Special Education Teachers, Secondary School Salary
Secondary school special education teachers in the U.S. earned a median of $74,260 a year and a mean of $77,260 in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median is higher than 65% of the 825 occupations with a published median.
Also called SPED Teacher in job listings. These are O*NET job titles. BLS publishes one figure for the whole occupation, not by specialty, experience or employer; Entry-Level vs. Experienced Pay explains how to read the percentile band.
- Median annual
- $74,260
- Median hourly
- not published
- Mean annual
- $77,260
- Jobs on record
- 163,930
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Confirm any figure on bls.gov/oes. Latest BLS release: May 2025, published May 15, 2026; checked November 10, 2026.
Which states pay secondary school special education teachers the most?
Washington is highest at $101,120, +36% against the national median of $74,260.
Secondary school special education teachers are most concentrated in New Mexico, at 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs, a location quotient of 2.35, which means the occupation's share of jobs there is 2.35 times its national share. Among metro areas the highest location quotient is 4.99, in Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area.
- $51,970 to $60,700
- $60,730 to $62,210
- $62,310 to $68,400
- $69,560 to $79,360
- $79,890 to $101,120
Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands) are in the table below.
| State | Median | Against U.S. | Price-adjusted | Jobs | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $101,120 | +36% | $94,493 | 2,510 | 0.71 | 0.67 |
| California | $101,060 | +36% | $91,275 | 12,100 | 0.66 | 0.63 |
| District of Columbia | $99,670 | +34% | $90,691 | 440 | 0.63 | 0.60 |
| Maryland | $93,530 | +26% | $89,111 | 1,560 | 0.56 | 0.53 |
| Rhode Island | $92,990 | +25% | $90,917 | 830 | 1.66 | 1.58 |
| New York | $89,310 | +20% | $82,755 | 15,250 | 1.57 | 1.49 |
| Massachusetts | $83,890 | +13% | $79,323 | 5,470 | 1.50 | 1.43 |
| New Jersey | $83,770 | +13% | $76,991 | 7,520 | 1.75 | 1.66 |
| Connecticut | $81,710 | +10% | $78,863 | 1,920 | 1.13 | 1.07 |
| Alaska | $80,580 | +9% | $78,723 | 590 | 1.81 | 1.71 |
| Illinois | $79,890 | +8% | $79,924 | 9,490 | 1.56 | 1.48 |
| Vermont | $79,360 | +7% | $81,014 | 660 | 2.17 | 2.06 |
| Delaware | $78,490 | +6% | $78,641 | 1,160 | 2.39 | 2.27 |
| Michigan | $78,050 | +5% | $81,119 | 2,570 | 0.58 | 0.55 |
| Oregon | $77,400 | +4% | $74,883 | 1,240 | 0.63 | 0.60 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,000 | +4% | $78,916 | 11,040 | 1.82 | 1.73 |
| New Mexico | $76,940 | +4% | $83,438 | 2,150 | 2.47 | 2.35 |
| Minnesota | $76,600 | +3% | $77,671 | 4,130 | 1.40 | 1.33 |
| Ohio | $76,180 | +3% | $82,114 | 10,580 | 1.91 | 1.81 |
| Georgia | $74,150 | 0% | $77,005 | 4,090 | 0.84 | 0.79 |
| New Hampshire | $69,560 | -6% | $66,779 | 910 | 1.33 | 1.26 |
| Virginia | $68,400 | -8% | $67,653 | 6,380 | 1.55 | 1.47 |
| Colorado | $67,240 | -9% | $65,249 | 2,970 | 1.03 | 0.98 |
| Hawaii | $65,980 | -11% | $60,009 | 800 | 1.28 | 1.22 |
| Texas | $64,830 | -13% | $66,796 | 10,200 | 0.72 | 0.69 |
| Arizona | $64,300 | -13% | $63,868 | 1,960 | 0.60 | 0.57 |
| Utah | $64,210 | -14% | $64,948 | 1,220 | 0.70 | 0.67 |
| Wisconsin | $63,520 | -14% | $67,506 | 3,350 | 1.14 | 1.08 |
| Nebraska | $63,460 | -15% | $70,431 | 1,240 | 1.21 | 1.15 |
| Wyoming | $62,750 | -15% | $67,698 | 350 | 1.24 | 1.18 |
| Montana | $62,310 | -16% | $65,835 | 480 | 0.93 | 0.88 |
| Alabama | $62,210 | -16% | $70,038 | 740 | 0.35 | 0.33 |
| South Carolina | $62,150 | -16% | $66,294 | 1,780 | 0.77 | 0.73 |
| Maine | $61,710 | -17% | $63,586 | 860 | 1.33 | 1.27 |
| Florida | $61,510 | -17% | $59,479 | 7,940 | 0.80 | 0.76 |
| Tennessee | $61,360 | -17% | $66,790 | 2,010 | 0.61 | 0.58 |
| North Dakota | $61,210 | -18% | $68,807 | 520 | 1.22 | 1.16 |
| Indiana | $61,130 | -18% | $65,499 | 2,580 | 0.81 | 0.76 |
| Nevada | $60,810 | -18% | $60,823 | 350 | 0.23 | 0.21 |
| Iowa | $60,780 | -18% | $69,255 | 1,570 | 1.01 | 0.96 |
| Kentucky | $60,730 | -18% | $67,359 | 2,680 | 1.34 | 1.27 |
| Idaho | $60,700 | -18% | $63,564 | 470 | 0.55 | 0.52 |
| Kansas | $60,700 | -18% | $67,394 | 1,650 | 1.15 | 1.09 |
| Oklahoma | $59,660 | -20% | $67,917 | 2,020 | 1.18 | 1.12 |
| Louisiana | $59,100 | -20% | $67,001 | 3,160 | 1.64 | 1.55 |
| Puerto Rico | $58,080 | -22% | 1,840 | 1.97 | 1.86 | |
| Arkansas | $57,000 | -23% | $65,565 | 1,280 | 0.98 | 0.93 |
| North Carolina | $56,770 | -24% | $60,185 | 3,400 | 0.69 | 0.65 |
| Missouri | $55,920 | -25% | $61,574 | 2,760 | 0.94 | 0.89 |
| West Virginia | $55,390 | -25% | $61,890 | 840 | 1.20 | 1.14 |
| South Dakota | $54,810 | -26% | $61,872 | 500 | 1.09 | 1.03 |
| Mississippi | $51,970 | -30% | $59,768 | 1,670 | 1.43 | 1.36 |
| Guam | BLS did not publish a figure | |||||
| Virgin Islands | BLS did not publish a figure |
Source: BLS OEWS state file, May 2025; BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. A location quotient above 1 means the job is a larger share of local employment than of U.S. employment. BLS does not publish a figure where the sample is too small.
