L.A. County Teachers Typically Spend Half Pre-Tax Salaries on Rent or Mortgages

Teachers in Los Angeles County typically need to spend about half their pre-tax salaries on rent or mortgage payments to afford a median-priced home or rental.

A Zillow analysis today shows that the Los Angeles County monthly median teacher's salary is $5,170. It takes 48.1 percent of that salary (pre-tax) to afford a median mortgage payment there, and 51.6 percent of that salary to afford median rent.

Of course, teacher salaries in Los Angeles County can vary quite a bit based on experience and qualifications. A teacher in the 25th percentile (making $2,920 a month) for example, would have to spend 91.5 percent of his or her income to afford a median rental, or 85.1 percent to afford a typical mortgage payment. For teachers in the 75th percentile (making $6,750 a month), those cost shares drop to 39.5 percent and 36.8 percent, respectively. Personal finance experts typically recommend not spending more than a third of your income on housing costs, although that is rare given Los Angeles’ high housing costs.

Los Angeles-area households that include teachers typically have to spend 24.8 percent of their pre-tax income on mortgage payments, and 26.7 percent of their income on rent, according to Zillow's analysis. For households that include teachers in the 25th percentile of income, those numbers climb to 37.2 percent of pre-tax household income going toward median rent, and 34.6 percent going toward a median mortgage payment.

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