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Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education pay in New Mexico and Washington
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education is $74,550 per year in New Mexico. It is $102,350 per year in Washington. New Mexico is 27.2% below Washington on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 25-2021 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 6,210 wage and salary jobs in New Mexico and 28,980 in Washington. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings