Nursery and Pre-School Teacher Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

Nationally, there are 437,000 working as nursery and pre-school teachers. This occupation has a low ranking for joblessness. The jobless rate for employees was about 3% in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Nursery and pre-school teachers per capita is greatest in Greenville (North Carolina), Yuba City (California), and Rochester (New Hampshire). Anderson (South Carolina), Mobile (Alabama), and Columbia (South Carolina) have the fewest per capita.

The highest salaries for workers are found in Napa (California), Vineland (New Jersey), and Owensboro (Kentucky), and the lowest-paying areas are in Kingsport (Tennessee), Clarksville (Tennessee), and Shreveport (Louisiana).

Training and Education

A postsecondary vocational award is generally expected for employees. Recent data shows that 43% of nursery and pre-school teachers have a degree. Workers with some schooling beyond high school, but not a four college degree, represent about 38% of the total. A high school diploma or GED, without further education, is held by 20% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Nursery and pre-school teachers working less than full time, whether by design or chance, were 25% of the total. Approximately 1% of people who work as workers are self-employed.

Nursery and Pre-School Teachers: An Introductory Video

Nursery and Pre-School Teachers Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of nursery and pre-school teachers compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for nursery and pre-school teachers.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$23,000	680
Auburn	$23,000	220
Tuscaloosa	$20,000	140
Dothan	$27,000	130
Mobile	$30,000	120
Decatur	$23,000	80
Anniston	$26,000	70
Florence	$21,000	60

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$26,000	390
Fairbanks	$30,000	100

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$22,000	4,230
Tucson	$26,000	1,590
Prescott	$20,000	180
Yuma	$19,000	170
Kingman	$21,000	120

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$23,000	1,170
Fayetteville	$24,000	520
Fort Smith	$29,000	160
Jonesboro	$22,000	120
Hot Springs	$21,000	100
Pine Bluff	$26,000	100

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oakland	$33,000	4,690
San Jose	$34,000	4,140
Santa Ana	$29,000	3,940
San Diego	$29,000	3,580
Riverside	$25,000	3,510
San Francisco	$36,000	3,380
Sacramento	$24,000	2,730
Oxnard	$27,000	1,130
Fresno	$24,000	940
Bakersfield	$27,000	890
Stockton	$30,000	870
Santa Cruz	$29,000	520
Santa Rosa	$31,000	470
San Luis Obispo	$29,000	430
Vallejo	$27,000	380
Santa Barbara	$31,000	370
Modesto	$33,000	340
Chico	$21,000	330
Yuba City	$31,000	270
Madera	$26,000	230
Napa	$48,000	210
El Centro	$28,000	180
Merced	$30,000	160
Redding	$27,000	150

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$26,000	2,560
Colorado Springs	$26,000	820
Boulder	$28,000	720
Fort Collins	$29,000	460
Greeley	$23,000	320
Grand Junction	$23,000	140
Pueblo	$26,000	110

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford	$28,000	2,330
Bridgeport	$32,000	2,100
Norwich	$32,000	270
Waterbury	$30,000	210

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$25,000	1,320
Dover	$21,000	190

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$30,000	8,830

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Tampa	$26,000	2,970
Miami	$28,000	2,150
Orlando	$27,000	2,070
Fort Lauderdale	$28,000	1,780
West Palm Beach	$24,000	1,690
Jacksonville	$23,000	1,320
Gainesville	$20,000	570
Sarasota	$29,000	510
Palm Bay	$24,000	480
Pensacola	$22,000	470
Tallahassee	$26,000	430
Port St Lucie	$24,000	340
Ocala	$21,000	310
Cape Coral	$29,000	300
Naples	$26,000	290
Lakeland	$27,000	270
Fort Walton Beach	$22,000	250
Panama City	$22,000	240
Deltona	$24,000	170
Sebastian	$24,000	130

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$22,000	10,490
Columbus	$18,000	740
Augusta	$29,000	550
Macon	$23,000	500
Savannah	$23,000	450
Athens	$18,000	350
Albany	$25,000	350
Warner Robins	$25,000	220
Brunswick	$26,000	210
Gainesville	$21,000	180
Dalton	$26,000	110

