If you think teachers are underpaid in New York, you aren't alone.

A new poll finds a majority of New Yorkers say educators should be paid thousands more than they already are.

CROYDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 18: Conservative Party leadership challenger David Davis is seen giving a lesson at Haling Manor High School on November 18, 2005 in Croydon, England. Mr Davis and fellow candidate David Cameron have a few weeks left to campaign for the votes of Conservative Party members in a ballot to decide the leadership of the party. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
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A report from New York Teach found educators in Central New York earn an average salary of $53,000 while those in Rochester earn about $2,000 more, which is on par with the profession's average salary in the state.

While that may seem like decent pay, New Yorkers feel the numbers could be a lot greater.

Read More: New York Ranks among Best States for Teacher Pay

Test Prep Insight polled over 3,000 individuals on first responder pay and what they think they really deserve.

When asked what the starting salary should be, respondents overwhelmingly said it should start at roughly $60,000.

The rationalization for the inflated number was that teachers help prepare the next generation for the workforce while supporting their emotional and social development.

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About 40% of respondents said the prior reason was why teachers are an important profession, while 26% put the latter as their #1 answer.

Over 50% also said increasing teacher pay would attract and retain better qualified educators. About 30% said raising salaries would also improve the quality of education students receive.

These respondents were asked where they would like to see the money for these pay raises to come from, and their answers were varied.

About 38% said pay raises should come from federal funds while 32% said state budgets should allocate more money for teachers. About 28% said pay raises can be achieved if schools reduce administrative overhead while a meager 2% said they would be open to paying higher property taxes to support teachers.

How Did the Rest of America React to This Question?

While New Yorkers offered a generous number for teachers, it was actually quite low compared to what Americans as a whole felt about the issue.

MANCHESTER, NH - DECEMBER 4: Chrissy Gephardt, daughter of U.S. presidential candidate Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO), gestures as she speaks to students at Manchester West High School December 4, 2003 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Chrissy Gephardt, who has received media attention for being openly gay, outlined her father's views and encouraged the students to get involved in the political process. (Photo by Michael Springer/Getty Images)
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On average, Americans say teachers should earn $17,344 per year - which is way more than New York's proposal of roughly $5,000 more.

Americans also felt the reason why teachers get shafted in the pay department is that political decisions have harmed them, with 38% blaming that reason for low pay.

You can check out this interactive map to see how each state independently voted.

Created by Test-Prep-Insight • Viewlarger version

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