Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $76,280 | Data unavailable |
| Median (50th percentile) | $105,870 | Data unavailable |
| Mean (average) | $116,100 | Data unavailable |
| 90th percentile | $167,770 | Data unavailable |
BLS publishes only annual wages for this occupation because workers are typically paid on an annual basis rather than hourly.
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 54 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $97,480 | $76,150 | $123,070 | 3,020 | 0.68 |
| Alaska | $125,520 | $102,930 | $133,330 | 890 | 1.29 |
| Arizona | $97,480 | $62,690 | $128,320 | 5,270 | 0.77 |
| Arkansas | $86,330 | $68,090 | $107,410 | 2,760 | 1 |
| California | $159,950 | $103,250 | $202,380 | 31,370 | 0.82 |
| Colorado | $110,530 | $81,340 | $160,940 | 5,760 | 0.95 |
| Connecticut | $156,240 | $86,840 | $194,310 | 4,610 | 1.29 |
| Delaware | $132,710 | $101,350 | $152,520 | 1,100 | 1.08 |
| District of Columbia | $137,470 | $100,350 | $176,490 | 1,930 | 1.3 |
| Florida | $96,490 | $61,030 | $130,650 | 16,960 | 0.81 |
| Georgia | $103,360 | $81,440 | $135,990 | 7,530 | 0.73 |
| Guam | Data unavailable | 130 | 0.96 | ||
| Hawaii | $126,760 | $85,880 | $168,760 | 1,910 | 1.44 |
| Idaho | $101,090 | $76,290 | $128,320 | 1,830 | 1.01 |
| Illinois | $113,360 | $78,070 | $169,400 | 14,850 | 1.15 |
| Indiana | $98,770 | $66,440 | $132,400 | 6,990 | 1.03 |
| Iowa | $104,260 | $77,350 | $154,000 | 3,310 | 1 |
| Kansas | $100,530 | $77,520 | $127,470 | 2,520 | 0.83 |
| Kentucky | $99,920 | $75,270 | $130,310 | 4,940 | 1.17 |
| Louisiana | $83,360 | $63,470 | $123,320 | 5,080 | 1.24 |
| Maine | $102,890 | $79,850 | $128,750 | 1,710 | 1.26 |
| Maryland | $131,510 | $81,060 | $172,170 | 7,200 | 1.23 |
| Massachusetts | $128,430 | $81,640 | $166,240 | 10,570 | 1.38 |
| Michigan | $104,020 | $77,340 | $134,430 | 9,610 | 1.03 |
| Minnesota | $127,000 | $78,570 | $166,270 | 4,120 | 0.66 |
| Mississippi | $82,800 | $65,400 | $106,450 | 3,170 | 1.29 |
| Missouri | $100,400 | $74,570 | $133,090 | 7,120 | 1.15 |
| Montana | $95,700 | $63,960 | $127,800 | 930 | 0.86 |
| Nebraska | $110,580 | $85,370 | $156,580 | 1,860 | 0.86 |
| Nevada | $109,420 | $62,980 | $136,040 | 2,490 | 0.76 |
| New Hampshire | $104,910 | $80,220 | $129,840 | 1,590 | 1.1 |
| New Jersey | $137,440 | $103,030 | $188,060 | 11,450 | 1.27 |
| New Mexico | $107,720 | $83,860 | $133,580 | 2,290 | 1.24 |
| New York | $138,830 | $87,100 | $200,380 | 19,210 | 0.94 |
| North Carolina | $83,180 | $63,240 | $121,380 | 11,220 | 1.07 |
| North Dakota | $107,940 | $81,010 | $155,860 | 810 | 0.9 |
| Ohio | $99,590 | $62,160 | $129,160 | 12,480 | 1.06 |
| Oklahoma | $86,630 | $62,300 | $125,130 | 4,320 | 1.2 |
| Oregon | $130,050 | $76,240 | $165,060 | 4,160 | 1 |
| Pennsylvania | $118,710 | $78,490 | $161,140 | 14,460 | 1.13 |
| Puerto Rico | $80,130 | $50,780 | $96,740 | 1,160 | 0.58 |
| Rhode Island | $119,980 | $80,530 | $150,300 | 1,160 | 1.1 |
| South Carolina | $102,440 | $75,810 | $134,490 | 5,000 | 1.03 |
| South Dakota | $88,390 | $74,770 | $109,270 | 680 | 0.7 |
| Tennessee | $97,590 | $70,960 | $134,630 | 6,180 | 0.89 |
| Texas | $93,910 | $72,230 | $128,700 | 37,140 | 1.25 |
| Utah | $128,880 | $79,220 | $161,920 | 2,940 | 0.8 |
| Vermont | $105,350 | $76,900 | $134,570 | 1,000 | 1.55 |
| Virgin Islands | $80,910 | $54,430 | $104,780 | 140 | 2.07 |
| Virginia | $106,100 | $78,300 | $164,320 | 8,470 | 0.98 |
| Washington | $166,590 | $111,830 | $205,500 | 6,470 | 0.86 |
| West Virginia | $80,650 | $57,740 | $97,350 | 1,480 | 1 |
| Wisconsin | $117,010 | $82,010 | $140,520 | 4,030 | 0.65 |
| Wyoming | $105,480 | $85,510 | $126,400 | 410 | 0.69 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 20,600. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 1.4%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
- Related work experience
- 5 years or more
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Educational Leadership and Administration, General CIP 13.0401
- Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision CIP 13.0404
- Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship CIP 13.0408
- Secondary School Administration/Principalship CIP 13.0409
- Superintendency and Educational System Administration CIP 13.0411
- International School Administration/Leadership CIP 13.0412
- Early Childhood Program Administration CIP 13.0414
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.
- Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities, policies, and student behavior or learning problems.
- Observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques and to determine areas for improvement.
- Determine the scope of educational program offerings, and prepare drafts of course schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.
- Enforce discipline and attendance rules.
- Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff.
- Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives.
- Set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies and procedures to carry them out.
Technology skills
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Student information systems SIS software (in demand)
- Apache Cassandra (hot technology)
- IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- SAS (hot technology)
- The MathWorks MATLAB (hot technology)
- ACS Technologies HeadMaster
- Attendance tracking software
- Blackbaud The Education Edge
- Blackboard software
Transferable skills for career changers: Judgment and Decision Making, Management of Personnel Resources, Social Perceptiveness, Complex Problem Solving, Systems Evaluation, Coordination.
Common job titles: Athletic Director, Curriculum and Instruction Superintendent, Curriculum Director, Elementary Principal, K-12 Principal (Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade Principal), MS Principal (Middle School Principal), School Administrator (School Admin), School Superintendent, SPED Director (Special Education Director), Superintendent.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do education administrators, kindergarten through secondary make?
The national median annual wage for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary was $105,870 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $76,280 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $167,770. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do education administrators, kindergarten through secondary need?
BLS lists master's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with 5 years or more of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is education administrators, kindergarten through secondary a growing career?
BLS projects employment of education administrators, kindergarten through secondary to change -0.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 20,600 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay education administrators, kindergarten through secondary the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were Washington ($166,590), California ($159,950), Connecticut ($156,240). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.