Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Wisconsin
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,305
after federal, FICA and Wisconsin tax
Tax takes
$5,855
16.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$32,552
Wisconsin costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Wisconsin — 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
$36,160
Kept after tax
$30,305
Worth in national money
$32,552
State rank
34
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Middling, nationally. Wisconsin pays this job around $36,160 at the midpoint, 34 of 51 states. The interesting numbers on this page are the two below it.
- Against 491 occupations Wisconsin publishes, this job lands at 452. That is the lower quarter. That is the comparison people actually feel, more than any national table.
- Here is where Wisconsin does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $36,160 you keep $30,305, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $32,552 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $36,500, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For preschool teachers, except special education the Wisconsin median is $36,160, ranking 34 of 51 states reporting. Mid-band nominal positions are the ones most frequently reordered by the adjustments, because no large wage premium exists to absorb a state's tax or price level.
- Within Wisconsin, this work ranks 452 of 491 occupations by median pay, in the bottom quartile. The within-state position is the more salient one for anyone weighing this job against alternatives available to them locally.
- After federal, FICA and Wisconsin income tax, retained pay for preschool teachers, except special education on $36,160 is $30,305. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $32,552 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 $36,500 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 | $28,530 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,160 |
| Top tenth earn over | $46,090 |
| This salary | $36,160 |
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 Wisconsin | $30,305 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,235 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$410 |
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 | $35,003 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$495 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Wisconsin earn less than $36,160. The published range is $28,530 up to $46,090, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Wisconsin the take-home figure of $30,305, from $36,160, 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 452 of 491 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Wisconsin, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $32,552, the adjusted value of that $36,160 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 452 of 491 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for preschool teachers, except special education in Wisconsin the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $28,530 to $46,090. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Wisconsin is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $30,305 from $36,160. 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 452 of 491 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Wisconsin, so $32,552 — the adjusted value of that $36,160 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 452 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $28,530 and the top tenth $46,090, so most people doing this work in Wisconsin sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $32,552.
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; Wisconsin then takes its own share, leaving $30,305.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($28,530 to $46,090) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Wisconsin rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Wisconsin'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 $32,552 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 $30,305 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Wisconsin 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.