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$29,000	1,820

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Idaho Falls	$20,000	120
Coeur Dalene	$17,000	90
Lewiston	$20,000	80

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$29,000	8,300
Peoria	$28,000	410
Bloomington	$24,000	300
Rockford	$22,000	300
Champaign	$26,000	260
Decatur	$22,000	240
Springfield	$25,000	150
Danville	$26,000	80

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$24,000	1,590
Gary	$32,000	1,150
Fort Wayne	$23,000	630
Evansville	$22,000	450
South Bend	$28,000	350
Muncie	$18,000	200
Bloomington	$20,000	170
Lafayette	$23,000	110
Elkhart	$21,000	100
Terre Haute	$28,000	100
Michigan City	$28,000	80
Kokomo	$26,000	70
Anderson	$17,000	30

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$25,000	1,030
Davenport	$24,000	500
Cedar Rapids	$22,000	410
Waterloo	$27,000	200
Ames	$19,000	140
Dubuque	$21,000	130

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$26,000	490
Topeka	$30,000	250
Lawrence	$30,000	100

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$27,000	970
Lexington	$24,000	790
Bowling Green	$23,000	130
Owensboro	$44,000	40

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baton Rouge	$18,000	1,000
New Orleans	$24,000	790
Lafayette	$18,000	510
Alexandria	$19,000	260
Shreveport	$19,000	200
Lake Charles	$20,000	170
Monroe	$19,000	100

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$26,000	480
Lewiston	$27,000	170
Bangor	$26,000	110

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$29,000	4,080
Bethesda	$29,000	2,090
Hagerstown	$25,000	220
Salisbury	$26,000	180
Cumberland	$30,000	80

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$32,000	6,970
Springfield	$29,000	1,140
Lowell	$27,000	760
Framingham	$35,000	680
Worcester	$34,000	670
Barnstable Town	$32,000	480
Brockton	$32,000	450
Haverhill	$28,000	450
New Bedford	$23,000	420
Lawrence	$31,000	250
Pittsfield	$28,000	200
Leominster	$24,000	140

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$34,000	2,030
Detroit	$34,000	1,270
Grand Rapids	$34,000	620
Flint	$29,000	510
Lansing	$29,000	380
Ann Arbor	$28,000	340
Holland	$24,000	270
Battle Creek	$25,000	170
Kalamazoo	$31,000	130
Jackson	$29,000	120
Saginaw	$25,000	110
Niles	$31,000	100
Monroe	$26,000	100
Muskegon	$38,000	80
Bay City	$38,000	50

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$30,000	5,180
Duluth	$29,000	460
St Cloud	$26,000	260
Rochester	$30,000	250

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$25,000	520
Gulfport	$18,000	180
Hattiesburg	$21,000	130
Pascagoula	$24,000	120

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$26,000	3,400
Kansas City	$25,000	2,320
Columbia	$21,000	380
Springfield	$22,000	310
Jefferson City	$22,000	250
Joplin	$23,000	200
St Joseph	$19,000	130

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Missoula	$24,000	240
Billings	$23,000	80

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$24,000	1,190
Lincoln	$23,000	370

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$24,000	2,460
Reno	$25,000	320

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$27,000	780
Manchester	$25,000	530
Rochester	$27,000	400
Portsmouth	$28,000	110

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Edison	$30,000	3,630
Newark	$39,000	3,340
Camden	$30,000	1,630
Trenton	$32,000	1,040
Atlantic City	$32,000	240
Vineland	$49,000	170
Ocean City	$41,000	50

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$22,000	1,300
Farmington	$20,000	180
Santa Fe	$32,000	140

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$35,000	16,760
Nassau	$32,000	4,330
Buffalo	$27,000	1,900
Rochester	$26,000	1,850
Albany	$25,000	1,160
Poughkeepsie	$30,000	970
Syracuse	$24,000	920
Utica	$26,000	430
Binghamton	$28,000	340
Glens Falls	$23,000	180
Kingston	$28,000	170
Elmira	$27,000	110
Ithaca	$25,000	100

