Adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Adult basic and secondary education and ESL teachers in the United States earn a median salary of $61,540 per year — about $30 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 41K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of -14%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core work product—language instruction, literacy training, and test preparation—is fundamentally digital and information-based, making it highly susceptible to AI-driven tutoring and translation tools. While the role requires significant cultural sensitivity and interpersonal motivation, AI can now provide personalized lesson plans, real-time feedback, and adaptive learning paths that significantly increase teacher productivity or replace routine instructional tasks.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modesto, CABEST VALUE | $129,080 | Above avg (105.1) | $122,785 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $119,590 | Above avg (107.3) | $111,411 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $102,920 | Average (102.4) | $100,519 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $107,420 | Above avg (110.7) | $97,001 |
| Vineland, NJ | $87,810 | Below avg (93.9) | $93,499 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $105,820 | Above avg (117.6) | $90,021 |
| Worcester, MA | $90,550 | Average (103.0) | $87,928 |
| Bismarck, ND | $78,140 | Below avg (89.4) | $87,450 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | $78,110 | Below avg (90.6) | $86,223 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $98,860 | Above avg (114.7) | $86,153 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $76,400 | Below avg (89.3) | $85,553 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $83,500 | Average (97.7) | $85,446 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | $74,320 | Below avg (87.2) | $85,248 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $96,280 | Above avg (113.1) | $85,159 |
| Spartanburg, SC | $76,430 | Below avg (90.5) | $84,463 |
Education & Requirements
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