Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$71,533
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$25,047
25.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$64,558
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$96,580
Kept after tax
$71,533
Worth in national money
$64,558
State rank
3
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for this job is strong here. District of Columbia's middle earner gets $96,580, putting the state 3 of 51 — about 50.98% ahead of the national figure.
- Against other work in District of Columbia, this sits in the middle: 139 of 390 occupations with published pay. Solidly ordinary for the state, which is not the same as ordinary nationally.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $96,580 the take-home is $71,533. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $64,558 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $93,910, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- For elementary school teachers, except special education, District of Columbia sits in the upper band nationally: a median of $96,580, ranking 3 of 51 and running about 50.98% above the national midpoint. Nominal advantage of this size is usually, though not always, large enough to survive the state's own tax and price levels.
- Elementary school teachers, except special education ranks 139 of 390 occupations in District of Columbia by median pay, in the middle bands. Within-state and national positions are separate measurements and a job commonly sits in different quartiles on each.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $71,533 for elementary school teachers, except special education, from $96,580. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $64,558. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $93,910 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $63,950 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $96,580 |
| Top tenth earn over | $128,370 |
| This salary | $96,580 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in District of Columbia | $71,533 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $76,774 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$14,448 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $89,130 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$19,957 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of elementary school teachers, except special education in District of Columbia earn under $96,580 and half over. The published range runs $63,950 at the tenth percentile to $128,370 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $71,533 take-home in District of Columbia comes from $96,580. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 139 of 390.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $64,558 uses one figure for the whole of District of Columbia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 390 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 139.
- Figures are distribution medians for elementary school teachers, except special education in District of Columbia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $63,950 to $128,370; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Retained pay of $71,533, from $96,580, assumes a single District of Columbia filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 139 of 390 locally, and the state ranks 3 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $64,558, worked from $96,580, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular District of Columbia address, on work sitting at 139 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $63,950 and the top tenth $128,370, so most people doing this work in District of Columbia sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $64,558 rather than its face figure.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; District of Columbia then takes its own share, leaving $71,533.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($63,950 to $128,370) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $64,558 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $71,533 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.