A Sioux Falls School District educator teaches students reading at Lowell Elementary during the 2024-2025 school year. (Courtesy of the Sioux Falls School District)
By: Makenzie Huber
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – South Dakota ranks 46th in the nation in a new report on average teacher salaries, the same as last year.
The state’s standing is its highest since the National Education Association started ranking states in 1943, according to the South Dakota Education Association.
South Dakota’s average teacher salary during the 2024-25 school year increased to $58,486 — a 3.8% increase from $56,328 in last year’s report. The increase outpaced the 2024 inflation rate of about 2.9%.
South Dakota lawmakers approved a 4% increase in education funding in 2024, 1.25% in 2025, and 1.4% this year. Education advocates warned the slight increase this year could cause teacher pay to fall behind inflation and drag South Dakota’s ranking down in next year’s report.
South Dakota’s average teacher pay of $58,486 is lower than all its neighboring states:
- North Dakota: $60,704.
- Minnesota: $76,234.
- Iowa: $65,312.
- Nebraska: $63,326.
- Wyoming: $65,668.
- Montana: $59,305.
States that rank lower than South Dakota are West Virginia, Missouri, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi (there are 51 spots in the rankings, due to the inclusion of Washington, D.C.). Mississippi’s average teacher salary of $54,975 is the nation’s lowest, according to the report, but is a 2.4% increase compared to the previous year’s salary.
California reports the highest average salary at $103,552 — a 2.4% increase from last year. Nevada teachers received the largest percent change in their salaries at 11.8%, increasing to 17th ($74,812) from 25th in the rankings.
South Dakota’s ranking for average starting salary fell to 27th in the nation — down from 25th. The state’s average teacher starting salary increased from $45,530 last year to $47,196.
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