Seattle Public Schools / Substitute Teacher
Role across Seattle Public Schools
Substitute Teacher
Plan and deliver instruction, assess student progress, and develop curriculum.
42 people hold the Substitute Teacher role across 31 departments in Seattle Public Schools, with a median total compensation of $113,965. Among 8 jurisdictions where this role is reported, Seattle Public Schools ranks #1 by median pay.
- Employees
- 42
- Median pay
- $113,965
- Departments
- 31
- Cross-jurisdiction
- #1 of 8
Compared with the local labor market
Substitute Teacher pay vs. the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area
Across all employers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area, the median wage for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term — about 7,220 people — is $60,070. Seattle Public Schools pays a median base salary of $84,151 for this role, 40% above that figure — above the 90th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Seattle Public Schools sits in the local pay range
The bar is the range of annual wages for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term across every employer in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Seattle Public Schools’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term — about 524,770 people — is $41,670. Seattle Public Schools’s median base salary is 102% above that national figure, above the 90th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Seattle Public Schools is $113,965, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
Substitute Teacher pay in other jurisdictions
Where Substitute Teachers are paid most
Median total compensation for comparable Substitute Teacherroles in other jurisdictions (highest first). Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not by identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for this role.
Within Seattle Public Schools
Departments with this role
Largest Seattle Public Schools departments for this role
Departments in Seattle Public Schoolsemploying the most people in this role. Each bar links to that department’s page for the role.