This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In Utah, the average teacher salary increased by 1.9 percent between 2002-03 and 2003-04, according to the National Education Association's annual "Rankings & Estimates" report for 2004. Last year, the average salary in the Beehive State was $38,976, which equals about 83 percent of the average U.S. teacher's pay of $46,752. Utah's salaries are 39th in the country and exceeded only Montana ($37,184) and New Mexico ($38,067) in the Intermountain West. Average pay elsewhere in the region: Colorado, $43,319; Nevada, $42,254; Arizona, $41,843; Idaho, $41.080. The NEA report also reinforced familiar data: Utah has more students per teacher (22.5) than any other state. The national average is 15.8.
Utah is ranked last in per-pupil spending at $5,091, compared to the national average of $8,248.
In 2001-02, Utah ranked second in the country - behind Texas - in the percentage of state and local government expenditures dedicated to education (40.4 percent).
The state is ranked 39th, however, in per-capita state and local expenditures for K-12 schools.
In 2001-02, Utah ranked first in per-capita state and local expenditures for higher education.
