Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Salary: $49,880 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 445,080 preschool teachers, except special education nationally earn a mean of $49,880. Much hiring sits in health care and social assistance; about 62% of workers are women.
Key Statistics
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education: what the data shows
Common questions about preschool teachers, except special education careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a preschool teachers, except special education?
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 25-2011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 445,080 workers.
What does a preschool teachers, except special education do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Training and Teaching Others, Thinking Creatively, Developing and Building Teams, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a preschool teachers, except special education make?
BLS national median annual wage: $37,120 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $49,880 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,862 |
| 25th percentile | $39,444 |
| Median (50th) | $47,127 |
| 75th percentile | $52,253 |
| 90th percentile | $62,545 |
What education do you need?
For Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Active Listening, Monitoring, Coordination, and knowledge areas including Education and Training, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is preschool teachers, except special education in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 0.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 0.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 445,080.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do preschool teachers, except special educations work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 445,080 | 18.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 384,650 | 15.7% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 332,580 | 13.6% |
| Social Assistance | 329,890 | 13.4% |
| Child Care Services | 316,820 | 12.9% |
| Educational Services | 168,780 | 6.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education workforce.
Employment Over Time
445,080 Workforce in 2023
The Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$49,880 Average Wage
In 2023, Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education earned an average of $49,880.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Salary distribution for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Employment Growth Projections
0.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
196,409 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 0.2%
196,799 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 0.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Wage Trends by Industry
-6.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 49,260 employees, $48,560 avg wage
- FL: 34,940 employees, $34,830 avg wage
- TX: 31,480 employees, $38,280 avg wage
- NY: 25,180 employees, $50,050 avg wage
- PA: 23,190 employees, $35,250 avg wage
- IL: 20,290 employees, $41,500 avg wage
- OH: 18,840 employees, $35,060 avg wage
- NJ: 17,990 employees, $52,770 avg wage
- NC: 16,820 employees, $33,620 avg wage
- MA: 15,380 employees, $48,630 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 31,000 employees, $52,680 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 15,620 employees, $45,740 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 14,980 employees, $39,060 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 14,860 employees, $42,080 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 11,900 employees, $48,790 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 11,360 employees, $35,850 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 11,290 employees, $49,700 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 9,100 employees, $54,010 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 9,020 employees, $39,660 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 8,430 employees, $46,300 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Diversity
Demographic information on Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in 2023 was 445,080 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in 2023 were Business Administration, Elementary Education, Education.
Common majors for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education workers.
Education level distribution for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Skills
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Active Listening, Monitoring.
Required skills for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education include Education and Training, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Clarity, Problem Sensitivity, Originality.
Required abilities for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
Daily Activities
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Training and Teaching Others, Thinking Creatively.
Most important work activities for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.
About
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
The average yearly wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education was $49,880 in 2023.
SOC Code
25-2011 - Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education reports an average salary of $49,880.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 445,080 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.