Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 25-2012

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

Median pay sits 37% below the mid peer in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations (neighbors include Economics Teachers, Postsecondary, Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary, Geography Teachers, Postsecondary, Business Teachers, Postsecondary).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education: Economics Teachers, Postsecondary ($124K) , Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($97K) , Geography Teachers, Postsecondary ($98K) , Business Teachers, Postsecondary ($99K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 25-2012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students
  2. 2. Prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks
  3. 3. Instruct students individually and in groups, adapting teaching methods to meet students' varying needs and interests
  4. 4. Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills
  5. 5. Demonstrate activities to children
  6. 6. Read books to entire classes or to small groups
  7. 7. Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems or special academic interests
  8. 8. Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health
  9. 9. Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative…
  10. 10. Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help
  11. 11. Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or gua…
  12. 12. Maintain accurate and complete student records and prepare reports on children and activities as required by laws, district policies, and…

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education: O*NET ranks Social Perceptiveness first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 25-2012 - lead skill Social Perceptiveness at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Education and Training. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Social Perceptiveness 4.1
  2. 2. Instructing 4.1
  3. 3. Active Listening 4.0
  4. 4. Speaking 4.0
  5. 5. Learning Strategies 4.0
  6. 6. Monitoring 4.0
  7. 7. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  8. 8. Coordination 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Education and Training 4.7
  2. 2. English Language 4.6
  3. 3. Psychology 4.0
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.9
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 3.5
  6. 6. Sociology and Anthropology 3.3
Pay vs Educational Instruction and Library Occupations peers
-37%
vs mid peer median $99,650
This role $62,680/yr
$63K
National median
↓ -2%
Growth 2024-2034
12,800
Annual openings
108,870
Estimated US jobs
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Highest-pay peer · $124K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

1. Massachusetts $84,100
2. Minnesota $75,500
3. California $82,550
4. New Mexico $74,380
5. Washington $99,960
6. District of Columbia $81,500
7. Rhode Island $85,470
8. Maryland $75,910
9. Connecticut $90,030
10. New York $77,630

Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles

  1. 1. Geography Teachers, Postsecondary $97,590
  2. 2. Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary $96,980
  3. 3. Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $123,920
  4. 4. Business Teachers, Postsecondary $99,080
  5. 5. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $107,310
  6. 6. Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $103,170

Among Educational Instruction and Library Occupations peers on this card, Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education sits 37% below the mid peer median ($99,650). Its own median is $62,680.

Employment Projections expect -2% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 12,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Massachusetts at $84,100. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Economics Teachers, Postsecondary at $123,920. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education pay-rank #53 in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

On the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table (64 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education lands at #53, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education pays 37% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 25-2012

Massachusetts · top state for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

$84K published median

Minnesota · #2 state pay

$76K · behind Massachusetts

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

Highest-pay peer vs Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education · $124K

Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Lower-pay peer beside Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education · $97K

Compare Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

Against another occupation

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education land on the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table? ▼
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education is pay-rank #53 of 64 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Curators ($63K), Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors ($62K), Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary ($64K), Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education ($64K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do kindergarten teachers, except special education do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education. Leading ones include: Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students; Prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks; Instruct students individually and in groups, adapting teaching methods to meet students' varying needs and interests; Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for kindergarten teachers, except special education? ▼
For SOC 25-2012, O*NET importance scores lead with Social Perceptiveness (4.1), Instructing (4.1), Active Listening (4.0), Speaking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Education and Training, English Language, Psychology. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $62,680 as the national median for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education. The published 10th-90th range is $46,990 to $101,830. Beside Economics Teachers, Postsecondary ($123,920), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education is -2%. Projected annual openings: about 12,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education? ▼
Massachusetts ($84,100), Minnesota ($75,500), California ($82,550) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 25-2012. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics