Substitute Teachers, Short-Term Salary in Washington, DC (2024)
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earn a median of $39,990 per year ($19.22 per hour) based on 14,560 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +4.0% against the national median of $38,470 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where substitute teachers, short-term actually sit across the pay range in Washington, DC, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.27 | $33,840 | |
| 25th percentile | $18.99 | $39,490 | |
| Median | $19.22 | $39,990 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $23.04 | $47,930 | |
| 90th percentile | $30.51 | $63,460 | |
| Average (mean) | $21.36 | $44,420 |
How Washington, DC compares
The local median of $39,990 runs +4.0% above the US median of $38,470 for this occupation; it pays 41.6% less than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($68,430); within the metro it ranks 635th of 703 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC — this occupation | $39,990 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $38,470 | +4.0% |
| Washington, DC — all occupations | $68,430 | -41.6% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $64,090 | -37.6% |
At a location quotient of 1.50, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 150% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.6%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 635th of 703 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Washington, DC
To put $39,990 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 635th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $225,340 | 390 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $224,330 | 1,900 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $223,030 | 1,740 |
| Psychiatrists | $219,970 | 570 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $218,490 | 230 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $199,990 | 150 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $191,880 | 20,770 |
| Lawyers | $191,880 | 48,170 |
| Physicians, All Other | $191,880 | 11,170 |
| Nuclear Engineers | $189,770 | 300 |
Where substitute teachers, short-term earn the most
Across the 24 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $30,550 to $64,090. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $64,090 | 9,370 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $58,570 | 6,750 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $58,070 | 6,760 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $57,740 | 14,750 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $57,720 | 3,060 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $56,210 | 30,210 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $55,740 | 9,240 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $48,710 | 7,150 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $45,310 | 5,900 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $40,770 | 27,290 |
See the full national picture on the Substitute Teachers, Short-Term salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for substitute teachers, short-term in Washington, DC?
The median annual wage is $39,990, or $19 per hour. That means half of the substitute teachers, short-term working in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $44,420.
What do the highest and lowest paid substitute teachers, short-term in Washington, DC earn?
The bottom 10% earn $33,840 or less, while the top 10% earn $63,460 or more — a spread of $29,620 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $39,490 and $47,930.
Is substitute teachers, short-term pay in Washington, DC above the local average?
Yes, it is 41.6% below the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $68,430. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Washington, DC pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $39,990 the metro median is 4.0% higher than the US median of $38,470 for substitute teachers, short-term. Across the 24 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $30,550 to $64,090.
How many substitute teachers, short-term work in Washington, DC?
BLS counts about 14,560 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 4.67 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.50, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 150% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 1.6%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.