

Austin leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $34,280. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 228th of 241 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Odessa, TX · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$23,950−42.5%
25th$24,960−40.1%
Median (50th)$28,410−31.8%
75th$29,260−29.8%
90th$82,350+97.6%
Mean$37,590−9.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Texas

Median annual wage for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Austin$34,2801,910
2Dallas$34,2708,050
3Midland$32,810560
4Houston$32,5509,600
5Laredo$31,220990
6Corpus Christi$29,970200
7San Antonio$29,5101,170
8Abilene$29,120610
9Tyler$29,010240
10Wichita Falls$28,980240

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Odessa run 6.1% below the national average, so the median of $28,410 goes as far as $30,256 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 27.4% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$28,410as reported by BLS

Local price level

93.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$30,256US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $28,410 a year, 31.8% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $23,950 to $82,350 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Austin, at $34,280.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term in Odessa, TX?

The median annual wage is $28,410, or $13.66 per hour, 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 $41,670, so pay in Odessa, TX is 31.8% 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 Odessa, TX earns more than $82,350 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $23,950 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 Austin, at $34,280 per year.

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.