Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Mississippi
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$29,949
after federal, FICA and Mississippi tax
Tax takes
$6,301
17.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$34,309
Mississippi costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Mississippi — 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
$36,250
Kept after tax
$29,949
Worth in national money
$34,309
State rank
33
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Mississippi is 33 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $36,250. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Mississippi this is lower-paid work. Of 486 occupations the state publishes figures for, this job ranks 393. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Here is where Mississippi does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $36,250 you keep $29,949, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $34,309 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $35,500, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Mississippi ranks 33 of 51 for preschool teachers, except special education at $36,250. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Mississippi reports, preschool teachers, except special education ranks 393 of 486, 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.
- After federal, FICA and Mississippi income tax, retained pay for preschool teachers, except special education on $36,250 is $29,949. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $34,309 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 $35,500 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in 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 | $20,980 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,250 |
| Top tenth earn over | $53,370 |
| This salary | $36,250 |
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 Mississippi | $29,949 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,307 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,092 |
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 | $34,560 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,530 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 87 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Mississippi earn less than $36,250. The published range is $20,980 up to $53,370, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Mississippi the take-home figure of $29,949, from $36,250, 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 393 of 486 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Mississippi, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $34,309, the adjusted value of that $36,250 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 393 of 486 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for preschool teachers, except special education in Mississippi the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $20,980 to $53,370. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Mississippi is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $29,949 from $36,250. 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 393 of 486 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Mississippi, so $34,309 — the adjusted value of that $36,250 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 393 of 486 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
One title, many jobs. The lowest tenth take $20,980, the highest tenth $53,370, and what separates them is experience, employer and what exactly the role does.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Mississippi sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $34,309 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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 Mississippi adds its own income tax on top — which is why $29,949 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($20,980) and the ninetieth ($53,370) 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?
Mississippi'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 $34,309 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 $29,949 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Mississippi 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.