South Dakota continues to rank near the bottom nationally for average teacher pay, placing 46th for the second year in a row, according to a new report from the National Education Association.
The state’s average teacher salary rose to $58,486 for the 2024–25 school year, a 3.8% increase from last year that exceeded the inflation rate. Despite the increase, South Dakota’s average remains lower than all neighboring states, including North Dakota, Minnesota and Wyoming.
Education advocates note the ranking is South Dakota’s highest since national comparisons began in 1943, but warn that modest funding increases approved by lawmakers in recent years could cause salaries to fall behind inflation and drop in future rankings.
South Dakota also slipped in average starting salary, ranking 27th nationally. The average starting pay increased to $47,196, up from $45,530 last year.
Comments