Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Arkansas
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,299
after federal, FICA and Arkansas tax
Tax takes
$11,271
18.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$55,832
Arkansas costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arkansas — 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
$59,570
Kept after tax
$48,299
Worth in national money
$55,832
State rank
43
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Arkansas is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $59,570, ranking 43 of 51 states — about 7.46% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations Arkansas reports figures for, this is number 157.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $59,570 you keep $48,299 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $55,832 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $58,830.
- Arkansas ranks 43 of 51 for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education, with a median of $59,570 — about 7.46% 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.
- In Arkansas's occupational distribution, middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education sits at 157 of 489 — 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 Arkansas is $48,299 after the full tax stack, from $59,570. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $55,832 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $58,830 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $49,780 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $59,570 |
| Top tenth earn over | $74,100 |
| This salary | $59,570 |
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 Arkansas | $48,299 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,044 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$4,332 |
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 | $57,398 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$5,240 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 87 |
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 middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education in Arkansas earn under $59,570 and half over. The published range runs $49,780 at the tenth percentile to $74,100 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Arkansas the take-home figure of $48,299, from $59,570, 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 157 of 489 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $55,832, the adjusted value of that $59,570 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Arkansas. 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 157 of 489 locally.
- Figures are distribution medians for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education in Arkansas, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $49,780 to $74,100; 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.
- Take-home for Arkansas is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $48,299 from $59,570. 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 157 of 489 locally.
- This $55,832 adjusted figure, worked from $59,570, 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 157 of 489 in the state. The occupation ranks 157 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $49,780 at the bottom tenth to $74,100 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $55,832.
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; Arkansas then takes its own share, leaving $48,299.
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 ($49,780 to $74,100) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Arkansas rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Arkansas'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 $55,832 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 $48,299 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arkansas 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.