Special Education Teachers, Middle School in California
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$74,906
after federal, FICA and California tax
Tax takes
$26,624
26.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$66,535
California costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in California — 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
$101,530
Kept after tax
$74,906
Worth in national money
$66,535
State rank
1
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. California pays this job a middle wage of $101,530, ranking 1 of 51 states and sitting about 51.97% above the national middle.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 492 occupations California reports, this job comes in at 119 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $101,530 the take-home is $74,906. But California costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $66,535 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $99,830, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- California's median for special education teachers, middle school is $101,530, about 51.97% above the national figure and 1 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Special education teachers, middle school ranks 119 of 492 occupations by median in California, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and California income tax is $74,906 for special education teachers, middle school, from $101,530. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $66,535. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $99,830 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Special Education Teachers, Middle School
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $68,110 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $101,530 |
| Top tenth earn over | $127,720 |
| This salary | $101,530 |
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 California | $74,906 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $80,256 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$16,054 |
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 | $93,925 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$22,176 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 113 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in California earn less than $101,530. The published range is $68,110 up to $127,720, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $74,906 take-home in California comes from $101,530. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 119 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $66,535 uses one figure for the whole of California. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 119.
- Reported values are medians; for special education teachers, middle school in California the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $68,110 to $127,720. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $74,906, from $101,530, assumes a single California filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 119 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 1 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $66,535, worked from $101,530, 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 California address, on work sitting at 119 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $68,110 at the bottom tenth to $127,720 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. California costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $66,535 rather than its face figure.
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 California's own levy, $74,906 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 ($68,110 to $127,720) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to California rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
California's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $66,535 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $74,906 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and California 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.