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Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education Salary

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education earn a median $72,040 a year nationally. Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

U.S. median
$72,040
$34.63 per hour
Range
$48,780 – $107,600
10th to 90th percentile
Employed
1,065,210
across the U.S.
▲11.6%
Pay trend: The median for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education in the U.S. rose from $64,580 (May 2024) to $72,040 (May 2025). That beat inflation (2.4%), a real raise of about 9.2%.

What secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education do

Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.

Typical education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
None
Job outlook, 2025–35
-0.2% (slower than average)
Openings per year
63,500

Employment of secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education is projected to shrink 0.2% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 63,500 openings are expected each year, on average, including jobs left by workers who retire or switch careers.

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$59,510
per year · effective tax rate 17.4%
$4,959Monthly
$2,480Twice a month
$2,289Every 2 weeks
$28.61Hourly
  • Federal income tax$7,019
  • Social Security (6.2%)$4,466
  • Medicare (1.45%)$1,045
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$59,510

Marginal rate: 22% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)$48,780$23.45$41,375
25th percentile$59,980$28.84$50,374
Median (50th)$72,040$34.63$59,510
75th percentile$92,570$44.50$73,953
90th percentile (top earners)$107,600$51.73$84,527

Best cities for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education (after tax & cost of living)

#Metro areaMedianTake-homeReal value*Jobs
1Seattle, WA$102,670$81,058$72,9387,720
2Fresno, CA$100,750$73,258$71,7103,210
3Bakersfield, CA$99,150$72,302$71,6673,300
4Chicago, IL$98,970$73,701$71,14432,790
5Sacramento, CA$105,060$75,833$71,0916,040
6San Jose, CA$108,230$77,727$70,3904,130
7Providence, RI$92,110$70,792$69,5596,770
8Akron, OH$81,820$64,923$69,5333,960
9Riverside, CA$100,130$72,887$68,47612,450
10Toledo, OH$77,930$62,293$68,1133,080
11Boston, MA$98,850$73,648$68,02520,600
12Dayton, OH$78,970$62,996$67,9613,040
13Columbus, OH$81,400$64,639$67,7079,210
14Cleveland, OH$79,610$63,429$67,5338,560
15Pittsburgh, PA$81,350$63,562$67,1409,600
16San Diego, CA$102,810$74,489$66,5756,690
17New York, NY$100,800$74,836$66,48475,780
18Los Angeles, CA$100,960$73,383$64,61732,250
19San Francisco, CA$102,880$74,530$64,46511,520
20Worcester, MA$87,050$65,937$64,3153,640
21Buffalo, NY$79,280$60,919$63,5613,160
22Albuquerque, NM$76,960$60,520$63,3413,360
23Louisville, KY$74,040$58,443$62,7923,960
24Syracuse, NY$77,900$60,023$62,6922,540
25Allentown, PA$79,990$62,647$62,6673,750

