Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Massachusetts
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$67,606
after federal, FICA and Massachusetts tax
Tax takes
$21,844
24.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$62,460
Massachusetts costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Massachusetts — 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
$89,450
Kept after tax
$67,606
Worth in national money
$62,460
State rank
6
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Massachusetts pays this job a middle wage of $89,450, ranking 6 of 51 states and sitting about 38.96% above the national middle.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 150 among 485 occupations Massachusetts publishes pay for.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $89,450 the take-home is $67,606. But Massachusetts costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $62,460 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $87,300, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Massachusetts's median for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education is $89,450, about 38.96% above the national figure and 6 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.
- Position 150 of 485 in Massachusetts places middle school teachers, except special and career/technical 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.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Massachusetts income tax is $67,606 for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education, from $89,450. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $62,460. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $87,300 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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 | $60,590 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $89,450 |
| Top tenth earn over | $107,610 |
| This salary | $89,450 |
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 Massachusetts | $67,606 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $71,758 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$11,384 |
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 | $83,547 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$15,725 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 108 |
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 Massachusetts earn under $89,450 and half over. The published range runs $60,590 at the tenth percentile to $107,610 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Massachusetts the take-home figure of $67,606, from $89,450, 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 150 of 485 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Massachusetts, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $62,460, the adjusted value of that $89,450 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 150 of 485 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education in Massachusetts, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $60,590 to $107,610; 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 Massachusetts is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $67,606 from $89,450. 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 150 of 485 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Massachusetts, so $62,460 — the adjusted value of that $89,450 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 150 of 485 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $60,590 and the top tenth $107,610, so most people doing this work in Massachusetts sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. Massachusetts costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $62,460 rather than its face figure.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Massachusetts adds its own income tax on top — which is why $67,606 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
This occupation is published everywhere — all 51 of them — so comparing states measures real differences rather than gaps in the data.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($60,590 to $107,610) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Massachusetts rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Massachusetts's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $62,460 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $67,606 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Massachusetts 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.