If you're going to be a teacher in Ohio, it pays to have a master's degree. The Ohio Department of Education reported in February of 2010 that teachers in Ohio with a master's degree consistently made more money that those with a bachelor's degree. This was true whether they were starting out, had over a decade of experience, or taught in urban or rural areas.

Average

For the 2008-2009 school year, the Ohio Department of Education reported that starting teachers with a master's degree in public schools had an average starting pay of $41,991. Starting teachers with a master's degree in community schools was $32,273. For comparison, starting teachers with a bachelor's degree earned $34,667 in public schools and $30,145 in community schools. In Ohio, a public school is one that's financed by local property taxes and run through the department of education. A community school is publicly financed and abides by state curriculum standards, but is an independently run nonprofit educational institution.

Location

In Ohio teachers in suburban and urban school districts tend to make more than teachers in rural areas. For example, the average starting salary for a public school teacher with a master's degree in Upper Arlington, a high-income Columbus suburb, was $53,707 and the starting salary for a teacher in the rural Southern-Local Meigs county was $29,097. Furthermore, the geographic areas with the highest average teacher salary were the greater Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland areas, which are the three biggest cities in the state.

Career Progression

The wage premium for having a master's degree continues throughout a career. According to the survey done by the Ohio Department of Education teachers with a master's degree make more than those with a bachelors at the five- and 10-year career levels too. The average salary for a teacher with a master's degree is $49,544 after five years and $65,967 after 10 years. A teacher with a bachelor's degree is makes an average of $44,469 after five years and $58,658 after 10 years.

Other States

As a whole, Ohio teachers get paid close to the national average for their profession. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in May 2010 that the average salary for an Ohio middle school teacher was $52,680 while the national average was $54,880. High school teachers in Ohio made an average of $55,870 compared to the national average of $55,990, and elementary teachers in Ohio made an average of $54,180 compared to the national average of $55,180.