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The national median salary for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term is $38,480 per year ($18.50/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $31,304 and $51,938 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $63,461 per year. There are approximately 481,300 substitute teachers, short-term employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Teach students on a short-term basis as a temporary replacement for a regular classroom teacher, typically using the regular teacher’s lesson plan.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.6%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
61K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
510K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
1% from new growth99% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
403K
$39,050
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
55K
$37,260
Child Care Services
NAICS 624400
9K
$35,090
Educational Support Services
NAICS 611700
5K
$36,200
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
3K
$36,570
Wage range across top 5 industries: $35,090 to $39,050 (11% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$12.62
$26,250
P25
$15.05
$31,304
P50MEDIAN
$18.50
$38,480
P75
$24.97
$51,938
P90
$30.51
$63,461
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average substitute teachers, short-term salary?
The national median salary for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term is $38,480 per year ($18.50/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $31,304 and $51,938 annually.
How much do top-earning substitute teachers, short-term make?
The 90th percentile salary for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term is $63,461 per year ($30.51/hr). The 75th percentile is $51,938 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for substitute teachers, short-term?
Entry-level Substitute Teachers, Short-Term (10th percentile) earn approximately $26,250 per year ($12.62/hr). The 25th percentile is $31,304 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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