# Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School

US SOC code 25-2032. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-2032

Also called: CTE teacher, Vocational education teacher, Career and technical education teacher, Auto technology instructor, Welding instructor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **111,420** US secondary school career/technical education teachers, with median pay of **$66,270** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith%E2%80%93Hughes_Act) of **175,000** from 1957, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Learning management systems, dual enrollment platforms, and maker-lab equipment, 2012 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035 (-0.4%). Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-2032&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **33.3%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1917
- Latest US employment: 111,420 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $66,270 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: -0.4% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [19]

### All 29 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1957 | 175,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [1] |
| 1960 | n/a | $4,995 (estimate) | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2009 [5] |
| 1970 | 195,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES [2] |
| 1980 | n/a | $15,970 (estimate) | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2009 [5] |
| 1992 | 118,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES [3] |
| 2000 | n/a | $41,807 (estimate) | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2009 [5] |
| 2003 | 101,190 | $44,530 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 102,210 | $45,920 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 96,600 | $47,090 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 95,040 | $48,690 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 97,550 | $50,090 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 99,800 | $51,580 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 92,980 | $52,550 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 91,690 | $54,310 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 88,210 | $54,660 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 87,780 | $55,160 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 85,020 | $55,120 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 81,560 | $55,200 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 77,430 | $56,130 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 80,100 | $57,320 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 78,840 | $58,660 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 77,460 | $60,250 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 74,520 | $61,710 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 73,530 | $62,460 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 84,360 | $61,820 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 88,280 | $62,500 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 90,070 | $65,130 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 104,450 | $63,910 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 111,420 | $66,270 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (82)

### Employment series

1. [Wikipedia — Smith-Hughes Act (enrollment growth: 200,000 in 1917 to 3.4 million by 1957)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith%E2%80%93Hughes_Act), Wikipedia / Federal Board for Vocational Education annual reports
2. [NCES — Vocational Education in the United States: 1969-1990 (NCES 92-669)](https://nces.ed.gov/pubs92/92669.pdf), National Center for Education Statistics
3. [NCES — Public Secondary School Teacher Survey on Vocational Education, 1994 (FRSS 94409): fall 1992 teacher count 118,000](https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/94409/index.asp?sectionid=3), National Center for Education Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2009 — Table 78: Average annual salary of public school teachers, 1959-60 through 2008-09](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/tables/dt09_078.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

7. [Britannica — Smith-Hughes Act (1917 requirements for vocational teachers: shop time mandate)](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Smith-Hughes-Act), Encyclopaedia Britannica
8. [Wikipedia — Smith-Hughes Act (50-25-25 curriculum rule for trade and industrial programs)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith%E2%80%93Hughes_Act), Wikipedia
9. [voc-ed.ehe.osu.edu — History of Vocational Teacher Education, 1940-1959 (George-Barden Act 1946 and equipment funding)](https://voc-ed.ehe.osu.edu/2014/07/01/1940-1959/), Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology
10. [Wikipedia — Vocational education in the United States (Vocational Education Act 1963 expansion)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocational_education_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
11. [Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act — Wikipedia (1984 act: technology modernization mandate)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_D._Perkins_Vocational_and_Technical_Education_Act), Wikipedia
12. [NCES — Public Secondary School Teacher Survey on Vocational Education, 1994: subject-area breakdown](https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/94409/index.asp?sectionid=3), National Center for Education Statistics
13. [APM Reports — The troubled history of vocational education (1990s rebrand and career-pathway shift)](https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2014/09/09/the-troubled-history-of-vocational-education), APM Reports / American Public Media
14. [Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act — careertech.org (Perkins III 1998 and Perkins IV 2006 overview)](https://careertech.org/what-we-do/engaging-policymakers/federal-policy-agenda/perkins-act/), Association for Career and Technical Education
15. [Learning Policy Institute — Perkins reauthorization: an opportunity to address CTE teacher shortages (34-state shortage data from 2016-17)](https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/perkins-reauthorization-opportunity-address-career-technical-education-teacher-shortages), Learning Policy Institute
16. [Perkins V — Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (dual enrollment expansion and credential requirements)](https://cte.ed.gov/legislation/perkins-v), US Department of Education
17. [Education Week — How AI Is Changing Career and Technical Education (November 2025)](https://www.edweek.org/technology/how-ai-is-changing-career-and-technical-education/2025/11), Education Week
18. [MagicSchool AI — Teacher tools platform (lesson planning and rubric generation for CTE)](https://www.magicschool.ai/), MagicSchool AI

### Forecasts and exposure studies

19. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-2032 Career/technical education teachers, secondary school (2025: 110.5 thousand; 2035: 110.1 thousand; -0.4%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-2032&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-2032.00, human-rated β 0.333)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

21. [Wikipedia — Smith-Hughes Act (passage and enrollment growth)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith%E2%80%93Hughes_Act), Wikipedia
22. [voc-ed.ehe.osu.edu — History of Vocational Teacher Education 1940-1959 (George-Barden Act 1946)](https://voc-ed.ehe.osu.edu/2014/07/01/1940-1959/), Ohio State University
23. [Wikipedia — Vocational education in the United States (Vocational Education Act 1963)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocational_education_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
24. [APM Reports — The troubled history of vocational education (early 1980s as peak, post-1983 decline)](https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2014/09/09/the-troubled-history-of-vocational-education), APM Reports / American Public Media
25. [Wikipedia — Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (1984 act: background)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_D._Perkins_Vocational_and_Technical_Education_Act), Wikipedia
26. [NCES — Public Secondary School Teacher Survey on Vocational Education, 1994 (fall 1992 data)](https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/94409/index.asp?sectionid=3), National Center for Education Statistics
27. [ACTE — Introduction to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act: overview of Perkins I through V and the 1998 naming rebrand](https://www.acteonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ACTE-Perkins101-Basics-Feb2025.pdf), Association for Career and Technical Education
28. [Perkins V — Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (signed July 31, 2018; $1.4 billion/yr)](https://cte.ed.gov/legislation/perkins-v), US Department of Education
29. [BLS OOH — Career and Technical Education Teachers (2024: 239,600 all levels; -1% outlook 2024-34; 15,900 annual openings)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/career-and-technical-education-teachers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

30. [Wikipedia — Smith-Hughes Act (agricultural education predated the act but was formalized by it)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith%E2%80%93Hughes_Act), Wikipedia
31. [NCES — Public Secondary School Teacher Survey on Vocational Education, 1994: 66% of vocational teachers had prior paid nonteaching work experience in their field (avg. 10 years)](https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/94409/index.asp?sectionid=3), National Center for Education Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School (25-2032.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-2032.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Career and Technical Education Teachers](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/career-and-technical-education-teachers.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Education Week — How AI Is Changing Career and Technical Education (Nov 2025)](https://www.edweek.org/technology/how-ai-is-changing-career-and-technical-education/2025/11), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Diffit for Teachers — AI-powered differentiation platform](https://web.diffit.me/diffit-for-differentiation), accessed 2026-06-05
- [MagicSchool AI — Teacher tools platform](https://www.magicschool.ai/magicschool), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Education Week — Classroom View: How AI Is Influencing CTE Teacher Approaches (Nov 2025)](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/classroom-view-how-ai-is-influencing-teacher-approaches-to-career-and-technical-ed/2025/11), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.