Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Georgia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$35,877
after federal, FICA and Georgia tax
Tax takes
$8,043
18.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$37,102
Georgia costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Georgia — 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
$43,920
Kept after tax
$35,877
Worth in national money
$37,102
State rank
18
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Georgia is 18 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $43,920. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 369 among 492 occupations Georgia publishes pay for.
- Here is where Georgia does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $43,920 you keep $35,877, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $37,102 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $47,920, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Georgia ranks 18 of 51 for preschool teachers, except special education at $43,920. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Position 369 of 492 in Georgia places preschool 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 Georgia income tax, retained pay for preschool teachers, except special education on $43,920 is $35,877. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $37,102 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 $47,920 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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 | $28,150 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $43,920 |
| Top tenth earn over | $77,130 |
| This salary | $43,920 |
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 Georgia | $35,877 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $37,470 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,457 |
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 | $41,938 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,763 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 97 |
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 Georgia earn under $43,920 and half over. The published range runs $28,150 at the tenth percentile to $77,130 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Georgia the take-home figure of $35,877, from $43,920, 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 369 of 492 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $37,102, the adjusted value of that $43,920 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Georgia. 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 369 of 492 locally.
- Figures are distribution medians for preschool teachers, except special education in Georgia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $28,150 to $77,130; 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 Georgia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $35,877 from $43,920. 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 369 of 492 locally.
- This $37,102 adjusted figure, worked from $43,920, 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 369 of 492 in the state. The occupation ranks 369 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $47,920, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
Because one job title covers very different work. The bottom tenth here earn $28,150 and the top tenth $77,130 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Georgia is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $37,102 in national terms.
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; Georgia then takes its own share, leaving $35,877.
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 Georgia is $47,920. 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 drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($28,150) and the ninetieth ($77,130) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Georgia'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 $37,102 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 $35,877 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Georgia 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.