The median math teacher salary in Oklahoma was $48,710 for high school teachers and $48,440 for middle school teachers as of May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those are the lowest medians of any state. Lawton and the Fort Smith area pay the most, and Oklahoma projects about 4% job growth through 2034.
If you’re weighing a math teaching job in Oklahoma, start with the state’s place in the national picture: its teachers earn the lowest median pay in the country, for both high school and middle school. That doesn’t make every offer low. Pay shifts by metro, by grade band and by experience, and the figures below show where.
BLS has no separate “math teacher” category. It reports salaries for high school and middle school teachers across all subjects, including math, so every figure on this page covers those two groups.
Oklahoma Math Teacher Salary by Grade Level
About 15,480 high school teachers and 7,620 middle school teachers work in Oklahoma, and the math teacher salary in Oklahoma barely changes between the two at the median: high school teachers earn $270 more. The gap widens a little at the top, where the 90th percentile reaches $71,650 for high school and $68,990 for middle school.
Here are the statewide figures for both grade bands, as of May 2025:
| Occupation | Employment | Median Annual Wage | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School Teachers | 15,480 | $48,710 | $59,720 | $71,650 |
| Middle School Teachers | 7,620 | $48,440 | $59,440 | $68,990 |
The median is the midpoint: half of teachers earn more, half earn less. The 75th and 90th percentiles show what teachers near the top of the scale earn, which usually reflects more years in the classroom. Your own starting pay comes from your district’s salary schedule, so check it before you accept an offer.
How Oklahoma Compares With Neighboring States and the Nation
Nationally, high school teachers earned a median of $72,040 and middle school teachers earned $64,370 as of May 2025, according to the BLS. Oklahoma’s high school median sits $23,330 below that national figure, and its middle school median sits $15,930 below. For the full state-by-state picture, see the national salary overview.
Oklahoma also trails every state it borders. Missouri is the closest, with a high school median $10,530 higher. New Mexico is the furthest ahead, at $27,190 higher. This table covers all six bordering states, ranked by high school median:
| State | High School Median | Middle School Median |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | $75,900 | $75,240 |
| Colorado | $72,900 | $63,760 |
| Texas | $63,590 | $63,390 |
| Kansas | $59,920 | $60,580 |
| Arkansas | $59,660 | $59,570 |
| Missouri | $59,240 | $59,310 |
| Oklahoma | $48,710 | $48,440 |
If you live near a border, that gap is worth pricing out. A teaching job across the line means a different state certificate, so check the other state’s certification rules before you count on the higher pay.
Math Teacher Pay in Oklahoma Metro Areas
Oklahoma City employs 5,530 high school teachers, more than a third of the state total, and pays them a median of $50,650. Tulsa’s high school median is $48,410, just under the state figure. Together the two metros hold about six in ten of Oklahoma’s high school teachers.
The smaller metros split. Lawton pays middle school teachers a median of $61,240, the highest of any Oklahoma metro and $12,800 above the state median for that grade band. Enid sits below the state median for both. In Lawton and Tulsa, middle school teachers out-earn high school teachers.
This table lists all five metro areas in the BLS data that include part of Oklahoma. The four Oklahoma metros come first. Fort Smith, AR-OK, listed last, is a cross-border metro, and its figures cover both the Arkansas and Oklahoma sides.
| Metro Area | High School Median | Middle School Median |
|---|---|---|
| Enid, OK | $47,430 | $46,460 |
| Lawton, OK | $51,000 | $61,240 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $50,650 | $48,440 |
| Tulsa, OK | $48,410 | $48,850 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | $60,960 | $58,960 |
Top-End Pay for Oklahoma Math Teachers
Statewide, the 90th percentile for high school teachers is $71,650. That’s $390 below the national median, so even Oklahoma’s best-paid high school teachers earn about what a typical teacher earns nationally.
The top end varies more by metro than the median does. In Oklahoma City, the 90th percentile for high school teachers reaches $82,940. In Tulsa it’s $61,620, which is $21,320 lower, even though the two metros’ medians sit only $2,240 apart.
Oklahoma Math Teacher Job Outlook
Unlike the national picture, Oklahoma projects growth. Projections Central estimates a 4.4% increase in employment for high school teachers in Oklahoma between 2024 and 2034, from 14,680 to 15,330, with an average of 1,000 openings per year. For middle school teachers it projects a 4.1% increase, from 7,360 to 7,660, with about 530 openings per year. The state’s figures come from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
Most of those roughly 1,530 yearly openings come from teachers retiring or leaving, not from new positions. Nationally, the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook projects little or no change between 2025 and 2035: high school teacher employment goes from 1,087,500 to 1,085,000, with about 63,500 openings a year, and middle school teacher employment goes from 630,100 to 627,400, with about 38,800 openings a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do math teachers make in Oklahoma?
High school teachers in Oklahoma earned a median annual salary of $48,710 as of May 2025, and middle school teachers earned $48,440, according to the BLS. These figures cover teachers of all subjects, including math. The 90th percentile reaches $71,650 for high school.
Is Oklahoma the lowest-paying state for math teachers?
Yes, by median pay. Among all 50 states and Washington, DC, Oklahoma has the lowest median for both high school and middle school teachers in the May 2025 BLS data. It also trails all six states it borders.
Which Oklahoma metro area pays math teachers the most?
Lawton pays middle school teachers the most, at a $61,240 median, and it also has the highest high school median among the four Oklahoma metros, at $51,000. The cross-border Fort Smith, AR-OK metro reports a $60,960 high school median, but that figure includes the Arkansas side.
Do high school math teachers earn more than middle school math teachers in Oklahoma?
Barely. Statewide, the high school median is $270 higher than the middle school median. In Lawton and Tulsa, middle school teachers earn more.
Is the demand for math teachers growing in Oklahoma?
Projections Central estimates Oklahoma’s high school teacher employment will grow 4.4% and middle school teacher employment 4.1% between 2024 and 2034. That works out to about 1,000 high school and 530 middle school openings per year, most from teachers retiring or leaving.
- State median: Oklahoma high school teachers earned $48,710 and middle school teachers $48,440 as of May 2025, the lowest medians of any state.
- Neighbors pay more: All six bordering states have higher medians, from Missouri at $59,240 to New Mexico at $75,900 for high school.
- Best-paying metros: Lawton leads for middle school at $61,240, and the cross-border Fort Smith, AR-OK area leads for high school at $60,960.
- Top-end pay: The statewide 90th percentile for high school is $71,650, and Oklahoma City’s reaches $82,940.
- Job outlook: Projections Central expects about 4% growth for both grade bands from 2024 to 2034, with about 1,530 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.
Your district’s salary schedule sets your starting pay, but the program you choose decides how soon you’re in the classroom earning it. The schools listed here include online math education programs built around a working schedule.