North Dakota Teacher Pay Among Lowest in the Nation

BISMARCK, ND – North Dakota has once again fallen in national rankings for average public school teacher salaries, according to new research from the National Education Association. For the 2023-2024 school year, North Dakota ranks 40th among all states and the District of Columbia – down from 37th the previous year and a steep drop from 26^th in 2016-2017.

“This is a troubling trend,” said ND United President Nick Archuleta. “North Dakota, like the rest of the United States, is negatively impacted by a shortage of qualified teachers. If ND is serious about recruiting and retaining motivated and well-trained education professionals, we are going to have to raise salaries so that they are commensurate with the important work our teachers do in service to our students, their families, and their communities. It would be incredibly disappointing if the legislature were to adjourn without adequately addressing this critical issue.”

Teacher retention and recruitment has been a hot topic in North Dakota education circles in recent years. In October 2024, the North Dakota Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force issued seven recommendations to address the issue. Those recommendations included “optimize educator earnings” and “maximize benefits for educators.”

Despite these recommendations, the average public school teacher’s salary in North Dakota was $58,581 in 2023-2024. That’s only a 3.24% increase from $56,740 in 2022-2023, which does not keep up with the rate of inflation, effectively leaving educators with less buying power.