Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 25-2052

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

Median pay sits 35% below the mid peer in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations (neighbors include Law Teachers, Postsecondary, Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary, Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School: Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($129K) , Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary ($93K) , Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary ($99K) , Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($95K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

Highest-pay states for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

State names lead when O*NET tasks are absent for this SOC, geography mass differs by occupation even when peer titles overlap.

  1. 1. Washington $95,040
  2. 2. California $97,170
  3. 3. Rhode Island $84,300
  4. 4. Maryland $78,850
  5. 5. Alaska $80,230
  6. 6. New York $81,260
  7. 7. District of Columbia $97,910
  8. 8. Illinois $77,960
  9. 9. Massachusetts $91,350
  10. 10. Connecticut $82,950

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School vs other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles

Same BLS major group, ordered by national median.

  1. 1. Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $98,700
  2. 2. Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary $94,980
  3. 3. Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary $93,250
  4. 4. Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $123,920
  5. 5. Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $100,310
  6. 6. Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary $96,980
  7. 7. Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary $96,870
  8. 8. Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary $98,070
  9. 9. Business Teachers, Postsecondary $99,080
  10. 10. Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary $99,650
  11. 11. Law Teachers, Postsecondary $128,500
  12. 12. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $107,310
Pay vs Educational Instruction and Library Occupations peers
-35%
vs mid peer median $99,650
This role $65,120/yr
$65K
National median
↓ -2%
Growth 2024-2034
15,400
Annual openings
260,870
Estimated US jobs
Law Teachers, Postsecondary
Highest-pay peer · $129K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Among Educational Instruction and Library Occupations peers on this card, Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School sits 35% below the mid peer median ($99,650). Its own median is $65,120.

Employment Projections expect -2% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 15,400 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: Washington at $95,040. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Law Teachers, Postsecondary at $128,500. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School pay-rank #45 in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

On the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table (64 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School lands at #45, 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.

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School pays 35% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 25-2052

Washington · top state for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

$95K published median

California · #2 state pay

$97K · behind Washington

Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Highest-pay peer vs Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School · $129K

Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary

Lower-pay peer beside Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School · $93K

Compare Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

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

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

Against another occupation

Law Teachers, Postsecondary card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School land on the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table? ▼
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School is pay-rank #45 of 64 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School ($65K), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($65K), Archivists ($65K), Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education ($64K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What is the OEWS national median for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $65,120 as the national median for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School. The published 10th-90th range is $49,350 to $103,010. Beside Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($128,500), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School is -2%. Projected annual openings: about 15,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School? ▼
Washington ($95,040), California ($97,170), Rhode Island ($84,300) 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 Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 25-2052. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School. 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