A typical math teacher salary in California is $101,370, the May 2025 median for high school teachers. Middle school teachers earned a median of $98,950. Both are the second-highest state medians in the country, behind Washington, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which counts math teachers with teachers of all subjects.
If you’re weighing a California teaching job, three numbers matter most: the median for your grade band, how much it shifts between metro areas, and how far pay climbs at the top. BLS doesn’t publish a separate figure for math teachers, so every salary here is for middle or high school teachers of all subjects, including math. If you’re still working out how to qualify, start with our guide for California math teacher credentials.
Math Teacher Salary in California by Grade Level
California pays high school teachers a little more than middle school teachers. As of May 2025, the BLS median was $101,370 for high school teachers and $98,950 for middle school teachers, a gap of $2,420. High school is also the bigger job market, with 99,230 teachers employed against 37,300 in middle schools.
| Occupation | Employment | Median Annual Wage | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School Teachers | 99,230 | $101,370 | $125,920 | $132,600 |
| Middle School Teachers | 37,300 | $98,950 | $111,610 | $129,500 |
The median is the middle of the range: half of teachers earn more and half earn less. It’s a better guide to a typical paycheck than the average, which a small group of high earners can pull up.
What Top-Earning California Teachers Make
The top 10% of California high school teachers earned $132,600 or more as of May 2025, $31,230 above the state median. Nationally, the 90th percentile for high school teachers was $107,600. That puts the typical California high school teacher within $6,230 of what the top tenth earns nationwide.
Middle school pay follows the same pattern: $129,500 at the 90th percentile in California, against $102,540 nationally. BLS percentiles aren’t experience levels. Each district sets pay on its own salary schedule, so check the schedule for any district you apply to before you compare offers.
How California Compares to the National Median
California high school teachers earned $29,330 more than the national median of $72,040 as of May 2025. The middle school gap is wider: California’s $98,950 sits $34,580 above the national median of $64,370. Only Washington reports higher medians for either grade band.
Higher pay doesn’t automatically mean more buying power. BLS wage data doesn’t adjust for living costs, so weigh any California offer against housing costs in that metro. To see where California falls among every state, start with the national salary picture for math teachers.
Math Teacher Salaries in California Cities
High school medians across California metro areas run from $97,610 in Visalia to $108,850 in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura as of May 2025. That’s a narrow spread: no metro falls more than $3,760 below the state median. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont together employ more than half of the state’s high school teachers.
Middle school pay varies much more by city. Medians run from $78,460 in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad to $105,030 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara. San Diego also has the widest grade-band gap in the state, with its high school median $24,350 above its middle school median. In four metro areas, El Centro, Fresno, Merced and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, middle school teachers out-earn high school teachers at the median.
This table lists all 24 California metro areas in the BLS data, with medians for both grade bands. BLS publishes no middle school figures for Salinas and didn’t release a middle school employment count for Bakersfield-Delano.
| Metro Area | High School Median | Middle School Median | Employed (High / Middle) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $99,150 | $93,480 | 3,300 / not released |
| Chico, CA | $98,210 | $79,300 | 400 / 230 |
| El Centro, CA | $99,440 | $104,140 | 780 / 250 |
| Fresno, CA | $100,750 | $104,250 | 3,210 / 850 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $102,010 | $92,040 | 730 / 120 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $100,960 | $98,370 | 32,250 / 12,780 |
| Merced, CA | $99,600 | $101,770 | 1,020 / 180 |
| Modesto, CA | $101,890 | $101,250 | 1,900 / 740 |
| Napa, CA | $102,510 | $95,590 | 300 / 130 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $108,850 | $103,880 | 2,210 / 530 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $100,130 | $100,810 | 12,450 / 4,860 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $105,060 | $99,360 | 6,040 / 1,570 |
| Salinas, CA | $101,590 | Not published | 1,200 / not published |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $102,810 | $78,460 | 6,690 / 2,310 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $102,880 | $81,100 | 11,520 / 4,310 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $108,230 | $105,030 | 4,130 / 3,330 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $99,560 | $90,870 | 410 / 310 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $98,810 | $79,490 | 560 / 200 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $102,840 | $80,100 | 1,060 / 220 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $101,730 | $98,020 | 1,040 / 380 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $100,590 | $82,030 | 1,920 / 1,110 |
| Vallejo, CA | $102,590 | $93,680 | 800 / 270 |
| Visalia, CA | $97,610 | $79,740 | 1,330 / 770 |
| Yuba City, CA | $100,170 | $78,760 | 670 / 170 |
Job Outlook for Math Teachers in California
California’s teaching workforce is projected to shrink slightly. Projections Central estimates a -1.5% change in employment for high school teachers in California between 2024 and 2034, from 95,300 to 93,900 jobs, with an average of 5,780 openings per year. For middle school teachers, the projected change is -1.7%, from 36,100 to 35,500 jobs, with an average of 2,320 openings per year.
Those openings come mostly from teachers who retire or leave the profession, so a small decline still leaves about 8,100 middle and high school teaching jobs to fill in California each year. These state figures come from the California Employment Development Department’s labor market projections.
The national picture is flat. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook projects little or no change in employment for high school teachers between 2025 and 2035, from 1,087,500 to 1,085,000 jobs, with about 63,500 openings a year. For middle school teachers, it projects a change from 630,100 to 627,400 jobs, with about 38,800 openings a year. The state and national projections cover different 10-year periods, so compare their direction rather than their exact numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a math teacher make in California?
BLS reports a median of $101,370 for California high school teachers and $98,950 for middle school teachers as of May 2025. Those figures cover teachers of all subjects, including math, because BLS doesn’t track math teachers separately.
Which California city pays math teachers the most?
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura had the highest high school median at $108,850 as of May 2025, followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at $108,230. For middle school, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara led at $105,030.
Do California math teachers earn more than teachers nationally?
Yes, by a wide margin. The California high school median of $101,370 is $29,330 above the national median of $72,040. The middle school median of $98,950 is $34,580 above the national $64,370.
Do middle school math teachers in California earn less than high school teachers?
Statewide, slightly. The middle school median is $2,420 below the high school median. The gap depends on the metro: in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad it’s $24,350, while in El Centro, Fresno, Merced and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario middle school teachers earn more at the median.
Is California hiring math teachers?
Yes, though total employment isn’t growing. Projections Central estimates a -1.5% change for California high school teachers and -1.7% for middle school teachers between 2024 and 2034. Retirements and departures still open about 8,100 positions a year across both grade bands, for teachers of all subjects.
- State median: California high school teachers earned a median of $101,370 and middle school teachers $98,950 as of May 2025, for teachers of all subjects.
- National rank: Both medians are the second-highest of any state, behind Washington, and sit $29,330 (high school) and $34,580 (middle school) above the national medians.
- City range: High school medians run from $97,610 in Visalia to $108,850 in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura. Middle school pay varies more, from $78,460 to $105,030.
- Top-end pay: The 90th percentile for California high school teachers is $132,600, against $107,600 nationally.
- Job outlook: Projections Central estimates a -1.5% change for California high school teachers and -1.7% for middle school teachers between 2024 and 2034, with about 8,100 openings a year combined.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Middle School Teachers and High School Teachers, which include teachers of all subjects. Job growth projections (2024-2034) are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed October 2026. National job outlook figures (2025-2035) are from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
California pays well at both grade levels, so the bigger decision is a credential program that fits your schedule and budget. The schools listed here include online math education programs, so you can compare formats and costs side by side.