Average Special Education Teachers, All Other Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Special Education Teachers, All Other is $76,580 per year. The middle 50% earn between $60,930 and $99,690, with 33,930 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 42 states and 107 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Special Education Teachers, All Other pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $48,440
- 25th
- $60,930
- Median
- $76,580
- 75th
- $99,690
- 90th
- $120,080
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Pay is well above the national median for all US workers. This is an upper-income occupation.
The spread between entry-level and top-end pay is typical for US occupations. Experience and specialization matter, but the range is not unusually wide.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for special education teachers, all other from 2024 to 2034. Growth is below the US average of roughly 4% across all occupations. The field is relatively stable but not expanding quickly.
- Projected growth
- +1.1%
- 400 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 2,900
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings reflect typical replacement demand alongside any growth.
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement for special education teachers, all other.
Where Special Education Teachers, All Other earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where special education teachers, all other work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is California at $103,050, about 34.6% above the national median. At the metro level, Salinas, CA leads with a median of $112,900.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California | $103,050 | 8,920 |
| New Mexico | $86,520 | 100 |
| Delaware | $85,040 | 50 |
| Oregon | $82,240 | 820 |
| Rhode Island | $80,080 | 110 |
| Colorado | $79,290 | 180 |
| Michigan | $78,540 | 3,320 |
| Massachusetts | $78,440 | 300 |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Salinas, CA | $112,900 | 200 |
| Vallejo, CA | $110,000 | 110 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $109,600 | 4,230 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $107,390 | 140 |
| Visalia, CA | $107,190 | 200 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $106,650 | 100 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $106,510 | 50 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $102,870 | 410 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see special education teachers, all other pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Special Education Teachers, All Other rose from $61,190 to $76,580, a gain of +25.2% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $61,190 would need to be worth $77,055 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $76,580 is −$475 below that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of -0.6% in purchasing power.
Wages have roughly kept pace with inflation. Nominal pay rose by 25.2%, but inflation absorbed most of it.
- Nominal change
- +25.2%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- -0.6%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Special Education Teachers, All Other median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $76,580
- 2024
- $67,430
- 2023
- $67,190
- 2022
- $63,950
- 2021
- $61,720
- 2020
- $62,820
- 2019
- $61,190
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
Common salary questions for Special Education Teachers, All Other
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Special Education Teachers, All Other workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.