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 in Illinois
The average Special Education Teachers, Preschool salary in Illinois is $70,000 per year on WePayFairly's 2026 basis. The 25th-to-75th-percentile range is $51,500 to $83,000. Based on BLS state wage data, aged to 2026.
The following occupation, experience, industry and career information describes the role nationally. For Illinois pay, use the state figures above and the state salary questions below.
Total cash compensation
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.
Get your Personal Pay Report for Special Education Teachers, Preschool
Keep your market comparison in a print-ready PDF, with negotiation targets, a script using your numbers, and a five-year market-pay illustration. Career ladder where available.
StateYears of experienceCurrent salary
One-time purchase. Review the final total, including any applicable tax, in Stripe before you pay. Report available immediately after successful payment. Full refund on request within 7 days of purchase. Refund terms. Prefer to explore first? Run a free market check.
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.
Your free market check includes an estimated percentile and pay gap when you enter your salary. The paid report adds a PDF, negotiation targets and script, and a five-year market-pay illustration. See a full sample report
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
Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
Illinois salary questions
How much does a Special Education Teachers, Preschool make in Illinois?
The average base salary for a Special Education Teachers, Preschool in Illinois is $70,000 per year, or about $33.65 per hour, on WePayFairly's 2026 basis.
What is the median Special Education Teachers, Preschool salary in Illinois?
The median is $65,000 per year on the same 2026 basis. The median is the middle wage in the state distribution; the average is $70,000.
What is the typical Special Education Teachers, Preschool salary range in Illinois?
The 25th-to-75th-percentile range in Illinois is $51,500 to $83,000 per year on the 2026 basis. These percentiles describe the state wage distribution; individual pay varies by employer and experience.
How does Special Education Teachers, Preschool pay in Illinois compare with the national average?
The Illinois average of $70,000 is $9,000 (11.4%) below the national average of $79,000. Both figures use WePayFairly's 2026 basis.
Where do these Illinois salary figures come from?
The state figures come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics state data. WePayFairly applies the same compounded market movement factor used elsewhere on this page to express the published figures on a 2026 basis. They are estimates, not a guarantee of a particular offer.
Need a defensible market price for this role? WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
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.
