55%reported frequent job-related stress
More than half of teachers said they experienced frequent job-related stress in 2025-26.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 2026Teacher tools
Teacher workload statistics:
13 U.S. facts for 2026.
Current figures on teacher time, stress, workload, staffing, and retention. Every statistic below links to its original source.
At a glance
What the latest research says about the work teachers carry.
Teaching asks for far more than the lessons that fit inside a class period. These figures bring together recent U.S. research on the hours, pressure, staffing conditions, and career decisions shaping teachers' everyday work.
They are presented as separate findings from their original studies. Survey questions, samples, and school years differ, so the figures should be read in the context given with each one.
57%reported burnout
More than half of teachers reported burnout in the 2026 State of the American Teacher Survey.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 202618%said they were likely to leave their current job
Eighteen percent of teachers said they were likely to leave their current job by the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 202630%held a second job
Three in ten teachers reported holding a job outside their school system in 2026.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 202613hours per week spent in that second job
Teachers who held a job outside their school system reported working an average of 13 hours each week in that role.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 2026$75,599average base salary
Teachers reported an average base salary of $75,599 in 2026.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 202660%of household income came from teachers' total pay
Teachers said their total pay accounted for 60% of household income on average in 2026.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 202661%earned less after inflation
After adjusting for inflation, 61% of teachers earned less in 2026 than they did in 2025.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 2026$665spent personally on classroom supplies
Teachers reported spending an average of $665 out of pocket on classroom supplies in 2026.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 202652%named student behavior as a top source of stress
Managing student behavior was the most-cited source of job-related stress, named by 52% of teachers in the 2026 survey.
Source: RAND, State of the American Teacher Survey, June 202684%said they do not have enough time during the workday
Public K-12 teachers said they did not have enough regular-workday time for tasks such as grading, lesson planning, paperwork, and email in a 2023 survey.
Source: Pew Research Center, April 202470%said their school is understaffed
Seven in ten public K-12 teachers said their school was understaffed in 2023.
Source: Pew Research Center, April 202477%said their job is often stressful
More than three quarters of public K-12 teachers said teaching was stressful extremely often or often in 2023.
Source: Pew Research Center, April 2024Why this matters
Good tools cannot solve every pressure, but they can make one full day easier to hold.
Nana's Paper Trail grew from 30 years in the classroom. The teacher tools in the collection are made for the practical parts of the work: keeping small details visible, tracking what needs attention, and making room for a little more calm in a busy week.
Browse teacher tools →Sources and methodology
How to use these statistics.
This page is a public roundup of original research. The RAND findings come from the State of the American Teacher Survey, published June 8, 2026. This update added its findings on inflation-adjusted earnings, personal classroom spending, and student behavior as a source of stress. Pew Research Center's teacher survey findings were published April 4, 2024.
Each statistic links directly to the report or survey page that supports it. This page does not combine results across studies or make projections beyond the published findings.
Cite this page
Nana's Paper Trail. “Teacher Workload Statistics: 13 U.S. Facts for 2026.” Updated September 11, 2026.
Link to this statistics page