Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in North Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$34,095
after federal, FICA and North Dakota tax
Tax takes
$5,625
14.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$38,494
North Dakota costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in North Dakota — 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
$39,720
Kept after tax
$34,095
Worth in national money
$38,494
State rank
22
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. North Dakota is 22 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $39,720. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within North Dakota this is lower-paid work. Of 460 occupations the state publishes figures for, this job ranks 393. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Here is where North Dakota does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $39,720 you keep $34,095, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $38,494 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $41,620, because the best-paid pull it up.
- North Dakota ranks 22 of 51 for preschool teachers, except special education at $39,720. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation North Dakota reports, preschool teachers, except special education ranks 393 of 460, 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 North Dakota income tax, retained pay for preschool teachers, except special education on $39,720 is $34,095. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $38,494 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 $41,620 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $25,990 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $39,720 |
| Top tenth earn over | $59,560 |
| This salary | $39,720 |
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 North Dakota | $34,095 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $34,095 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,408 |
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 | $39,720 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,122 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
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 North Dakota earn under $39,720 and half over. The published range runs $25,990 at the tenth percentile to $59,560 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In North Dakota the take-home figure of $34,095, from $39,720, 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 460 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $38,494 uses one figure for the whole of North Dakota. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 460 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 393.
- Figures are distribution medians for preschool teachers, except special education in North Dakota, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $25,990 to $59,560; 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 North Dakota is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $34,095 from $39,720. 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 460 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $38,494, worked from $39,720, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular North Dakota address, on work sitting at 393 of 460 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $41,620, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
One title, many jobs. The lowest tenth take $25,990, the highest tenth $59,560, and what separates them is experience, employer and what exactly the role does.
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 $38,494.
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; North Dakota then takes its own share, leaving $34,095.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
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 North Dakota is $41,620. 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 ($25,990) and the ninetieth ($59,560) 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?
North Dakota'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 $38,494 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 $34,095 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and North Dakota 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.