Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$46,458
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$11,072
19.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,481
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — 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
$57,530
Kept after tax
$46,458
Worth in national money
$51,481
State rank
42
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Montana is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $57,530, ranking 42 of 51 states — about 10.07% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 242 among 475 occupations Montana publishes pay for.
- Here is where Montana does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $57,530 you keep $46,458, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $51,481 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $58,150, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Montana ranks 42 of 51 for elementary school teachers, except special education, with a median of $57,530 — about 10.07% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Position 242 of 475 in Montana places elementary school teachers, except special education in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- After federal, FICA and Montana income tax, retained pay for elementary school teachers, except special education on $57,530 is $46,458. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $51,481 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $58,150 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,160 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $57,530 |
| Top tenth earn over | $78,450 |
| This salary | $57,530 |
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 Montana | $46,458 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $48,405 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,668 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $55,107 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,017 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Montana earn less than $57,530. The published range is $38,160 up to $78,450, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $46,458 take-home in Montana comes from $57,530. 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 242 of 475.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $51,481 uses one figure for the whole of Montana. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 475 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 242.
- Reported values are medians; for elementary school teachers, except special education in Montana the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $38,160 to $78,450. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $46,458, from $57,530, assumes a single Montana 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 242 of 475 locally, and the state ranks 42 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $51,481, worked from $57,530, 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 Montana address, on work sitting at 242 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $38,160 and the top tenth $78,450, so most people doing this work in Montana sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $51,481.
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; Montana then takes its own share, leaving $46,458.
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 ($38,160 to $78,450) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana'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 $51,481 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 $46,458 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana 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.