Takeaway: Salary growth is outpaced by inflation, home prices, and rental prices. Keep in mind that these are growth rates. The graph illustrates the widening gap between housing costs and beginning teacher salaries since 2020. Housing affordability was already challenging for teachers before 2020, meaning that these growing disparities exacerbate an existing problem.
(In order for teacher salaries to “catch up” to housing affordability, we would need to see salary growth outpacing housing costs.)
Notes on the chart:
Novice teacher = teacher in their first year of teaching
Between 2020 and 2025, the home prices in Middlesex County increased about 40%.
Between 2020 and 2024, growth in rental costs grew by about 20%, but prices started to decelerate between 2024 and 2025.
Between 2020 and 2025, the inflation rate was approximately 23%.
Between 2020 and 2025, the average MA and BA salaries for novice teachers across the 8 districts in this sample grew at identical rates, about 19%.
Not shown, the salary growth rates look similar across experience levels (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of experience).
This is also similar to the national landscape. That analysis, which includes 2019-2025 (one additional year), found similar patterns.