Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education Salary: $91,347 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 114,410 kindergarten teachers, except special education nationally earn a mean of $91,347. Projections imply about 4.7% annual decline; CA accounts for about 5,240 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education: what the data shows
Common questions about kindergarten teachers, except special education careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a kindergarten teachers, except special education?
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 25-2012.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 114,410 workers.
What does a kindergarten teachers, except special education do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Developing Objectives and Strategies, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Training and Teaching Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a kindergarten teachers, except special education make?
BLS national median annual wage: $61,430 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $91,347 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $52,520 |
| 25th percentile | $65,626 |
| Median (50th) | $86,848 |
| 75th percentile | $114,633 |
| 90th percentile | $126,733 |
What education do you need?
For Kindergarten 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 Social Perceptiveness, Instructing, Monitoring, Speaking, Learning Strategies, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Education and Training, English Language, Psychology, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is kindergarten teachers, except special education in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.7% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -21.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -38.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 114,410.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do kindergarten teachers, except special educations work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 225,170 | 25.2% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 224,900 | 25.1% |
| Cross-industry | 114,410 | 12.8% |
| Educational Services | 112,580 | 12.6% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 98,360 | 11.0% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 97,890 | 10.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education 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 |
| Special Education Teachers | 28,200 | $62,190 |
| 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 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education workforce.
Employment Over Time
114,410 Workforce in 2023
The Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$91,347 Average Wage
In 2023, Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education earned an average of $91,347.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Salary distribution for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Employment Growth Projections
-4.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
18,961 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -21.5%
14,881 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -38.4%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Wage Trends by Industry
-8.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
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: 5,240 employees, $91,551 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 880 employees, $88,997 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 530 employees, $96,467 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 440 employees, $71,379 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 430 employees, $92,929 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 410 employees, $88,789 avg wage
- Visalia MSA: 290 employees, $97,294 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 290 employees, $92,271 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 280 employees, $89,210 avg wage
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA: 250 employees, $104,608 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 250 employees, $84,342 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Diversity
Demographic information on Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education in 2023 was 114,410 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Kindergarten 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 Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education in 2023 were Elementary Education, Education, Psychology.
Common majors for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education workers.
Education level distribution for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Skills
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Instructing, Monitoring, Speaking, Learning Strategies.
Required skills for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education include Education and Training, English Language, Psychology, Mathematics, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education include Oral Expression, Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Speech Clarity, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Daily Activities
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Developing Objectives and Strategies, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
About
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
The average yearly wage for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education was $91,347 in 2023.
SOC Code
25-2012 - Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education reports an average salary of $91,347.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 114,410 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -4.7%, 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.