Special education teacher earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$59.81 per hour

$124,410 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$53.08 per hour

$110,410 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$38.27 per hour

$79,600 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$31.52 per hour

$65,560 per year

10th percentile

Starting level special education teacher earnings begin at:

$25.22 per hour

$52,450 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 6% more than similar careers in Oregon. On average, they make less than school principals but more than elementary school teachers.

Career Median Salary
School principal salary $108K
Special education teacher salary $80K
Music teacher salary $66K
Kindergarten teacher salary $72K
High school teacher salary $72K
Elementary school teacher salary $66K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)