How Many Teachers In The US? (2023 Facts & Figures)

Ever wondered about how many teachers are in the US? If yes, then you are surely in the right place. 

3,909,000 teachers are predicted to work in the US by the end of the year 2029. The number of teachers has mostly increased over the previous years. In the year 1955, there were only 1,286,000 teachers in the US working in elementary and secondary schools. 

In the following article, I have compiled all the important statistics related to the number of teachers present in the US at all levels of school. I have also listed a breakdown of teachers working in various states of the US. 

How Many Teachers In The US (2023 Top Picks)

Here is the real data of how many teachers in the USA.

1. There are around 4,007,908 teachers in the United States.
2. Teachers account for over 2.5% of the working population.
3. Among the total population of teachers in the US, there are 2,006,810 elementary teachers, 992,386 senior high school teachers, and 641,485 middle and junior high school teachers.
4. Public schools account for more than 3,525,39, which contains 88% of the total teachers in the US.
5. Private schools have around 362,186 teachers in the US.
6. The Bureau of Indian Education schools accounts for a total of 2,857 teachers.
7. Private and Catholic schools account for around 9% of the teachers. 
8. Catholic schools contain over 127,504 teachers in the US.
9. Over 89,598 teachers are part of magnet schools, and over 23,160 teachers work in STEM schools.
10. According to the data from the latest statistics, the average student-to-teacher ratio is 15:4.  Among these, 16:0 is the student to a teacher for public schools, and 11:9 is for private schools.
11. There are 3.17 female teachers for every male teacher.
12. Between the year 2016-2017, the salary of high school teachers increased.
13. 3,909,000 is the predicted number of teachers in high school by the end of the year 2029. 
14. Of the teachers in preschool and kindergartens, 97.3% were reported to be female. 
15. 71% of the teachers in the US were reported to be Asian women. 
16. 3.19 million teachers will be teaching in elementary and secondary schools in the United States by the end of the year 2030. 
17. Texas was the state with the most public teachers, which accounted for 363,195 teachers in the academic year 2019-2020. 
18.  520,000 teachers are expected to be employed in elementary and secondary private schools in the US by the end of the year 2029. 
19. Columbia had the least number of teachers in a public school in 2019-2020, totalling 7,283 teachers in the state. 

The Number Of Teachers In the US: General Statistics

There are various details about the number of teachers in the US. Let us take a detailed look at the general stats related to the number of teachers in the US. You will also be able to take a closer look at the predicted number of teachers in the upcoming years. 

20. By the end of the year 2018, the number of teachers in public and private secondary and elementary schools in the US was 3,652,000.
21. 3,808,920 instructional staff were there in public schools in the United stated between the year 2019 to 2020.
22. The student-teacher ratio allowed in the US is 15.4. 16.0 is the average student-to-teacher ratio in public schools, while it is 11.9 in private schools. 
23. By the end of the year 2029, the predicted number of teachers in the US will be 3,909,000. 
24. There are expected to be 3,390,000 teachers in public schools and 520,000 teachers in private schools by the end of the year 2029. 
25.  49.5 million students were enrolled in public schools from pre-kindergarten to high school in the fall of 2021. 
26. In the year 2019-2020, The number of students that attended private schools was approximately  4.7 million students. 

Source: Statista, Think impact, NCES.

The number of Teachers by Grade Level

There are more than 11,355 total private and public schools in the US, along with K-12. These schools cover teachers from all the grade levels like elementary, K-12, senior high school, middle high school and others.

27. According to the research, the majority of teachers in the US are Elementary school teachers.

Let’s have a look at the number of teachers by grade level.

Grade Level	Number of teachers	Percentage
Elementary	2,006,810	50%
K-12 combined	291,724	7%
Senior high school	992,386	24.7%
Middle and Junior high	641,485	16%
Other	75,593	3%

28. According to the research, there are over 102,598 teachers in the US that work in state-run schools.
29. Moreover, the county schools account for over 14,870 teachers.
30. Another type of teacher includes teachers who are part of Adult Education, Special Education, and Career/technical education.

Let’s have a look at the number of other types of teachers in the US.

Type of Teachers	Number of Teachers
Special Education	39,311
Career or Technical Education	31,821
Adult Education	4,461

The number of teachers in the US: Demographics

In this section, you will come across statistics related to age, gender, race, etc. These stats indicate the role of distinct people taking part in the teaching occupation in the US. It will give you an insight into which gender and race mostly take part in the teaching occupation in the United States. 

31. 97.3% of teachers in preschool and kindergarten were reported to be female. 
32. 74.3% of the teachers in the US are women, while 25.7% of the teachers are male. 
33. 71% of the teachers are Asian women in public schools in the US. 
34. 66% of the teachers in public schools are black women
35. The income earned by male teachers in the US is approximately $55,902. 
36. $53,011 is the approximate income earned by female teachers in the US. 

Here are the details about male and female teachers over the past years:

Year	Female	Male
2010	68.69%	31.31%
2011	68.39%	31.61%
2012	68.03%	31.97%
2013	67.86%	32.14%
2014	68.32%	31.68%
2015	67.82%	32.18%
2016	67.79%	32.21%
2017	67.94%	32.06%
2018	67.37%	32.63%
2019	71.22%	28.78%

37.  72.3 % of the teachers are white, while 12.0% of them are Hispanic, and 10.1% are African American ethnicity. 

Here is a details breakdown of the races of the teachers in the United States:

Race	Percentage of Teachers
White	79.3%
Hispanic or Latino	9.3%
African American	6.7%
Asian	2.1%
Unknown	1.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.7%

Here is a detailed breakdown of the races of teachers over the years. 

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic or Latino
2010	75.62%	10.41%	2.49%	9.82%
2011	75.22%	10.35%	2.67%	10.01%
2012	75.05%	10.21%	2.72%	10.14%
2013	74.51%	10.25%	2.91%	10.35%
2014	74.60%	10.18%	2.90%	10.41%
2015	74.34%	9.85%	3.05%	10.77%
2016	73.49%	10.26%	3.06%	11.17%
2017	73.44%	9.91%	3.20%	11.31%
2018	73.22%	9.82%	3.21%	11.55%
2019	72.33%	10.13%	3.39%	12.04%

38. The average age of a teacher in the US is 42.4 years old.
39. According to the statistics from zippa.com, the largest share of teachers are between the ages of 30 to 49 years old.

Following is the breakdown of US teachers’ ages:

Age Range	Percentage of Teachers
Under 30	15%
30-49	56.9%
50-54	11.6%
55+	16.5%

The Number Of Teachers In Public Schools

There are various public schools in the US. Most parents in the US prefer to send their children to public schools over private schools. Hence there is more requirement for teachers in public schools than the private schools. Let us take a look at the number of teachers in public schools. 

40. By the year 2030, it is predicted that there will be 3.19 million teachers working in elementary and secondary public schools in the US.

Here is the number of teachers in Public elementary and secondary schools over the last few years.

Year	Number of Teachers
2000	2,941,000
2001	3,000,000
2002	3,034,000
2003	3,049,000
2004	3,091,000
2005	3,143,000
2006	3,166,000
2007	3,200,000
2008	3,222,000
2009	3,210,000
2010	3,099,000
2011	3,103,000
2012	3,109,000
2013	3,114,000
2014	3,132,000
2015	3,151,000
2016	3,169,000
2017	3,170,000
2018	3,170,000
2019	3,198,000
2020	3,171,000
2021	3,186,000
2022	3,158,000

41.  3,214,673  teachers were there in public schools between the years 2019 and 2020 in the US.
42. 3,197,623 teachers were there in elementary and secondary public schools in the academic year 2018-2019. 
43. By the end of the year 2029, the predicted number of teachers in the United States in public secondary and elementary schools is 3,390,000.
44. 89% of the elementary teachers in public schools are females, 72% of the middle school teachers are female, and 70% of the high school teachers are female. 

Source: Statista, Thinkimpact. 

The Number Of Teachers In Private Schools.

The number of teachers in private schools is less compared to that of teachers in public schools. Students mostly prefer public schools for their education to private schools. Let us take a look at the number of teachers that work in private schools in the US. 

45. In the year 2019,  481,000 teachers were in secondary and private schools in the US. 
46. By the end of the year 2030, it is expected that there will be 454,000 teachers in elementary and secondary private schools. 

Here is the number of teachers in Private elementary and secondary schools over the last few years. (In the 1000s)

Year	Number of teachers in public schools	Number of teachers in private schools
2000	2941	424
2001	3,000	441
2002	3,034	442
2003	3,049	441
2004	3,091	445
2005	3,143	450
2006	3,166	456
2007	3,200	452
2008	3,222	448
2009	3,210	437
2010	3,099	413
2011	3,103	405
2012	3,109	408
2013	3,114	441
2014	3,132	461
2015	3,151	482
2016	3,169	483
2017	3,170	482
2018	3,170	482
2019	3,198	481
2020	3,171	476
2021	3,186	478
2022	3,158	473
2023	3,152	472

47. 482,000 teachers were there in private elementary and secondary schools in the academic year  2018-2019. 
48. The student-to-teacher ratio in the year 2018 for private schools was 11.9 students per teacher. 
49. By the end of the year 2029, 520,000 teachers are predicted to work in elementary and secondary private schools in the United States. 
50. 11.0 is the expected student-teacher ratio in the year 2029. 

Source: Statista, NCES.

The Number Of Preschool And Elementary Teachers In The US

Various institutes mostly employ Preschool and elementary school teachers to help the academic growth of their students. Let us take a look at the number of preschool and elementary teachers working in the US. 

