With more working hours and lower average base pay, U.S. teachers continue to fare worse than similar working adults, a consistent trend since 2021, according to a new RAND survey.
In 2024, managing student behavior, low salary, and administrative tasks outside of teaching were the top stressors for teachers. They reported working an average of 53 hours per week, with 15 of those hours—roughly one-quarter—spent on non-contract tasks. This compares to 44 hours per week for similar working adults. Only 36% of teachers felt their base pay was adequate, compared to 51% of other workers.
Disengaged in the classroom
The RAND State of the Teacher survey is an annual, nationally representative survey of K-12 public school teachers in the U.S. The 2024 survey highlights teacher well-being and factors influencing job retention: sources of stress, pay, hours worked, and intentions to leave. Teacher data is compared to the 2024 American Life Panel survey, a nationally representative survey of working adults.
“This is RAND’s fourth consecutive year collecting data showing high stress and low pay in the teacher workforce,” the researchers note. “While teacher well-being seems to have stabilized at pre-pandemic levels, our data raise concerns about the sustainability of the profession, especially for Black teachers and female teachers.”
Black teachers reported working significantly more hours per week and were less satisfied with their hours than their peers. They also reported lower base pay and less satisfaction with their pay, and they were more likely to consider leaving their job.
Female teachers experienced higher rates of job-related stress and burnout than their male counterparts, a pattern consistent since 2021. They also reported lower base pay than male teachers, although they did not work fewer hours.
Teachers who found their salaries inadequate desired an average increase of $16,000 to consider their pay completely adequate.
The survey also indicates that teachers are about as likely to consider leaving their jobs as other working adults: 22% of teachers compared with 24% of other workers.
