Pre-K-12 teachers made up 3.4% of the workforce in 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Demographically, teachers are more likely to be white, a woman, and in their 40s.
These patterns vary somewhat by school level but are true across the teaching profession overall. Here’s a snapshot of the nation’s teachers.
How old are the nation’s teachers?
In 2022, teachers ages 30 to 49 made up over half the teaching workforce. Teachers in their 40s made up most of the teaching pool (26.1%), followed closely by those in their 30s at 25.4%.
Teachers in their 50s (20.4%) outnumbered those in their 20s (18.4%). Those 60 and older were 9.7% of teachers, the smallest age group.
How diverse is the teaching profession?
In 2022, just over seven in 10 teachers (71.7%) were white. Hispanic teachers made up 11.6% of the workforce, and Black teachers were 9.4%. The remaining 7.3% included teachers of two or more races (3.1%), Asians (3.1%), some other race (0.5%), American Indians or Alaska Natives (0.3%), and Pacific Islanders (0.1%).
White and multiracial teachers are represented disproportionately, comprising a larger share of the teaching workforce than of the general population. In 2022, white people were 58.8% of the US population and 71.7% of teachers, and multiracial people were 2.4% of the population and 3.1% of teachers.
Hispanic, Black, Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islander teachers made up smaller shares of the teaching workforce compared to their shares of the general population.
As of 2024, around 70% of teachers in pre-K through secondary schools were white. Secondary schools had the biggest share of white teachers, with 86.2%. Black and Hispanic teachers were most represented in preschool and kindergarten (18.9% and 17.9%, respectively). Asian teachers were most represented in preschool and kindergarten (7.3%).
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White teachers made up a smaller share of educators in preschools and kindergartens (although they still accounted for 69.1% of teachers). Black teachers and Hispanic teachers were least represented in secondary schools, and Asian teachers in special education.
What's the gender breakdown among teachers?
In 2022, nearly eight in 10 teachers at all levels—pre-K through 12th grade and special education—were women. Women are much more represented in education than in the workforce generally, where they were 46.8% that same year.
The share of male teachers increases as student age rises. At the earliest levels of education, preschool and kindergarten, 2.5% of teachers were men. This rose to nearly 20% in elementary and middle school, and just over 40% in secondary school.
In special education — which spans all grade levels — 13.7% of teachers are men.
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Page sources and methodology
All of the data on the page was sourced directly from government agencies. The analysis and final review was performed by USAFacts.
