Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,676
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$16,384
21.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$62,232
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — 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
$77,060
Kept after tax
$60,676
Worth in national money
$62,232
State rank
13
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Pennsylvania pays this job a middle wage of $77,060, ranking 13 of 51 states and sitting about 20.46% above the national middle.
- Against other work in Pennsylvania, this sits in the middle: 140 of 492 occupations with published pay. Solidly ordinary for the state, which is not the same as ordinary nationally.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $77,060, take-home of $60,676 is worth roughly $62,232 in national money. The average lands at $75,780, below the middle of the range.
- Pennsylvania's median for elementary school teachers, except special education is $77,060, about 20.46% above the national figure and 13 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Elementary school teachers, except special education ranks 140 of 492 occupations in Pennsylvania 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.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for elementary school teachers, except special education, whose median is $77,060, the adjusted figure of $62,232 differs little from $60,676 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $75,780 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
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Pay band: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $51,990 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $77,060 |
| Top tenth earn over | $99,630 |
| This salary | $77,060 |
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 Pennsylvania | $60,676 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $63,042 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,643 |
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 | $73,697 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,650 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Pennsylvania earn less than $77,060. The published range is $51,990 up to $99,630, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Pennsylvania's $60,676, worked from $77,060. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 140 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $62,232 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. 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 140.
- Reported values are medians; for elementary school teachers, except special education in Pennsylvania the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $51,990 to $99,630. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Pennsylvania take-home of $60,676, on $77,060 for work ranking 140 of 492 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 140 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $62,232, worked from $77,060, 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 Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 140 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $51,990 and the top tenth $99,630, so most people doing this work in Pennsylvania sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Pennsylvania is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $62,232 in national terms.
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 Pennsylvania's own levy, $60,676 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.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($51,990 to $99,630) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Pennsylvania'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 $62,232 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 $60,676 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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.