Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School
Median $65,120
Occupation · SOC 25-2051
Special Education Teachers, Preschool: pay and where the jobs are
What special education teachers, preschool earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$64,830 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $76,380
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 29,510
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-2051.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among special education teachers, preschool nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do special education teachers, preschool make?
The median annual wage for special education teachers, preschool was $64,830 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $45,620 and the highest-paid 10% more than $130,040. About 29,510 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Massachusetts ($99,070), New Jersey ($92,060) and Connecticut ($87,960). Massachusetts also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for special education teachers, preschool 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 | $45,620 | — | $3,802 | $3,236 |
| 25th percentile | $52,210 | — | $4,351 | $3,678 |
| Median | $64,830 | — | $5,403 | $4,523 |
| 75th percentile | $91,660 | — | $7,638 | $6,109 |
| 90th percentile | $130,040 | — | $10,837 | $8,346 |
Special Education Teachers, Preschool: pay by state
45 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
$69,344 take-home in national prices
2
$66,573 take-home in national prices
3
$64,046 take-home in national prices
Where a median special education teachers, preschool paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 710 | $99,070 | $62,400 | $126,340 | $73,337 | $69,344 |
| New Jersey | 1,720 | $92,060 | $61,880 | $138,050 | $69,343 | $63,731 |
| Connecticut | 380 | $87,960 | $58,140 | $116,380 | $66,182 | $63,876 |
| Washington | 820 | $86,580 | $65,240 | $125,040 | $68,538 | $64,046 |
| Maryland | 70 | $85,010 | $70,730 | $106,080 | $64,963 | $61,893 |
| Pennsylvania | 490 | $83,510 | $49,510 | $121,750 | $64,957 | $66,573 |
| Alaska | 110 | $80,390 | $51,760 | $98,240 | $65,113 | $63,613 |
| Vermont | 70 | $79,000 | $66,350 | $89,860 | $61,697 | $62,983 |
| Colorado | 810 | $78,040 | $54,200 | $102,630 | $60,662 | $58,866 |
| Virginia | 650 | $77,570 | $50,350 | $122,530 | $59,754 | $59,102 |
| Oregon | 400 | $77,490 | $61,830 | $95,460 | $57,655 | $55,780 |
| Minnesota | 1,250 | $75,880 | $43,020 | $101,100 | $58,241 | $59,056 |
| Michigan | 430 | $75,860 | $47,050 | $103,290 | $59,224 | $61,553 |
| Hawaii | 230 | $75,120 | $58,170 | $95,300 | $57,396 | $52,201 |
| Georgia | 380 | $72,310 | $49,650 | $98,450 | $56,840 | $59,029 |
| New York | 6,220 | $68,180 | $45,760 | $170,200 | $53,384 | $49,466 |
| New Mexico | 270 | $66,010 | $35,560 | $82,520 | $53,282 | $57,782 |
| Texas | 2,010 | $65,680 | $39,090 | $94,410 | $54,954 | $56,620 |
| Iowa | Not published | $63,540 | $36,250 | $72,980 | $51,472 | $58,649 |
| Nebraska | 80 | $62,760 | $36,690 | $82,010 | $50,632 | $56,193 |
| Illinois | 1,080 | $62,580 | $42,320 | $100,460 | $49,510 | $49,531 |
| Missouri | 940 | $62,250 | $35,960 | $119,570 | $50,209 | $55,286 |
| New Hampshire | 80 | $61,720 | $49,430 | $84,270 | $51,772 | $49,702 |
| Wisconsin | 240 | $60,870 | $46,580 | $82,200 | $48,977 | $52,050 |
| Ohio | 1,150 | $60,700 | $45,630 | $101,580 | $49,727 | $53,600 |
| Maine | 40 | $60,680 | $48,050 | $74,870 | $48,215 | $49,680 |
| North Carolina | 640 | $60,180 | $42,300 | $73,780 | $48,642 | $51,568 |
| Arizona | 330 | $60,130 | $45,920 | $80,680 | $49,385 | $49,053 |
| North Dakota | 50 | $60,060 | $50,160 | $81,240 | $50,438 | $56,698 |
| South Carolina | 170 | $59,800 | $30,580 | $79,190 | $48,580 | $51,819 |
| California | 2,510 | $59,550 | $38,050 | $117,700 | $47,642 | $43,029 |
| Tennessee | 330 | $59,550 | $44,210 | $77,900 | $50,028 | $54,456 |
| Rhode Island | 120 | $59,310 | $34,750 | $97,740 | $47,576 | $46,515 |
| Delaware | 100 | $59,250 | $46,600 | $63,430 | $46,939 | $47,029 |
| Kansas | 350 | $59,220 | $47,510 | $75,380 | $47,258 | $52,470 |
| Florida | 1,370 | $58,240 | $50,100 | $78,340 | $48,976 | $47,359 |
| Utah | 110 | $58,230 | $50,630 | $93,410 | $46,822 | $47,360 |
| Louisiana | 960 | $56,890 | $37,750 | $61,200 | $46,571 | $52,797 |
| Kentucky | Not published | $54,220 | $35,690 | $64,000 | $43,966 | $48,765 |
| Mississippi | 110 | $52,420 | $48,660 | $62,710 | $42,935 | $49,377 |
| Wyoming | 80 | $52,100 | $45,300 | $61,980 | $44,042 | $47,515 |
| Oklahoma | 60 | $49,720 | $40,000 | $58,020 | $40,438 | $46,035 |
| Idaho | 180 | $49,610 | $31,720 | $89,540 | $40,521 | $42,433 |
| Indiana | 380 | $48,680 | $35,620 | $76,530 | $39,888 | $42,739 |
| Arkansas | 510 | $35,580 | $27,800 | $53,990 | $29,940 | $34,438 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-2051. *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.