Salary comparison
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: Olympia vs Salt Lake City
Olympia, WA pays about 5.6% more for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education on paper — $104,410 vs $98,880. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Olympia comes out ahead by $5,530 a year in real buying power.
Olympia, WA
$104,410
$81,250
$106,010
$50.20
100
$104,410/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Salt Lake City, UT
$98,880
$65,180
$101,510
$47.54
100
$98,880/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $5,530 a year (5.6%) in favor of Olympia. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Olympia runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Salt Lake City sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Olympia is the better deal by $5,530 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Salt Lake City to Olympia for this role, the raise needs to beat 5.6% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education earn more, Olympia or Salt Lake City?
Olympia pays $104,410 on median — about 5.6% more than Salt Lake City ($98,880). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Olympia. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Olympia gives you roughly$104,410 of real buying power versus $98,880 in the other city.