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education salary by state

StateMedian1-yr changeTake-homeRangeJobs
Washington $102,670+3.0%$81,058 $62,950 – $128,41014,880
California $101,370+2.7%$73,628 $64,600 – $132,60099,230
New York $97,070−1.3%$72,432 $60,070 – $136,45070,660
Massachusetts $95,260+7.0%$71,302 $61,500 – $122,66028,460
Rhode Island $92,610+4.0%$71,125 $51,670 – $100,3704,910
District of Columbia $82,750+5.1%$62,979 $50,750 – $128,1702,800
New Jersey $82,200+2.2%$63,612 $63,040 – $108,23038,140
Connecticut $80,970+4.8%$62,914 $51,710 – $113,61014,800
Illinois $79,990+3.9%$61,288 $49,020 – $135,96044,670
Alaska $79,650+2.5%$64,864 $63,360 – $98,1402,790
Oregon $79,570−0.0%$58,675 $49,640 – $101,31011,730
Ohio $78,800+2.7%$62,881 $48,370 – $103,15049,540
Pennsylvania $78,800+1.0%$61,847 $51,440 – $102,36052,240
Maryland $78,670+2.1%$60,801 $58,150 – $102,69016,640
Delaware $77,960+3.4%$59,871 $51,420 – $95,2205,360
New Hampshire $77,060+11.1%$63,042 $48,570 – $96,5105,860
Minnesota $76,460+19.6%$58,944 $49,160 – $121,22016,020
Utah $76,330+2.8%$60,059 $51,400 – $98,73011,030
Vermont $76,220+19.6%$59,880 $49,800 – $99,8302,450
New Mexico $75,900+13.4%$59,824 $59,330 – $84,1708,120
Georgia $75,480+2.9%$58,636 $49,450 – $96,82025,730
Hawaii $74,310+20.2%$56,990 $56,040 – $98,3605,590
Colorado $72,900+14.5%$57,616 $48,970 – $101,30018,310
Virginia $72,170+13.2%$56,266 $49,900 – $107,93031,100
Michigan $66,030+3.2%$52,680 $47,830 – $98,72025,540
Nevada $65,520+4.2%$54,825 $54,850 – $83,1908,920
Maine $64,880+4.3%$51,113 $47,520 – $83,4505,540
Texas $63,590+2.6%$53,275 $50,410 – $78,020111,660
Nebraska $63,450+2.5%$51,155 $46,870 – $78,5107,170
Wisconsin $62,870+2.0%$50,711 $48,550 – $83,34015,910
Wyoming $62,690−1.1%$52,551 $51,440 – $78,8301,600
South Carolina $62,580+2.1%$49,865 $48,740 – $80,70016,080
Alabama $61,990+2.4%$49,154 $48,190 – $76,30015,880
Indiana $61,880+2.4%$50,105 $48,300 – $95,07020,430
Tennessee $61,860+2.5%$51,885 $49,050 – $79,18021,230
Idaho $61,690+1.2%$49,587 $47,950 – $91,6206,570
Kentucky $61,560+1.9%$49,606 $47,130 – $83,31012,780
North Dakota $61,210+3.1%$51,362 $47,630 – $81,3103,070
Iowa $61,200+3.9%$49,680 $47,480 – $79,27012,310
Montana $60,990+3.8%$49,076 $38,120 – $81,2703,670
Florida $60,410+1.7%$50,719 $49,210 – $77,10049,810
Kansas $59,920+2.0%$47,782 $47,630 – $76,23010,860
Louisiana $59,850+0.9%$48,860 $47,590 – $79,72015,210
Arkansas $59,660+4.9%$48,003 $49,430 – $75,76012,890
Missouri $59,240+16.7%$47,932 $40,540 – $79,30024,380
Arizona $58,360−2.6%$47,822 $46,240 – $93,53021,190
North Carolina $57,650+5.0%$46,710 $45,430 – $64,46028,620
West Virginia $56,610+0.2%$45,852 $48,450 – $64,0403,590
South Dakota $51,050+3.1%$43,199 $47,130 – $62,0403,360
Mississippi $50,980+3.3%$41,835 $45,760 – $62,85010,400
Oklahoma $48,710−0.9%$39,672 $45,150 – $71,65015,480

Related jobs

JobMedian salaryEducationGrowth 2025–35
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School$66,270Bachelor's degree-0.4%
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School$74,260Bachelor's degree-0.2%
Special Education Teachers, All Other$76,580Bachelor's degree+1.9%
Special Education Teachers, Middle School$66,810Bachelor's degree-0.4%
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School$65,120Bachelor's degree-0.4%
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School$65,030Bachelor's degree-0.5%
Special Education Teachers, Preschool$64,830Bachelor's degree+2.4%
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,370Bachelor's degree-0.4%
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970Bachelor's degree-0.4%
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$62,680Bachelor's degree-0.3%

Frequently asked questions

How much does a secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education make?

The national median salary for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education is $72,040 a year ($34.63 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $48,780 and the top 10% earn over $107,600. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education the most?

Washington has the highest median pay at $102,670. After taxes and local prices, Seattle, WA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education are there in the U.S.?

About 1,065,210 people work as secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education nationwide.

All 84 cities