Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in Maine
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$49,419
after federal, FICA and Maine tax
Tax takes
$12,971
20.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$50,897
Maine costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Maine — 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
$62,390
Kept after tax
$49,419
Worth in national money
$50,897
State rank
28
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Maine is 28 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $62,390. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 484 occupations Maine reports figures for, this is number 211.
- No great distortion either way. Maine costs about what the country costs, so from $62,390, take-home of $49,419 is worth roughly $50,897 in national money. The average comes to $65,930, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Maine ranks 28 of 51 for elementary school teachers, except special education at $62,390. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Maine's occupational distribution, elementary school teachers, except special education sits at 211 of 484 — 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.
- Price parity in Maine is near the national base, so for elementary school teachers, except special education, whose median is $62,390, the adjusted figure of $50,897 differs little from $49,419 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $65,930 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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 | $46,570 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $62,390 |
| Top tenth earn over | $92,100 |
| This salary | $62,390 |
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 Maine | $49,419 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $52,310 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,934 |
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 | $58,792 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,549 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 97 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Maine earn less than $62,390. The published range is $46,570 up to $92,100, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Maine the take-home figure of $49,419, from $62,390, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 211 of 484 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $50,897, the adjusted value of that $62,390 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Maine. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 211 of 484 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for elementary school teachers, except special education in Maine the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $46,570 to $92,100. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Maine is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $49,419 from $62,390. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 211 of 484 locally.
- This $50,897 adjusted figure, worked from $62,390, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 211 of 484 in the state. The occupation ranks 211 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $65,930, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $46,570 at the bottom tenth to $92,100 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Maine sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $50,897 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Maine's own levy, $49,419 remains.
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.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Maine is $65,930. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($46,570) and the ninetieth ($92,100) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Maine'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 $50,897 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 $49,419 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Maine 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.