Special Education Teachers, Middle School in Missouri
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$41,222
after federal, FICA and Missouri tax
Tax takes
$9,148
18.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$44,923
Missouri costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Missouri — 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
$50,370
Kept after tax
$41,222
Worth in national money
$44,923
State rank
51
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Missouri is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $50,370, ranking 51 of 51 states — about 24.61% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 488 occupations Missouri reports figures for, this is number 287.
- Missouri is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $50,370 the take-home is $41,222; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $44,923 would nationally. The average comes to $54,340, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Missouri ranks 51 of 51 for special education teachers, middle school, with a median of $50,370 — about 24.61% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- In Missouri's occupational distribution, special education teachers, middle school sits at 287 of 488 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for special education teachers, middle school in Missouri, on $50,370, is $41,222 — equivalent to $44,923 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $54,340 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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 | $39,990 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $50,370 |
| Top tenth earn over | $81,110 |
| This salary | $50,370 |
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 Missouri | $41,222 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $42,652 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,031 |
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 | $48,590 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,247 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 92 |
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 special education teachers, middle school in Missouri earn under $50,370 and half over. The published range runs $39,990 at the tenth percentile to $81,110 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Missouri the take-home figure of $41,222, from $50,370, 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 287 of 488 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Missouri, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $44,923, the adjusted value of that $50,370 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 287 of 488 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for special education teachers, middle school in Missouri, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $39,990 to $81,110; 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 Missouri is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $41,222 from $50,370. 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 287 of 488 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Missouri, so $44,923 — the adjusted value of that $50,370 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 287 of 488 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $54,340, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $39,990 at the bottom tenth to $81,110 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $44,923.
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; Missouri then takes its own share, leaving $41,222.
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 Missouri is $54,340. 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 ($39,990) and the ninetieth ($81,110) 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?
Missouri'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 $44,923 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 $41,222 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Missouri 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.