High School Teachers vs Substance Abuse
High School Teachers earns $12,690 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| High School Teachers | Substance Abuse | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2025 | $72,040 | $59,350 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $48,780 to $107,600 | $38,940 to $97,590 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 4 | 6 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Master's degree |
| Jobs opening up each year | 63,500 | 50,500 |
| Growth by 2035 | -0.2% | 18.4% |
| People doing it now | 1,087,500 | 533,400 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $102,670 in Washington down to $48,710 in Oklahoma | not published by state |
Also compared: Accountants vs High School Teachers Accountants vs Substance Abuse Graphic Designers vs High School Teachers Graphic Designers vs Substance Abuse High School Teachers vs Human Resources Specialists High School Teachers vs Kindergarten
Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Substance Abuse covers 2 separate job codes. “2 of 2” means 2 of those 2 name that job as closely related.
High School Teachers
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
- Tutors
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
- Special Education Teachers, Elementary School
What these usually take: Usually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
Substance Abuse
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers2 of 2
- Marriage and Family Therapists2 of 2
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists2 of 2
- Rehabilitation Counselors2 of 2
- Healthcare Social Workers2 of 2
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers2 of 2
What these usually take: Graduate school — a master's, or a doctorate.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2025, and employment projections 2025-35. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.