Kindergarten

• Kindergarten teachers focus on children from four to six years old by introducing lessons that enhance physical, mental and social development. As of May 2009, their median salary was $47,830 per year, with a range of $31,320 to $75,210. Their biggest employers were elementary and secondary schools, comprising almost 94 percent of the total 181,810 available positions, with mean wages at $51,430 annually. Their highest paying employers were in the category of other schools and instruction, with compensation at $63,560 per year, but for only 200 positions. The state with the highest salaries for this profession was Rhode Island, with mean annual compensation at $67,720. These facts are from a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  
  

Elementary School

• Elementary school teachers generally teach several subjects to one class of kids, though in some schools, they can specialize in one subject, such as music or science, which they impart to several classes. Their mean annual wage was $53,190, for 99 percent of the available 1.54 million positions. Their biggest employers were elementary and secondary schools, with average annual pay at $53,190, while their highest paying employers were individual and family services, paying a mean of $56,460 per year. The state with the best pay for these professionals was Rhode Island, at $68,410 per year for 4,010 positions.
  
  

Middle School

• Middle school teachers specialize in one subject, such as English, Spanish, math or history, which they introduce to several classes. Their median salary was $50,770, with a range of $34,360 to $79,200, in the 2009 report. Their biggest and highest paying employers were elementary and secondary schools, with mean pay at $53,590 per year. Their second highest-paying employers were psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, at $51,330 per year, but for only 50 positions. The state with the highest pay was Connecticut, at $67,710 per year for 10,860 positions. Second was New York, at the lower mean of $67,580 per year, but with more employment at 40,780 jobs.
  
  

Secondary School

• Secondary school teachers delve more deeply into subjects, and may introduce career-oriented topics such as typing or business. Their biggest employers were elementary and secondary schools, with 99 percent of the available 1.09 million jobs. They were also the highest payers at a mean of $55,210 per year. The second highest paying employers were colleges, universities and professional schools, with yearly means of $50,400, but for only 660 jobs. The state with the best pay was New York, at a mean $68,010 per year for 74,070 jobs. Second-ranked Illinois offered a mean $67,960 annually for 56,700 jobs.