Special Education Teachers Salary: $62,288 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 28,200 special education teachers nationally earn a mean of $62,288. Employment in the series shown rose about 83% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.5% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Special Education Teachers: what the data shows
Common questions about special education teachers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a special education teachers?
Special Education Teachers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 25-2051.
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 28,200 workers.
What does a special education teachers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Assisting and Caring for Others, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Training and Teaching Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a special education teachers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $62,190 (May 2024 in our extract).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,626 |
| 25th percentile | $47,846 |
| Median (50th) | $57,409 |
| 75th percentile | $66,951 |
| 90th percentile | $96,267 |
What education do you need?
For Special Education Teachers, 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, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, and knowledge areas including English Language, Education and Training, Psychology, Public Safety and Security. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is special education teachers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 37.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 88.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 28,200.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do special education teacherss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 35,120 | 17.9% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 34,310 | 17.4% |
| Cross-industry | 28,200 | 14.3% |
| Educational Services | 17,560 | 8.9% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 17,130 | 8.7% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 16,970 | 8.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Special Education Teachers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers | 1,393,310 | $62,340 |
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Middle School Teachers | 620,370 | $62,970 |
| Secondary School Teachers | 1,072,540 | $64,580 |
| Teachers and Instructors, All Other | 125,010 | $64,690 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 114,410 | $61,430 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Special Education Teachers workforce.
Employment Over Time
28,200 Workforce in 2023
The Special Education Teachers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Special Education Teachers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$62,288 Average Wage
In 2023, Special Education Teachers earned an average of $62,288.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Special Education Teachers.
Salary distribution for Special Education Teachers.
Employment Growth Projections
6.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
15,941 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 37.2%
21,871 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 88.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 6.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Special Education Teachers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Special Education Teachers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Special Education Teachers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Special Education Teachers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-14.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Special Education Teachers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Special Education Teachers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,370 employees, $59,408 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Special Education Teachers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 1,480 employees, $52,096 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 380 employees, $57,381 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 170 employees, $95,255 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 150 employees, $69,057 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 100 employees, $95,139 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 90 employees, $64,702 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Special Education Teachers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Special Education Teachers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Special Education Teachers in 2023 was 28,200 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Special Education Teachers.
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 Special Education Teachers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Special Education Teachers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Special Education Teachers in 2023 were Special Education, Education, Psychology.
Common majors for Special Education Teachers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Special Education Teachers workers.
Education level distribution for Special Education Teachers.
Skills
Special Education Teachers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Special Education Teachers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Special Education Teachers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Special Education Teachers include English Language, Education and Training, Psychology, Public Safety and Security, Therapy and Counseling.
Knowledge areas required for Special Education Teachers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Special Education Teachers include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Clarity, Written Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Special Education Teachers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Special Education Teachers.
Daily Activities
Special Education Teachers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Assisting and Caring for Others, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Special Education Teachers.
About
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School
The average yearly wage for Special Education Teachers was $62,288 in 2023.
SOC Code
25-2051 - Special Education Teachers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Special Education Teachers reports an average salary of $62,288.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 28,200 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 6.5%, 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.