Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Median $38,140
Occupation · SOC 25-2012
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education: pay and where the jobs are
What kindergarten teachers, except special education earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$62,680 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $69,370
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 108,870
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-2012.
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See where your pay falls among kindergarten teachers, except special education nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do kindergarten teachers, except special education make?
The median annual wage for kindergarten teachers, except special education was $62,680 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $46,990 and the highest-paid 10% more than $101,830. About 108,870 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($99,960), Connecticut ($90,030) and Rhode Island ($85,470). Washington also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for kindergarten teachers, except special education looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,990 | — | $3,916 | $3,328 |
| 25th percentile | $52,180 | — | $4,348 | $3,676 |
| Median | $62,680 | — | $5,223 | $4,379 |
| 75th percentile | $79,910 | — | $6,659 | $5,421 |
| 90th percentile | $101,830 | — | $8,486 | $6,706 |
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education: pay by state
51 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$72,669 take-home in national prices
2
$65,162 take-home in national prices
3
$63,971 take-home in national prices
Where a median kindergarten teachers, except special education paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 5,270 | $99,960 | $65,400 | $125,990 | $77,765 | $72,669 |
| Connecticut | 1,420 | $90,030 | $61,730 | $111,450 | $67,514 | $65,162 |
| Rhode Island | 360 | $85,470 | $38,050 | $99,320 | $65,430 | $63,971 |
| Massachusetts | 1,980 | $84,100 | $58,900 | $106,600 | $63,622 | $60,159 |
| California | 7,430 | $82,550 | $53,210 | $124,400 | $62,399 | $56,357 |
| District of Columbia | 180 | $81,500 | $63,530 | $123,530 | $62,206 | $56,602 |
| New York | 6,950 | $77,630 | $49,020 | $137,710 | $59,481 | $55,115 |
| Maryland | 1,560 | $75,910 | $56,520 | $108,360 | $58,993 | $56,206 |
| Minnesota | 2,840 | $75,500 | $45,280 | $98,680 | $58,001 | $58,812 |
| New Mexico | 950 | $74,380 | $51,420 | $88,570 | $58,826 | $63,794 |
| New Jersey | 5,370 | $74,210 | $60,040 | $102,870 | $57,982 | $53,290 |
| Delaware | 70 | $74,030 | $46,940 | $82,950 | $57,069 | $57,179 |
| Ohio | 3,290 | $72,570 | $46,040 | $97,880 | $58,331 | $62,874 |
| Oregon | 1,330 | $68,580 | $49,190 | $98,100 | $52,048 | $50,356 |
| Georgia | 4,530 | $65,680 | $48,610 | $95,070 | $52,425 | $54,443 |
| Nevada | 1,400 | $64,930 | $55,020 | $82,740 | $54,351 | $54,363 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,510 | $64,430 | $41,700 | $92,600 | $51,926 | $53,219 |
| Illinois | 4,660 | $64,020 | $46,040 | $103,420 | $50,596 | $50,617 |
| Virginia | 3,740 | $63,920 | $48,850 | $100,930 | $50,678 | $50,125 |
| Texas | 3,820 | $63,780 | $43,730 | $72,640 | $53,427 | $55,047 |
| Michigan | 1,890 | $63,300 | $39,070 | $95,320 | $50,602 | $52,592 |
| Vermont | 250 | $63,280 | $49,120 | $89,030 | $51,339 | $52,410 |
| Utah | 530 | $63,190 | $40,900 | $95,620 | $50,523 | $51,103 |
| Colorado | 3,260 | $62,870 | $47,300 | $97,710 | $50,362 | $48,870 |
| Idaho | 460 | $62,240 | $49,840 | $81,240 | $49,999 | $52,359 |
| Nebraska | 1,120 | $62,200 | $46,260 | $78,160 | $50,207 | $55,722 |
| Puerto Rico | 4,120 | $61,760 | $51,230 | $74,830 | — | — |
| Wyoming | 360 | $60,990 | $50,980 | $75,280 | $51,185 | $55,222 |
| South Carolina | 1,540 | $60,890 | $47,730 | $79,090 | $49,383 | $52,676 |
| Kentucky | 2,450 | $60,280 | $44,980 | $79,920 | $48,623 | $53,930 |
| New Hampshire | 520 | $60,240 | $47,150 | $83,570 | $50,583 | $48,560 |
| North Dakota | 600 | $59,420 | $47,490 | $77,890 | $49,924 | $56,120 |
| Wisconsin | 1,510 | $59,350 | $39,990 | $79,340 | $47,830 | $50,832 |
| West Virginia | 730 | $58,790 | $47,630 | $72,210 | $47,603 | $53,189 |
| Iowa | 1,160 | $58,420 | $47,020 | $75,860 | $47,552 | $54,183 |
| Indiana | 2,120 | $58,250 | $46,260 | $76,200 | $47,295 | $50,676 |
| Florida | 8,810 | $58,100 | $49,960 | $77,460 | $48,863 | $47,250 |
| Tennessee | 2,740 | $58,070 | $46,980 | $74,440 | $48,839 | $53,161 |
| Kansas | 1,300 | $56,670 | $47,180 | $65,070 | $45,352 | $50,353 |
| Missouri | 2,300 | $56,590 | $44,520 | $79,100 | $45,928 | $50,572 |
| North Carolina | 2,250 | $53,180 | $40,760 | $63,620 | $43,297 | $45,901 |
| Hawaii | 90 | $53,160 | $47,740 | $75,340 | $42,376 | $38,541 |
| Louisiana | 3,730 | $53,130 | $44,720 | $60,530 | $43,662 | $49,500 |
| Arizona | 3,020 | $52,830 | $45,850 | $76,760 | $43,702 | $43,408 |
| Maine | 570 | $52,660 | $45,350 | $79,290 | $42,352 | $43,640 |
| Arkansas | 1,490 | $52,060 | $47,240 | $65,710 | $42,572 | $48,968 |
| Alabama | 310 | $50,900 | $37,400 | $67,510 | $40,970 | $46,125 |
| South Dakota | 610 | $49,410 | $46,520 | $59,910 | $41,881 | $47,277 |
| Mississippi | 1,350 | $48,880 | $37,980 | $60,110 | $40,232 | $46,269 |
| Oklahoma | 1,690 | $47,860 | $43,790 | $60,420 | $39,027 | $44,428 |
| Montana | 400 | $47,590 | $38,570 | $81,070 | $38,939 | $41,142 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-2012. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.