This report presents selected findings from the 2026 State of the American Teacher survey, an annual survey of kindergarten through grade 12 public school teachers in the United States. The reported findings focus on teacher well-being and a set of factors related to teacher retention: sources of job-related stress, pay, hours worked, and intentions to leave. The authors compare teachers’ responses with those of similar working adults.

Teacher Well-Being, Pay, and Intentions to Leave in 2026

Selected Findings from the 2026 State of the American Teacher Survey

Elizabeth D. Steiner, Phoebe Rose Levine, Sy Doan

ResearchPublished Jun 8, 2026

In this report, the authors present selected findings from the 2026 State of the American Teacher survey, an annual survey of kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) public school teachers across the United States. The authors track teachers’ reported well-being over time and compare teachers’ responses with those of similar working adults.

The results of this analysis reveal new information about the well-being, intentions to leave, pay, and working conditions of K–12 teachers nationally that is relevant to state legislators, school district leaders, and school principals.

Key Takeaways

  • In 2026, teachers were more likely than similar working adults to report experiencing poor well-being on every indicator—a consistent pattern since 2021.
  • Since 2021, female teachers have been consistently more likely to report experiencing frequent job-related stress than male teachers and male or female similar working adults.
  • The share of teachers who intended to leave their jobs was 18 percent in 2026. About one in four teachers plan to stay in teaching as long as they are able.
  • Thirty percent of teachers reported holding a job outside their school systems. These teachers reported spending 13 hours per week, on average, working at this job.
  • Teachers reported an average base salary of $75,599 in 2026, while similar working adults reported an average base salary of slightly more than $105,000.
  • Only four in ten teachers reported pay raises in 2026 after adjusting for inflation.
  • On average, teachers’ total pay accounted for 60 percent of household income; similar working adults’ total pay accounted for 68 percent of household income.
  • Teachers reported spending a little more than $600 out of pocket on school supplies.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: National Education Association
  • Publisher: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2026
  • Pages: 35
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA4404-2
  • Document Number: RR-A4404-2

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Steiner, Elizabeth D., Phoebe Rose Levine, and Sy Doan, Teacher Well-Being, Pay, and Intentions to Leave in 2026: Selected Findings from the 2026 State of the American Teacher Survey. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4404-2.html.
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This work was funded by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers and conducted by RAND Education, Employment, and Infrastructure.

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.