Salary comparison
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: Kennewick vs Santa Rosa
Kennewick, WA pays about 0.9% more for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education on paper — $102,600 vs $101,730. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Kennewick comes out ahead by $870 a year in real buying power.
Kennewick, WA
$102,600
$83,620
$115,770
$49.33
100
$102,600/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Rosa, CA
$101,730
$80,810
$121,350
$48.91
100
$101,730/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $870 a year (0.9%) in favor of Kennewick. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Kennewick runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Rosa sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Kennewick is the better deal by $870 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Santa Rosa to Kennewick for this role, the raise needs to beat 0.9% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education earn more, Kennewick or Santa Rosa?
Kennewick pays $102,600 on median — about 0.9% more than Santa Rosa ($101,730). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Kennewick. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Kennewick gives you roughly$102,600 of real buying power versus $101,730 in the other city.