Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$61,847
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$16,953
21.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$63,432
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — 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
$78,800
Kept after tax
$61,847
Worth in national money
$63,432
State rank
13
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pennsylvania is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $78,800, which ranks 13 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 9.38% above the national middle.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 124 among 492 occupations Pennsylvania publishes pay for.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $78,800 the take-home is $61,847, which is worth about $63,432 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is lower, $77,650, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Pennsylvania ranks 13 of 51 states publishing a median for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education, at $78,800 — about 9.38% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Position 124 of 492 in Pennsylvania places secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical 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.
- Pennsylvania's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education on its $78,800 median: $61,847 retained after tax becomes $63,432 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $77,650 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $51,440 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $78,800 |
| Top tenth earn over | $102,360 |
| This salary | $78,800 |
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 Pennsylvania | $61,847 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $64,266 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,702 |
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 | $75,361 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,732 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
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 secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education in Pennsylvania earn under $78,800 and half over. The published range runs $51,440 at the tenth percentile to $102,360 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $61,847, from $78,800, 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 124 of 492 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Pennsylvania, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $63,432, the adjusted value of that $78,800 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 124 of 492 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education in Pennsylvania, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $51,440 to $102,360; 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 Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $61,847 from $78,800. 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 124 of 492 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Pennsylvania, so $63,432 — the adjusted value of that $78,800 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 124 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $51,440 at the bottom tenth to $102,360 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $63,432.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Pennsylvania's own levy, $61,847 remains.
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.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($51,440 to $102,360) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Pennsylvania'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 $63,432 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 $61,847 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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.