Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Arizona
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,842
after federal, FICA and Arizona tax
Tax takes
$5,458
15.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$30,505
Arizona costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arizona — 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
$36,300
Kept after tax
$30,842
Worth in national money
$30,505
State rank
32
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Arizona is 32 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $36,300. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Arizona this is lower-paid work. Of 491 occupations the state publishes figures for, this job ranks 464. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- No great distortion either way. Arizona costs about what the country costs, so from $36,300, take-home of $30,842 is worth roughly $30,505 in national money. The average comes to $38,800, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Arizona ranks 32 of 51 for preschool teachers, except special education at $36,300. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Arizona reports, preschool teachers, except special education ranks 464 of 491, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Price parity in Arizona is near the national base, so for preschool teachers, except special education, whose median is $36,300, the adjusted figure of $30,505 differs little from $30,842 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $38,800 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $31,760 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,300 |
| Top tenth earn over | $47,790 |
| This salary | $36,300 |
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 Arizona | $30,842 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,347 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,753 |
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 | $35,672 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,121 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
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 preschool teachers, except special education in Arizona earn under $36,300 and half over. The published range runs $31,760 at the tenth percentile to $47,790 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Arizona's $30,842, worked from $36,300. 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 464 of 491.
- One number stands for prices across all of Arizona, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $30,505, the adjusted value of that $36,300 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 464 of 491 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for preschool teachers, except special education in Arizona, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $31,760 to $47,790; 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.
- The Arizona take-home of $30,842, on $36,300 for work ranking 464 of 491 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 464 of 491 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Arizona, so $30,505 — the adjusted value of that $36,300 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 464 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $38,800, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $31,760 at the tenth percentile, $47,790 at the ninetieth.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. Arizona costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $30,505 rather than its face figure.
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; Arizona then takes its own share, leaving $30,842.
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 Arizona is $38,800. 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 is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($31,760 to $47,790) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Arizona rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Arizona's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $30,505 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 $30,842 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arizona 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.