Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in Georgia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$56,678
after federal, FICA and Georgia tax
Tax takes
$15,612
21.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$58,612
Georgia costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Georgia — 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
$72,290
Kept after tax
$56,678
Worth in national money
$58,612
State rank
20
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Georgia is 20 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $72,290. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 492 occupations Georgia reports figures for, this is number 155.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $72,290 you keep $56,678 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $58,612 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $70,720.
- Georgia ranks 20 of 51 for elementary school teachers, except special education at $72,290. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Georgia's occupational distribution, elementary school teachers, except special education sits at 155 of 492 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Retained pay in Georgia is $56,678 after the full tax stack, from $72,290. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $58,612 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $70,720 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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 | $49,260 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $72,290 |
| Top tenth earn over | $98,030 |
| This salary | $72,290 |
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 Georgia | $56,678 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $59,686 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,809 |
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 | $68,014 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,880 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 97 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $72,290 as a midpoint for Georgia, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $49,260 and the ninetieth is $98,030 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $56,678 take-home in Georgia comes from $72,290. 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 155 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $58,612 uses one figure for the whole of Georgia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 155.
- The Georgia median of $72,290 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $49,260 to $98,030. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $56,678, from $72,290, assumes a single Georgia 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 155 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 20 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $58,612, worked from $72,290, 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 Georgia address, on work sitting at 155 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $49,260 at the tenth percentile, $98,030 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $58,612.
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; Georgia then takes its own share, leaving $56,678.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($49,260 to $98,030) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Georgia rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Georgia's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $58,612 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $56,678 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Georgia 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.