Preschool Special Education Teachers: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Q: Which state pays preschool special education teachers the most?

Massachusetts, at a median of $99,070. After adjusting for prices, Massachusetts is highest, at $93,677 in US-average prices.

Q: What education do preschool special education teachers need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists bachelor's degree as the typical education to start. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links one program here to preschool special education teachers: Special Education (Bachelor's).

29,510 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: bachelor's degree
BLS title: Special Education Teachers, Preschool (25-2051)

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Preschool special education teachers earn a median of $64,830 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in Massachusetts ($99,070) and lowest in Arkansas ($35,580). After adjusting for prices, Massachusetts is highest ($93,677) and Arkansas lowest ($40,926). Jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,000 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$64,830US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$45,620US

Top 10% earn over$130,040US

Projected job growth2%2025 to 2035, about 2,000 openings a year

Pay for preschool special education teachers by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	Massachusetts	$99,070	$93,677	710	$62,400	$126,340
2	New Jersey	$92,060	$84,610	1,720	$61,880	$138,050
3	Connecticut	$87,960	$84,895	380	$58,140	$116,380
4	Washington	$86,580	$80,906	820	$65,240	$125,040
5	Maryland	$85,010	$80,994	70	$70,730	$106,080
6	Pennsylvania	$83,510	$85,588	490	$49,510	$121,750
7	Alaska	$80,390	$78,537	110	$51,760	$98,240
8	Vermont	$79,000	$80,647	70	$66,350	$89,860
9	Colorado	$78,040	$75,729	810	$54,200	$102,630
10	Virginia	$77,570	$76,723	650	$50,350	$122,530
11	Oregon	$77,490	$74,970	400	$61,830	$95,460
12	Minnesota	$75,880	$76,941	1,250	$43,020	$101,100
13	Michigan	$75,860	$78,843	430	$47,050	$103,290
14	Hawaii	$75,120	$68,321	230	$58,170	$95,300
15	Georgia	$72,310	$75,094	380	$49,650	$98,450
16	New York	$68,180	$63,176	6,220	$45,760	$170,200
17	New Mexico	$66,010	$71,585	270	$35,560	$82,520
18	Texas	$65,680	$67,672	2,010	$39,090	$94,410
19	Iowa	$63,540	$72,400	Not reported	$36,250	$72,980
20	Nebraska	$62,760	$69,654	80	$36,690	$82,010
21	Illinois	$62,580	$62,606	1,080	$42,320	$100,460
22	Missouri	$62,250	$68,544	940	$35,960	$119,570
23	New Hampshire	$61,720	$59,252	80	$49,430	$84,270
24	Wisconsin	$60,870	$64,690	240	$46,580	$82,200
25	Ohio	$60,700	$65,428	1,150	$45,630	$101,580
26	Maine	$60,680	$62,524	40	$48,050	$74,870
27	North Carolina	$60,180	$63,800	640	$42,300	$73,780
28	Arizona	$60,130	$59,726	330	$45,920	$80,680
29	North Dakota	$60,060	$67,514	50	$50,160	$81,240
30	South Carolina	$59,800	$63,787	170	$30,580	$79,190
31	California	$59,550	$53,784	2,510	$38,050	$117,700
31	Tennessee	$59,550	$64,820	330	$44,210	$77,900
33	Rhode Island	$59,310	$57,988	120	$34,750	$97,740
34	Delaware	$59,250	$59,364	100	$46,600	$63,430
35	Kansas	$59,220	$65,750	350	$47,510	$75,380
36	Florida	$58,240	$56,317	1,370	$50,100	$78,340
37	Utah	$58,230	$58,899	110	$50,630	$93,410
38	Louisiana	$56,890	$64,496	960	$37,750	$61,200
39	Kentucky	$54,220	$60,138	Not reported	$35,690	$64,000
40	Mississippi	$52,420	$60,285	110	$48,660	$62,710
41	Wyoming	$52,100	$56,208	80	$45,300	$61,980
42	Oklahoma	$49,720	$56,601	60	$40,000	$58,020
43	Idaho	$49,610	$51,951	180	$31,720	$89,540
44	Indiana	$48,680	$52,160	380	$35,620	$76,530
45	Arkansas	$35,580	$40,926	510	$27,800	$53,990

State names link to the state's college page. BLS publishes no median pay for preschool special education teachers in 7 other states and territories.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to preschool special education teachers. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Special Education (Bachelor's)	166	$44,195	$26,564

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Preschool special education teachers earn a median of $64,830 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $45,620, and the top 10% more than $130,040.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release

Preschool Special Education Teachers: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Pay for preschool special education teachers by state

Programs that lead to this job

Common questions

How much do preschool special education teachers make?

Which state pays preschool special education teachers the most?

What education do preschool special education teachers need?

Are jobs for preschool special education teachers growing?

About this data

Sources