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Elementary School Teachers salary in Portland, OR

Median pay for elementary school teachers in Portland, OR: $94,760/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $54,870 – $135,430 · about 8,560 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($62,430) by +$32,330 (+52%).

What it's really worth in Portland

With Portland's cost of living at 107 (US=100), that $94,760 has the buying power of about $88,798 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $90,451 · median home $552,022 · median rent $1,797/mo.

Full Portland cost of living & taxes →

How Portland ranks for this job

On raw pay, Portland, OR is 16th of the 187 metros we hold elementary school teachers wages for. Once Portland's cost of living is applied, it ranks 9th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Portland sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Portland

A median home in Portland, OR costs $552,022 — about 5.8× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,797/mo works out at 23% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where elementary school teachers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Portland.

MetroMedian payvs PortlandRent vs Portland
Merced, CA $105,090 +11% 1.1×
San Francisco, CA $103,440 +9% 1.8×
Oxnard, CA $103,350 +9% 1.7×
Modesto, CA $101,210 +7% 1.1×

Same job elsewhere in OR

MetroMedian payvs PortlandRent vs Portland
Salem, OR $80,330 −15% 0.9×
Eugene, OR $77,430 −18%

Staying in OR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires elementary school teachers around Portland

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

Other jobs in Portland

Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.