Starting Teacher Salary Rank: 19th. Salary raise last year: 0.0 %. Salary raise over 10 years: 16.0 %. Michigan is seventh on our comfort scale because there are great lakes and good teacher salaries. New teachers make an average starting salary of $35,901 and an average overall salary of $61,560. If you enjoy natural beauty, snowy winters, and desire an affordable lifestyle, this northern state is a great place to become a teacher.