Teacher Shortages and Low Salaries Plague Minnesota Schools

Strategic Insights -

Despite having fully budgeted positions, many districts in Minnesota are struggling to fill open teaching positions due to low salaries and a deteriorating quality of life for educators. According to the 2023 Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Supply and Demand report, 95 percent of districts had difficulty filling open teaching positions in the 2022-2023 school year. The report notes that the pool of available teachers has grown smaller, with the number of people completing a teacher education program declining by almost a third from 2008 to 2019.

Key Takeaways:

  • 95 percent of Minnesota school districts had difficulty filling open teaching positions in the 2022-2023 school year.
  • The number of people completing a teacher education program declined by almost a third from 2008 to 2019.
  • Completion of master's degree programs in education remains high, but completion of bachelor's degrees is dropping.
  • 90 percent of open teaching positions are caused by teachers leaving the profession entirely, with 2/3 leaving for reasons other than retirement.
  • Minnesota schools are impacted by the teacher shortage, with 98 percent of districts feeling that teacher availability is "somewhat fewer" or "significantly fewer" than five years ago.
  • 72.6 percent of school districts had teacher positions that were budgeted for 2022-2023 but were not filled due to lack of qualified applicants.
  • In the Minnesota metro area, public and charter teachers average salaries are less than $50,000 a year.
  • A University of Minnesota Educator Salary study found that over one-third of teacher salaries are lower than the basic-needs cost of living for a typical family.
  • On average, Minnesota educators must work 9 years before their compensation equals cost of living for an average family in their county, and 36 years to reach median family income for their district.

Statistics:

  • 95% of Minnesota school districts had difficulty filling open teaching positions in the 2022-2023 school year (MDE Supply and Demand report).
  • 90% of open teaching positions are caused by teachers leaving the profession entirely, with 2/3 leaving for reasons other than retirement (Learning Policy Institute, 2017).
  • 98% of school districts feel that teacher availability is "somewhat fewer" or "significantly fewer" than five years ago (2023 MDE Supply and Demand Report).
  • 72.6% of school districts had teacher positions that were budgeted for 2022-2023 but were not filled due to lack of qualified applicants (MDE Supply and Demand report).
  • Average salaries for public and charter teachers in the Minnesota metro area are less than $50,000 a year (MDE Supply and Demand report).
  • Over one-third of teacher salaries are lower than the basic-needs cost of living for a typical family (University of Minnesota Educator Salary study).
  • Minnesota educators must work 9 years before their compensation equals cost of living for an average family in their county, and 36 years to reach median family income for their district (University of Minnesota Educator Salary study).

Sources:

  • Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Supply and Demand report, 2023
  • Learning Policy Institute, "Why Teachers Matter: Teacher Attrition in the United States" (2017)
  • Center of the American Experiment, "Despite Fully Budgeted Positions, Districts Face Teacher Shortages and Low Salaries" (2025)