Median Annual Wage

• Headmasters are a type of education administrator. In 2010, the median annual wage for education administrators in elementary and secondary schools was $86,970, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  
  

Top-Paying Locations

• In 2010, the states where education administrators made the highest mean annual salary, according to BLS, were New York at $118,490; New Jersey at $115,960; Connecticut at $112,030; California at $105,250; and Maryland at $102,620.
  
  The top-paying metropolitan areas in 2010 were the Nassau-Suffolk, New York, metropolitan division, with a mean annual salary of $131,070; New York-White Plains-Wayne, New York-New Jersey metropolitan division at $128,990; Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut, at $123,880; Newark-Union, New Jersey-Pennsylvania, metropolitan division at $122,080; and Bethesda-Frederick-Gaithersburg, Maryland, metropolitan division at $118,460.
  
  

Rising Salaries

• In 2007, Ellen Gamerman reported in the "Wall Street Journal" that across the United States, headmasters' salaries have begun to change along with their job descriptions. According to the newspaper, more private schools prefer headmasters hold both executive business and academic credentials. Total compensation packages of $400,000 or more are increasingly common, with some headmasters also receiving new perks, such as travel stipends. In a review of 50 elite private schools, the "Wall Street Journal" found significant salary increases over a five-year period ending in 2005. The paper attributed the increases and change in job descriptions to growing fundraising pressures and competition to build top facilities.
  
  

Benefits

• The National Association of Independent Schools reports that benefits provided by independent, or private, schools tend to already be competitive compared with other school types and industries. Private school benefit packages typically include top-quality health and life insurance policies, generous leave and vacation policies and family friendly policies.
  
  

Job Outlook

• Ellen Gamerman notes in her "Wall Street Journal" article that, according to a National Association of Independent Schools' survey, salaries and openings for headmasters will increase, as approximately 72 percent of current headmasters are expected to retire by 2017.
  
  

Education Administration Degrees

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people interested in headmasters' positions might seek advanced degrees in higher education administration or educational leadership, commonly offered at colleges and universities. Unlike public school principals, headmasters are not subject to state licensing requirements.