Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Special Education Teachers, Preschool salary by state
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$79,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$9,000
11.4% of base
Total target cash
$88,000
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$5,50050th$9,00075th$14,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
Typical entry preparation: Bachelor's Degree and up to 2 years of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs.
Develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development.
Top skills:SpeakingActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWriting
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Special Education Teachers, Preschool pay by experience level
Entry level$47,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$54,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$67,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$95,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$134,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+1.4%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
2,100
projected openings per year
Growing slower than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Special Education Teachers, Preschool salary by industry
Educational Services
19,590 workers
$74,500
Elementary and Secondary Schools
19,180 workers
$74,500
Educational Services, Local Government Owned
17,280 workers
$76,500
Social Assistance
6,730 workers
$80,000
Child Care Services
4,450 workers
$92,500
Ambulatory Health Care Services
2,230 workers
$119,000
Individual and Family Services
2,130 workers
$57,000
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
2,030 workers
$118,000
Educational Services, Privately Owned
1,980 workers
$55,000
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
740 workers
$75,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $61,400 to $64,830.
+5.6% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$47,000
Early career25th percentile
$54,000
Median50th percentile
$67,000
Experienced75th percentile
$95,000
Top earners90th percentile
$134,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs.
Develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Exempt · Professional, Administrative, or Executive exemption
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Exempt when paid above the salary threshold, provided they satisfy the duties test for one of the FLSA exemption categories. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$79,000
2027$82,000
2028$84,500
2029$87,500
2030$90,500
2031$94,000
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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How much does a Special Education Teachers, Preschool make?
The median market pay for a Special Education Teachers, Preschool in the United States is about $79,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Special Education Teachers, Preschool?
Most Special Education Teachers, Preschool pay falls between about $54,000 (25th percentile) and $95,000 (75th percentile), with top earners above $134,500.
What does a Special Education Teachers, Preschool do?
Core responsibilities include: employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory; and teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
Is pay for Special Education Teachers, Preschool roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $61,400 in 2020 to $64,830 in 2025, a change of +5.6% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Special Education Teachers, Preschool pays 11% below the average across 65 roles in the Educational Instruction and Library job family (family average $88,500).
Similar-paying roles in Educational Instruction and Library
Need Special Education Teachers, Preschool pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