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$22,000	4,610
Raleigh	$22,000	3,810
Durham	$25,000	1,350
Greensboro	$22,000	1,070
Fayetteville	$18,000	810
Wilmington	$19,000	680
Greenville	$21,000	630
Asheville	$23,000	570
Hickory	$22,000	490
Winston Salem	$23,000	360
Burlington	$21,000	300
Goldsboro	$22,000	230
Rocky Mount	$19,000	230
Jacksonville	$19,000	220

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$25,000	360
Grand Forks	$29,000	80

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cleveland	$22,000	4,180
Cincinnati	$23,000	3,500
Columbus	$22,000	3,280
Akron	$22,000	1,390
Dayton	$23,000	1,190
Toledo	$22,000	1,150
Youngstown	$20,000	580
Canton	$22,000	380
Springfield	$23,000	200
Lima	$20,000	80
Mansfield	$28,000	60
Sandusky	$26,000	50

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$26,000	1,770
Tulsa	$21,000	1,150

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$25,000	3,520
Eugene	$24,000	610
Salem	$27,000	580
Bend	$23,000	300
Medford	$23,000	250
Corvallis	$21,000	110

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$26,000	5,370
Pittsburgh	$22,000	2,270
Allentown	$24,000	1,020
Scranton	$25,000	760
Harrisburg	$21,000	670
Lancaster	$24,000	520
York	$22,000	480
Erie	$22,000	430
Reading	$27,000	320
Johnstown	$26,000	210
State College	$21,000	200
Lebanon	$24,000	170
Altoona	$20,000	90

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$27,000	2,170

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$25,000	670
Greenville	$19,000	470
Spartanburg	$32,000	230
Columbia	$25,000	210
Florence	$26,000	80
Anderson	$32,000	40

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$27,000	260
Rapid City	$29,000	100

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$25,000	2,360
Memphis	$18,000	1,570
Chattanooga	$25,000	990
Knoxville	$22,000	900
Kingsport	$19,000	500
Clarksville	$18,000	420
Morristown	$26,000	180
Jackson	$22,000	150
Cleveland	$26,000	110

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$22,000	9,600
Dallas	$24,000	7,000
Fort Worth	$24,000	2,770
San Antonio	$23,000	2,710
Austin	$23,000	2,640
El Paso	$26,000	1,050
Brownsville	$34,000	640
Corpus Christi	$23,000	570
Mcallen	$31,000	550
Killeen	$28,000	540
Amarillo	$21,000	440
Lubbock	$20,000	420
Tyler	$19,000	390
College Station	$21,000	370
Longview	$21,000	350
Laredo	$31,000	320
Waco	$23,000	270
Odessa	$25,000	270
Abilene	$21,000	210
Midland	$23,000	180
Wichita Falls	$23,000	150
Texarkana	$20,000	140
San Angelo	$20,000	110
Sherman	$36,000	60

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Provo	$21,000	350
Ogden	$25,000	260
Logan	$22,000	60

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$27,000	250

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$24,000	2,360
Richmond	$24,000	2,000
Roanoke	$29,000	470
Charlottesville	$30,000	230
Lynchburg	$33,000	220
Harrisonburg	$19,000	190
Winchester	$33,000	130
Blacksburg	$24,000	130
Danville	$31,000	30

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$29,000	2,840
Tacoma	$24,000	670
Olympia	$26,000	300
Yakima	$26,000	270
Spokane	$28,000	240
Longview	$24,000	120
Mount Vernon	$25,000	100
Bellingham	$26,000	100
Kennewick	$27,000	80
Bremerton	$31,000	70
Wenatchee	$26,000	40

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Huntington	$25,000	210
Charleston	$25,000	160
Wheeling	$21,000	160
Morgantown	$28,000	160
Weirton	$33,000	90

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$22,000	3,830
Madison	$24,000	1,160
Green Bay	$23,000	440
Appleton	$23,000	420
Racine	$22,000	370
Eau Claire	$19,000	280
Oshkosh	$20,000	230
Wausau	$23,000	210
La Crosse	$22,000	200
Sheboygan	$27,000	140

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cheyenne	$21,000	150
Casper	$24,000	80

Our nursery and pre-school teacher career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.