Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Salary
The median pay for a art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY is $82,480/year, per BLS data. The range runs from $52K at the entry level to $167K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.84), that's roughly $86,060 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,343/month, or 25.9% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $82K get you in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Buffalo-Cheektowaga’s Regional Price Parity (95.84). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries
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What this looks like in Buffalo-Cheektowaga
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary pay in Buffalo-Cheektowaga tracks closely to the national median, $82K locally vs. $79K nationwide, a 5% difference. Rent runs $1,343/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 25.8% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.84) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries in metros near Buffalo-Cheektowaga, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $101K | $90K |
| Ithaca | $103K | $100K |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | $84K | $77K |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $82K | $82K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
Entry-level art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries (10th percentile) start around $52K. Mid-career wages sit at $82K. Top earners bring in $167K or more, a $115K spread from bottom to top.
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $103K | +31% | 150 |
| California | $99K | +26% | 9,820 |
| New York | $99K | +26% | 14,920 |
| Vermont | $98K | +25% | 180 |
| Rhode Island | $98K | +24% | 440 |
| District of Columbia | $97K | +23% | 350 |
| Massachusetts | $86K | +9% | 4,960 |
| Maryland | $86K | +9% | 1,280 |
| Michigan | $83K | +6% | 2,410 |
| New Jersey | $80K | +2% | 3,300 |
| Georgia | $80K | +2% | 1,910 |
| Maine | $80K | +2% | 340 |
| New Hampshire | $79K | +1% | 440 |
| Louisiana | $79K | +0% | 720 |
| Connecticut | $79K | -0% | 1,430 |
| Montana | $78K | -0% | 190 |
| Ohio | $78K | -1% | 3,940 |
| Washington | $78K | -1% | 1,400 |
| Minnesota | $78K | -1% | 1,310 |
| Iowa | $78K | -1% | 910 |
| Texas | $78K | -1% | 6,730 |
| Wisconsin | $78K | -1% | 1,840 |
| Pennsylvania | $77K | -2% | 4,170 |
| Oregon | $77K | -2% | 1,440 |
| New Mexico | $76K | -3% | 380 |
| Indiana | $76K | -3% | 1,920 |
| Missouri | $76K | -3% | 1,450 |
| Nebraska | $75K | -4% | 490 |
| Virginia | $75K | -5% | 2,840 |
| North Carolina | $74K | -6% | 2,880 |
| West Virginia | $73K | -7% | 340 |
| Idaho | $72K | -8% | 250 |
| Arizona | $72K | -8% | 1,040 |
| Tennessee | $72K | -8% | 1,370 |
| Colorado | $70K | -11% | 1,950 |
| North Dakota | $67K | -15% | 130 |
| Utah | $66K | -16% | 790 |
| Kentucky | $64K | -18% | 900 |
| Florida | $64K | -19% | 2,490 |
| Alabama | $64K | -19% | 900 |
| South Dakota | $63K | -19% | 200 |
| Illinois | $63K | -20% | 4,170 |
| South Carolina | $62K | -21% | 1,290 |
| Oklahoma | $62K | -21% | 760 |
| Kansas | $61K | -22% | 640 |
| Arkansas | $61K | -23% | 360 |
| Mississippi | $61K | -23% | 540 |
| Wyoming | $59K | -25% | 180 |
| Nevada | $53K | -33% | 260 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Buffalo-Cheektowaga numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary afford a 2BR apartment alone in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Yes — at the median salary of $82K, rent takes 25.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,343/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries typically earn — is $52K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,142/month. At HUD’s $1,343/month FMR, rent would take 43% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary a high-paying job in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $82K locally vs. $79K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Buffalo-Cheektowaga compare to the national average for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries?
Buffalo-Cheektowaga pays $82K median vs. the U.S. average of $79K — that’s +5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.84), the purchasing-power equivalent is $86K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries make in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?
The median is $82,480 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $52,370, and experienced art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries can clear $167,390. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $82K enough to live in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,207/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,343/month, which eats 25.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary go in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Buffalo-Cheektowaga has a Regional Price Parity of 95.84 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary is worth about $86,060 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.