Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term Salary in Houston, TX

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earn a median $32,550 a year — 22% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $28,334 take-home, or $2,361 a month.

Median salary
$32,550
$15.65 per hour
Typical range
$22,870 – $38,910
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Houston, TX
9,600
0.86× national concentration
▲5.4%
Pay trend: The median for substitute teachers, short-term in Houston, TX rose from $30,890 (May 2024) to $32,550 (May 2025). That beat inflation (2.4%), a real raise of about 3.0%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median substitute teachers, short-term salary in Houston, TX. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term in Houston, TX
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$28,334
per year · effective tax rate 13.0%
$2,361Monthly
$1,181Twice a month
$1,090Every 2 weeks
$13.62Hourly
  • Federal income tax$1,726
  • Social Security (6.2%)$2,018
  • Medicare (1.45%)$472
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$28,334

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 0.00% state

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term pay by experience in Houston, TX

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$22,870$11.00$20,443$1,704
25th percentile$26,700$12.84$23,597$1,966
Median (50th)$32,550$15.65$28,334$2,361
75th percentile$32,740$15.74$28,487$2,374
90th percentile (top earners)$38,910$18.71$33,444$2,787

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Texas resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $32,550 buys in Houston, TX

Prices in Houston, TX are 1.4% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.05× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median substitute teachers, short-term's $28,334 take-home pay has the buying power of $28,728 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,316
56% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,558
66% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$1,045
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term jobs are about as common in Houston, TX as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.86).

Best-paying cities for substitute teachers, short-term, adjusted for cost of living

Houston, TX ranks #36 of 39 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1Bakersfield, CA $66,480$52,626$52,164
2San Jose, CA $72,330$56,200$50,895
3Stockton, CA $65,190$51,710$49,206
4Riverside, CA $60,780$48,530$45,593
5Seattle, WA $60,070$50,446$45,393
6Sacramento, CA $59,780$47,800$44,811
7Portland, OR $61,190$46,822$44,414
8Fresno, CA $54,890$44,228$43,293
36Houston, TX$32,550$28,334$28,728

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 39 metros →

About the job: substitute teachers, short-term

Teach students on a short-term basis as a temporary replacement for a regular classroom teacher, typically using the regular teacher’s lesson plan.

Typical education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
None
Job outlook, 2025–35
+2.0% (slower than average)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term salaries elsewhere in Texas

Frequently asked questions

How much does a substitute teachers, short-term make in Houston, TX?

The median substitute teachers, short-term salary in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area is $32,550 a year, or about $15.65 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $26,700 and $32,740.

What is a substitute teachers, short-term’s take-home pay in Houston, TX?

On the median $32,550 salary, a single filer living in Texas takes home about $28,334 a year ($2,361 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare in 2026.

Is Houston, TX a good place to work as a substitute teachers, short-term?

Pay here is 22% below the national median of $41,670. Local prices are 1.4% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $28,728 would in a typical U.S. city. Houston, TX ranks #36 of 39 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a substitute teachers, short-term afford rent in Houston, TX?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Houston, TX is $1,316 a month ($1,558 for two bedrooms) — 56% of a median substitute teachers, short-term’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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