The average salary for Mesa County teachers ranks near the top of Colorado's school districts.

According to a report from 9 NEWS, the average teacher salary in Mesa County is $48,738, which is the 35th highest average in the state of Colorado out of 178 school districts that were ranked.

Another way to look at it is that 80% of school districts in Colorado have average teacher salaries lower than Mesa County. In fact, there is a pretty wide disparity between Mesa County and the school districts at the bottom of the list. On the bottom end of the teacher salary list are small school districts like Woodlin and Lone Star, which have average salaries around $30,000.

There's also a pretty wide gap in the top 35 school districts between Mesa County's $48,738 and Boulder Valley's $75,220.

A look at neighboring school districts shows Delta County  with an average teacher salary of $44,401 and Montrose County not far behind Mesa County at $47,481.

Nationally, Colorado ranks #31 in average teacher pay, according to a report from the National Education Association, with an average salary of $51,233.

You might think that is a pretty good salary, or you may be thinking it's not much. But, to put it in perspective, here is a comparison of average salaries of some other occupations in Colorado.

*Social Workers(Child, Family, School)       $50,220
*Clergy         $55,270
*Lawyers      $141,200
*Teacher Assistants    $29,290
*Radio/TV Announcers    $49,250
*Pharmacists         $118,360
*Phlebotomists       $34,930
*Restaurant Cooks   $27,560
*Janitors         $28,170
*Hairdressers   $31,670
*Insurance Sales Agents  $65,030
*Mail Carriers               $49,470
*Secretaries             $37,710
*Carpenters            $45,040
*Auto Mechanic      $47,010
[BLS.GOV]

Obviously, when you talk about average salaries you have people who are on opposite ends of the spectrum. There are those who are on the low end, and others who come in on the high end. Either way, based on the numbers, Colorado definitely has some areas offering decent teacher salaries, and Mesa County appears to be one of them.

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