The average salary for a special education teacher in California is around $83,650 per year.
Avg Salary
Special education teachers earn an average yearly salary of $83,650.
Wages typically start from $50,450 and go up to $138,698.
17% above national average Updated in 2018
Special education teacher earnings by seniority
Top-level special education teacher earnings begin at:
$66.68 per hour
$138,698 per year
Senior-level special education teacher earnings begin at:
$52.48 per hour
$109,155 per year
Mid-level special education teacher earnings begin at:
$40.22 per hour
$83,650 per year
Junior-level special education teacher earnings begin at:
$30.82 per hour
$64,104 per year
Starting level special education teacher earnings begin at:
$24.25 per hour
$50,450 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Special education teacher salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| California | $83,650 |
| Oregon | $79,600 |
| New York | $77,400 |
| Connecticut | $77,350 |
| Alaska | $76,220 |
| Rhode Island | $75,350 |
| Massachusetts | $74,110 |
| New Jersey | $73,820 |
| District of Columbia | $71,550 |
| Maryland | $69,510 |
| Washington | $66,440 |
| Michigan | $63,700 |
| Delaware | $63,360 |
| New Hampshire | $62,110 |
| Minnesota | $61,920 |
| Vermont | $61,780 |
| Wyoming | $59,790 |
| Nevada | $59,050 |
| Ohio | $58,990 |
| Nebraska | $58,820 |
| Texas | $57,960 |
| Virginia | $57,770 |
| Iowa | $57,730 |
| Georgia | $57,670 |
| North Dakota | $56,720 |
| Florida | $55,080 |
| South Carolina | $54,610 |
| Kansas | $54,050 |
| New Mexico | $53,670 |
| Illinois | $53,640 |
| Tennessee | $52,780 |
| Colorado | $52,700 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,515 |
| Wisconsin | $52,440 |
| Louisiana | $51,750 |
| Maine | $51,480 |
| Idaho | $51,180 |
| Arkansas | $50,880 |
| Hawaii | $50,400 |
| Montana | $49,550 |
| Alabama | $48,970 |
| North Carolina | $48,070 |
| Mississippi | $47,670 |
| Indiana | $46,043 |
| Missouri | $45,420 |
| Kentucky | $45,016 |
| West Virginia | $44,500 |
| Oklahoma | $43,560 |
| South Dakota | $42,410 |
| Arizona | $41,954 |
| Utah | $41,080 |
| Puerto Rico | $30,350 |
How do special education teacher salaries compare to similar careers?
Special education teachers earn about the same as related careers in California. On average, they make less than music teachers but more than elementary school teachers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Music teacher salary | $100K |
| Physical education teacher salary | $106K |
| School psychologist salary | $101K |
| Distance learning coordinator salary | $84K |
| Special education teacher salary | $84K |
| Professor salary | $75K |
| Librarian salary | $79K |
| High school teacher salary | $83K |
| Elementary school teacher salary | $81K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)