51. In the year 2019, preschool and kindergarten teachers were recorded to be 845,000 in the United States. 
52. 66% of the preschool and kindergarten teachers were employed by childcare centres. 
53. 30.8% of elementary and secondary schools employed preschool and kindergarten teachers.
54. 1.03% of preschool and kindergarten teachers were employed by a religious organisation. 
55. In the years 2017 and 2018, there were 1.8 million teachers in public schools, including full-time and part-timers. 
56. An 11% increase in the number of teachers was observed in the United States between the year 1999-2000. 
57. By the end of the year 2030, the expected number of teachers in elementary and secondary private schools in the US is expected to be 454,000. 
58. The expected number of teachers in elementary and secondary public schools is expected to be 3,044,000. 

Source: Thinkimpact, US facts.

High School Teachers In The US

The data regarding the teachers in high school was rarely available. However, according to research done, the number of high school teachers in private schools were less than that in public school. Let us take a look at a few stats related to the average number of teachers working in high schools in the US.

59. 1.8 million teachers were employed in the academic year 2017-2018, working as full-timers and part-timers for the high school. 
60. There was a 26% of hike in public high school teachers from the academic year 1999-2000. 
61. There were 23,529 teachers in secondary and high school in the year 2019-2020. 

Source: Think impact, NCES. 

The Number Of Teachers In The US By State. 

You might have wondered how many teachers are in different states of the US and which states have the highest number of teachers in the US. Here are the details about the highest and lowest teachers in various states and the state-wise student-teacher ratio. 

62. In the academic year 2019- 2020, texas was the state with the most public teachers, which accounted for 363,195 teachers. 
63. There was a 1.3% increase in the number of teachers in public schools in texas in the year 2020. 
64. The second highest state in the US, with 293,619 teachers, was California in the year 2019-2020. 
65. Columbia had the least number of teachers in Public school in the year 2019-2020, with 7,147 teachers working. 
66. There was an increase of 8.53% in teachers in the state of Nevada between the academic years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. 
67. Alaska had a decrease of 2.79% in teachers between the academic year 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. 
68. Utah has the highest student-to-teacher ratio of 22.7 students enrolled per teacher. 
69. California has 21.0 students enrolled per teacher, which is the second-highest student-to-teacher ratio. 
70. The lowest student-to-teacher ratio is in Vermont, which accounts for up to 10.4 students per teacher. 
71. In New Hampshire, the student-to-teacher ratio is 10.6, the second lowest in the US.

Following is the number of top 10 Public school teachers  by state (2020)

State	Number of Teachers	Student-to-teacher ratio
Texas	363,195	25
California	293,619	2
New York	212,777	46
Florida	142,527	4
Illinois	130,389	27
Pennsylvania	119,963	31
New Jersey	117,885	47
Georgia	116,898	23
Ohio	113,327	18

Source: NCES, Statista. 

Instructional Staff in the US

There is various instructional staff employed in various fields in the schools of the US. The instructional staff participates in research and other training work. Here are some stats related to the instructional staff in the schools of the US. 

72. In Texas, there were  416,892 instructional staff in the academic year 2019-2020. It was the state with the highest instructional staff. 
73. The second most instructional staff in the year 2019-2020 was in the state of California, with a total count of staff of 374,003. 
74. Wyoming had the least number of instructional staff, with a total count of only 7919 staff in the state.
75. Columbia has the second least instructional staff, with a total count of 8,204 in the academic year 2019-2020. 
76. There was a drop of 2.51% in the instructional staff members between the academic years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.
77. There was an increase of 9.12% of the instructional staff members in the state of Nevada, resulting in an increase of 2,472 instructional staff in the academic year 2019-2020.

Source: Think impact, NCES, Statista. 

Average Salary for teachers in the US.

The number of teachers in the US varies from state to state. Some states provide teachers will a good amount of salary, while teachers in some states are underpaid. Let us take a look at the statistics related to the average salary of teachers in the US. 

78. The high school teachers earn approximately an average of $64.30K per annum. 
79. $61.90K is the average earning of middle school teachers in the US. 
80. Elementary teachers in public schools earn an average of $58.70K per year. 
81. The annual payment of Combined middle school and high school teachers in the US is $54.30 K in public schools.  
82. Teachers with more than ten years of experience earn $24.86 per hour approximately. 

Source: Indeed, ThinkImpact. 

Related Read:

• Teacher Burnout Statistics
• Best Online Teaching Platforms For Teachers

Wrapping Up: How Many Teachers In The US? (2023)

That’s all about the teachers in the United States. 

The teachers in the US have grown subsequently over the years. With an increasing demand for teachers, more students are aiming to become teachers and appear for the required exam.

I hope that the above article has helped you to know about the number of teachers in the US. If I have missed any important stats, you can mention them in the comment section below. I usually keep updating my articles and will make a point to add the stats mentioned in the comments section with the required credits.