Special Education Teachers, Preschool
Median $64,830
Occupation · SOC 25-2052
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School: pay and where the jobs are
What special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$65,120 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $72,650
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 260,870
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-2052.
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See where your pay falls among special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school make?
The median annual wage for special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school was $65,120 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $49,350 and the highest-paid 10% more than $103,010. About 260,870 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($97,910), California ($97,170) and Washington ($95,040). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Washington.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school 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 | $49,350 | — | $4,113 | $3,486 |
| 25th percentile | $59,710 | — | $4,976 | $4,180 |
| Median | $65,120 | — | $5,427 | $4,542 |
| 75th percentile | $80,280 | — | $6,690 | $5,442 |
| 90th percentile | $103,010 | — | $8,584 | $6,775 |
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School: pay by state
52 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
$69,498 take-home in national prices
2
$65,837 take-home in national prices
3
$65,247 take-home in national prices
Where a median special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 1,070 | $97,910 | $65,450 | $128,370 | $72,356 | $65,837 |
| California | 23,280 | $97,170 | $63,180 | $123,590 | $71,134 | $64,247 |
| Washington | 3,450 | $95,040 | $65,950 | $126,570 | $74,372 | $69,498 |
| Massachusetts | 7,220 | $91,350 | $61,200 | $127,210 | $68,327 | $64,608 |
| Rhode Island | 1,070 | $84,300 | $60,420 | $98,170 | $64,663 | $63,222 |
| Connecticut | 2,810 | $82,950 | $58,560 | $107,040 | $62,958 | $60,765 |
| New York | 21,130 | $81,260 | $59,460 | $133,280 | $61,823 | $57,286 |
| Alaska | 320 | $80,230 | $58,690 | $97,820 | $65,001 | $63,503 |
| Maryland | 2,760 | $78,850 | $60,720 | $121,310 | $60,922 | $58,043 |
| Illinois | 14,040 | $77,960 | $49,790 | $104,490 | $59,961 | $59,986 |
| Oregon | 1,520 | $77,700 | $58,620 | $105,820 | $57,787 | $55,908 |
| New Jersey | 11,610 | $76,660 | $61,710 | $103,680 | $59,555 | $54,735 |
| New Mexico | 880 | $76,420 | $58,110 | $100,460 | $60,165 | $65,247 |
| Michigan | 4,010 | $74,600 | $48,720 | $100,370 | $58,391 | $60,687 |
| Colorado | 4,010 | $74,290 | $50,700 | $98,480 | $58,206 | $56,482 |
| Vermont | 770 | $74,200 | $49,730 | $97,620 | $58,637 | $59,859 |
| Ohio | 9,550 | $73,970 | $46,870 | $99,490 | $59,277 | $63,894 |
| Georgia | 9,370 | $72,880 | $49,510 | $98,750 | $57,213 | $59,415 |
| Pennsylvania | 7,640 | $72,680 | $51,730 | $98,170 | $57,678 | $59,114 |
| Virginia | 7,440 | $67,740 | $50,830 | $101,120 | $53,404 | $52,821 |
| Minnesota | 3,960 | $67,620 | $49,050 | $96,240 | $53,028 | $53,770 |
| Delaware | 1,070 | $65,990 | $51,350 | $95,500 | $51,925 | $52,025 |
| New Hampshire | 1,110 | $65,160 | $44,620 | $89,080 | $54,536 | $52,355 |
| Nevada | 430 | $65,110 | $47,810 | $93,550 | $54,496 | $54,507 |
| Alabama | 870 | $64,520 | $50,510 | $77,150 | $51,314 | $57,771 |
| Idaho | 620 | $63,610 | $48,670 | $86,370 | $51,028 | $53,435 |
| Tennessee | 3,910 | $62,560 | $49,860 | $79,360 | $52,447 | $57,088 |
| Nebraska | 1,900 | $62,420 | $47,430 | $79,470 | $50,374 | $55,907 |
| South Carolina | 2,950 | $62,360 | $49,540 | $79,150 | $50,467 | $53,832 |
| Texas | 56,760 | $62,330 | $50,030 | $74,240 | $52,262 | $53,847 |
| Maine | 1,320 | $61,880 | $45,620 | $79,390 | $49,092 | $50,584 |
| Wisconsin | 4,280 | $61,520 | $47,940 | $79,210 | $49,467 | $52,571 |
| Utah | 1,890 | $61,290 | $37,970 | $100,280 | $49,105 | $49,669 |
| Hawaii | 1,270 | $60,940 | $58,730 | $78,760 | $48,013 | $43,668 |
| Wyoming | 650 | $60,930 | $52,200 | $77,070 | $51,137 | $55,170 |
| Iowa | 2,560 | $60,440 | $47,490 | $77,260 | $49,099 | $55,945 |
| Kentucky | 3,710 | $60,060 | $46,070 | $75,560 | $48,454 | $53,743 |
| Kansas | 1,610 | $59,970 | $48,830 | $75,940 | $47,819 | $53,092 |
| Florida | 8,740 | $58,850 | $51,730 | $74,160 | $49,466 | $47,833 |
| Louisiana | 4,000 | $58,800 | $46,690 | $71,620 | $48,048 | $54,472 |
| Indiana | 3,640 | $58,760 | $46,730 | $78,490 | $47,690 | $51,099 |
| North Carolina | 4,430 | $58,260 | $44,720 | $73,990 | $47,176 | $50,014 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,850 | $58,220 | $50,700 | $62,780 | — | — |
| North Dakota | 590 | $57,950 | $47,060 | $77,150 | $48,743 | $54,792 |
| Montana | 560 | $57,630 | $42,890 | $78,930 | $46,534 | $49,167 |
| Missouri | 2,860 | $57,260 | $43,880 | $83,330 | $46,435 | $51,130 |
| Arizona | 2,450 | $56,030 | $46,400 | $75,420 | $46,193 | $45,882 |
| Arkansas | 1,430 | $54,290 | $49,890 | $63,630 | $44,281 | $50,934 |
| South Dakota | 790 | $51,090 | $47,300 | $61,740 | $43,231 | $48,801 |
| Oklahoma | 2,360 | $50,630 | $43,870 | $73,990 | $41,128 | $46,820 |
| Mississippi | 2,530 | $50,570 | $46,600 | $60,900 | $41,522 | $47,752 |
| West Virginia | 1,690 | $50,380 | $42,890 | $63,460 | $41,200 | $46,035 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-2052. *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.