Special education teacher earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$30.80 per hour

$64,070 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$27.29 per hour

$56,760 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$22.92 per hour

$47,670 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$19.78 per hour

$41,150 per year

10th percentile

Starting level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$17.06 per hour

$35,480 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 8% less than similar careers in Mississippi. On average, they make less than school psychologists but more than childcare program administrators.

Career Median Salary
School psychologist salary $58K
Professor salary $59K
Music teacher salary $59K
Physical education teacher salary $59K
School counselor salary $52K
Special education teacher salary $48K
High school teacher salary $46K
Librarian salary $47K
Elementary school teacher salary $43K
Childcare program administrator salary $37K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)