Education

Teacher Salary in Minnesota (2026)

The average Teacher in Minnesota earns around $64,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $50,775/year ($4,231/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$50,775
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$4,231
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$1,953
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$24/hr
Federal Tax
$5,500
State Tax
$2,829
FICA Taxes
$4,896
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

20.66%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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Teacher Salary Ranges in Minnesota

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$45,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$64,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$92,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all Teachers earn the same — not even close

Minnesota's teacher market is anchored by Minneapolis Public Schools (~30K students, the state's 4th-largest district), St. Paul Public Schools (~32K students), Anoka-Hennepin (~39K, the state's largest district), Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan (~28K), South Washington County (~19K), plus substantial suburban districts (Edina + Wayzata + Minnetonka + Eden Prairie + Lakeville). The Minnesota Teachers Retirement Association (TRA) provides defined-benefit pension; St. Paul Teachers Retirement Fund Association (St. Paul TRFA) handles St. Paul separately. Education Minnesota (~85K members) is the country's largest state-level teachers union by some membership measures.

Senior Teacher (Step 25+ / Master's + 30)

$92,000–$118,000

Senior teacher at Edina + Wayzata + Minnetonka + Eden Prairie · top-of-scale + advanced credentials

Senior Teacher (Mpls / St. Paul / 1st Ring)

$78,000–$98,000

Senior teacher at Minneapolis + St. Paul + Bloomington + Roseville · urban district top-scale

Mid-Career Teacher (Step 10-15)

$62,000–$78,000

Functional career teacher · mid-scale at Twin Cities metro districts · MS-credentialed

Senior Special Education Teacher

$72,000–$92,000

SPED endorsement + senior staff · MN SPED critical shortage area · across MN districts

Senior Math / Science Teacher

$72,000–$92,000

STEM critical shortage · senior staff + AP-credentialed · Twin Cities metro premium

Senior Building Administrator (Principal)

$118,000–$165,000

Elementary + middle + high school principal · MN suburban districts · K-12 admin endorsement

Senior District Administrator

$145,000–$245,000

Asst Superintendent + Superintendent · MN large district leadership · MN BOSA-licensed

Senior Teacher (Charter School)

$58,000–$78,000

MN charter school senior teacher · Hiawatha Academies + Math + Science Academy · charter band

Mid-Career Suburban (Step 8-12)

$68,000–$88,000

Mid-career suburban teacher · Edina + Wayzata + Minnetonka · MS + 15+ band

New Grad Teacher (Year 1-3)

$48,000–$58,000

U of MN + St. Catherine + Bethel + Concordia + Hamline education pipeline · MN entry teacher band

Worth knowing: Minnesota Teachers Retirement Association (TRA) is the structural depth feature for MN teacher compensation that national K-12 comp surveys understate. MN TRA (~85K active members + ~63K retirees, ~$25B+ AUM) provides defined-benefit pension with 1.9% × years × FAS multiplier (effective post-2010 reform, prior more generous formulas grandfathered) — substantially more generous than -only states like IN or KY. MN TRA Rule of 90 retirement is available (age + years = 90) for teachers grandfathered pre-1989 hire, more recent hires face age 65 normal retirement. St. Paul TRFA operates separately for St. Paul teachers. Education Minnesota (~85K members, NEA + AFT joint affiliate, the only joint-affiliated state teachers union) is one of the country's largest state teachers unions, supporting strong bargaining + lobbying. MN is non-RTW with substantial K-12 union density — Education Minnesota collective bargaining drives MN teacher comp above the regional median, particularly in 1st-ring suburbs (Edina + Wayzata + Minnetonka + Eden Prairie + Plymouth) where senior step + lane teachers clear $92-118K. MN's 9.85% top bracket has limited impact on teacher comp since most senior teacher comp lands $75-105K range — the top bracket affects mainly administrator + district leadership comp.

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