The Southern Regional Education Board came out with a survey of teacher salaries in ITS 17 member states. While teacher salaries in all southern states are, on average, nine percent lower than those of the U.S. overall, they have been catching up in recent years. For instance, in the last ten years, SREB states have seen a 36% increase in salary while the U.S. overall has seen only a 31% gain. For some states, the gains have been enormous. Georgia's average teacher salary has grown 52% in the last ten years.