Teachers made between $43,500 and $66,300 per year in 2025, depending on the role. These figures represent the annual median wage for Michigan pre-K–12 teachers. Preschool teachers tend to be at the lower end of the range, while high school teachers tend to be at the higher end, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates. The median wage is the midpoint — half of teachers in each role earn more, and half earn less.
For comparison, in Michigan, the median wage across all occupations was $49,300 in 2025 — about 13% higher than the median preschool teacher wage.
$43.5K
median annual wage for preschool teachers in Michigan (2025)
$63.8K
median annual wage for middle school teachers in Michigan (2025)
Among teachers working in elementary, middle, and high schools, annual pay varied by the grade level taught. In Michigan in 2025, preschool teachers earned the least, earning around $43,510 annually. High school teachers made the most at around $66,280 per year. In other words, high school teachers earned about 52% more than preschool teachers.
High school teachers earn $66,300 annually, more than any other MI teachers
Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers, excluding teachers of students with disabilities and technical teachers (MI, 2025)
Do Michigan teachers make more or less than the US average?
Teacher salaries vary nationwide. In 2025, Michigan teachers earned less than the national median for 3 of 5 grade levels reported. The largest percentage difference was among preschool teachers, who earned 23% less than the national median. Preschool teachers — typically the lowest-paid group — earned about 23% less than their counterparts nationwide.
Michigan teachers earn less than the national average at 3 of 5 levels.
Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers, excluding teachers of students with disabilities and technical teachers (MI, 2025)
How much do special education teachers make in Michigan? What about technical education teachers?
Pay also varies by specialization. Teachers of students with disabilities (collected in the data as “special education”), earn about the same or less than general education teachers at all levels except preschool in Michigan. In 2025, the median wages for teachers of students with disabilities ranged from 15% to 74% higher than those of other teachers at the same grade level.
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The largest difference for teachers of students with disabilities was at the preschool level, where they earned $75,900 per year compared to $43,500 for other preschool teachers, a 74% difference.
Some schools, primarily middle and high schools, also employ technical teachers. These teachers provide vocational and technical training in fields such as automotive repair, culinary arts, cosmetology, and information technology, to help students develop career skills. In Michigan, their median wages were $60,700 at the middle school level and $78,200 at the high school level in 2025, 5% lower and 18% higher, respectively, than those of general education teachers at the same levels.
In Michigan, teachers of students with disabilities earned more than other teachers at several grade levels.
Median annual salary of elementary and secondary school teachers (MI, 2025)
How does the government help low-income students?
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