Which state pays secondary school special education teachers the most after cost of living?
After cost of living, Washington pays secondary school special education teachers the most: its $101,120 median is worth $94,493 a year at average U.S. prices (May 2025 BLS median adjusted by BEA price parities), ahead of California at $91,275 and Rhode Island at $90,917.
Source: BLS OEWS state file, May 2025; BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. The price-adjusted figure divides a state's median by its price level.
Highest-paying metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $117,640 | 400 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $115,160 | 1,220 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $105,160 | 1,260 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $104,090 | 290 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $103,730 | 1,630 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $103,420 | 60 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $102,890 | 80 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $102,290 | 1,270 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $101,700 | 760 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $101,060 | 70 |
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan file, May 2025.
Has pay for secondary school special education teachers kept up with prices?
No: the median for secondary school special education teachers fell 4.1% after inflation from 2019 to 2025, from $77,463 to $74,260 in May 2025 dollars (BLS OEWS, adjusted with CPI-U). Real pay was below its 2019 level in 2021 to 2024, with a low of $69,903 in 2022. Before inflation, the median went from $61,710 to $74,260.
| Year | Median as published | In May 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $61,710 | $77,463 |
| 2020 | $62,320 | $78,136 |
| 2021 | $62,120 | $74,182 |
| 2022 | $63,560 | $69,903 |
| 2023 | $66,620 | $70,418 |
| 2024 | $69,590 | $71,229 |
| 2025 | $74,260 | $74,260 |
Source: BLS OEWS national files, 2019 to 2025; adjusted with CPI-U for May of each year (BLS, via FRED). Occupation definitions changed in 2018 and 2021, so a code's earliest years can cover a slightly different job.
Which industries employ secondary school special education teachers?
| Industry | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | $74,510 | 158,870 |
| Educational Support Services | $61,600 | 1,640 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $77,670 | 990 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities | $64,960 | 530 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $76,450 | 390 |
| Individual and Family Services | $61,420 | 160 |
| Other Residential Care Facilities | $63,960 | 150 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals | $75,030 | 110 |
Highest-paying industries with at least 1,000 such jobs: Elementary and Secondary Schools ($74,510); Educational Support Services ($61,600).
Source: BLS OEWS research estimates by 4-digit industry, May 2025.
What is the job outlook?
BLS projects little or no change in employment of secondary school special education teachers from 2025 to 2035 (-0.2%, about 400 fewer jobs), with about 10,400 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving; its 2025 base of 164,800 jobs is wider than the 163,930 OEWS jobs above because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed. The typical entry-level education is bachelor's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
What is the fatal injury rate for educational instruction and library occupations?
BLS publishes no rate for secondary school special education teachers alone; educational instruction and library occupations had a fatal injury rate of 0.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2024 (margin of error 0.01), against 3.3 for all workers.
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, hours-based rates, 2024, published February 19, 2026. Every occupation's rate.
What the work involves
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records, and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
- Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to students.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
Source: O*NET 30.3 task statements for SOC 25-2058.
Compare with related jobs
Related occupations from O*NET, same occupation group first; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Sources used on this page
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: pay and jobs by occupation, state and metro area. bls.gov/oes
- Regional Price Parities, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis: the price-adjusted state column. bea.gov
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: the inflation adjustment of past pay. bls.gov/cpi
- Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: projected growth and openings. bls.gov/emp
- Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2024, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: the fatal injury rate. bls.gov/iif
- O*NET 30.3, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor: duties and related occupations. dol.gov