Occupation overview

Special Education Teachers, Middle School Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for special education teachers, middle school is $66,810, or — per hour. About 95,200 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $101,530 in California to $50,370 in Missouri.

Median annual
$66,810
Median hourly
—
Entry level (P10)
$49,420
Top 10% (P90)
$102,510
Employment
95,200
States covered
51

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$49,420
$60,000
$66,810
$82,800
$49,420$66,810$102,510
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $66,810.

Salary by state

All 51 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1California$101,530—4,8600.44
2Washington$99,520—1,5500.71
3Rhode Island$93,970—3801.24
4New York$93,820—7,8701.33
5Connecticut$92,900—1,2601.21
6Massachusetts$84,550—3,1101.40
7Alaska$81,000—2000.99
8District of Columbia$79,170—5201.21
9New Jersey$79,110—5,6602.16
10Utah$78,920—6900.65
11Oregon$78,360—5900.49
12Delaware$77,420———
13Pennsylvania$77,040—3,7101.00
14Maryland$76,410—1,5400.91
15Michigan$76,040—1,4100.52
16Illinois$74,730—4,4601.19
17Ohio$74,590—7,5402.22
18New Mexico$74,440—1,0902.04
19Vermont$73,110—4702.54
20Georgia$70,550—3,7401.25
21New Hampshire$66,760—6501.55
22Colorado$66,130—2,0201.15
23Wisconsin$65,840—2,6501.47
24Montana$63,960—1900.60
25Virginia$63,820—3,0001.19
26Minnesota$63,630—1,9301.07
27Iowa$63,590—9901.04
28Nebraska$63,460—6801.08
29Maine$63,440—3100.80
30Texas$63,360—12,5801.46
31Nevada$63,280—2900.31
32Alabama$62,850—4600.36
33Wyoming$62,770—3301.90
34South Carolina$62,310—9800.70
35Arizona$62,130—5800.29
36Hawaii$61,750—3801.00
37Florida$60,440—2,6300.43
38Kentucky$60,200—1,5301.25
39Idaho$60,170—3000.58
40Tennessee$60,000—1,3100.65
41Kansas$59,780—5500.62
42Louisiana$59,420—1,1300.95
43North Carolina$59,360—2,4700.82
44Indiana$58,900—1,0700.54
45North Dakota$57,680—2000.74
46Arkansas$56,830—7500.94
47West Virginia$56,440—1,0802.51
48South Dakota$51,360—3101.10
49Mississippi$50,750—1,0201.44
50Oklahoma$50,450—9300.89
51Missouri$50,370—1,0500.58

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do special education teachers, middle school make?

The median annual wage for special education teachers, middle school in the United States is $66,810, or — per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $49,420, and the top 10% earn $102,510.

How many special education teachers, middle school are employed in the U.S.?

About 95,200 people work as special education teachers, middle school nationwide.

Which state pays special education teachers, middle school the most?

California pays the most at a median of $101,530, followed by Washington ($99,520) and Rhode Island ($93,970).

Which state pays special education teachers, middle school the least?

Missouri has the lowest median at $50,370.

Where are special education teachers, middle school jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Vermont at 2.54×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes