Special Education Teachers, Middle School in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,016
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$11,344
19.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,005
North Carolina costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in North Carolina — 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
$59,360
Kept after tax
$48,016
Worth in national money
$51,005
State rank
43
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Carolina is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $59,360, ranking 43 of 51 states — about 11.15% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 212 among 489 occupations North Carolina publishes pay for.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $59,360 you keep $48,016 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $51,005 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $57,680.
- North Carolina ranks 43 of 51 for special education teachers, middle school, with a median of $59,360 — about 11.15% 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.
- Position 212 of 489 in North Carolina places special education teachers, middle school 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.
- Retained pay in North Carolina is $48,016 after the full tax stack, from $59,360. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $51,005 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $57,680 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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 | $44,580 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $59,360 |
| Top tenth earn over | $73,670 |
| This salary | $59,360 |
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 Carolina | $48,016 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $49,876 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$320 |
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 | $57,045 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$387 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $59,360 as a midpoint for North Carolina, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $44,580 and the ninetieth is $73,670 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $48,016 take-home in North Carolina comes from $59,360. 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 212 of 489.
- One number stands for prices across all of North Carolina, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $51,005, the adjusted value of that $59,360 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 212 of 489 in the state.
- The North Carolina median of $59,360 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $44,580 to $73,670. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $48,016, from $59,360, assumes a single North Carolina 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 212 of 489 locally, and the state ranks 43 of 51 for it.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $51,005 — the adjusted value of that $59,360 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 212 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $44,580 at the tenth percentile, $73,670 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in North Carolina sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $51,005 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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 Carolina then takes its own share, leaving $48,016.
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 ($44,580 to $73,670) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to North Carolina rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
North Carolina'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 $51,005 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 $48,016 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and North Carolina 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.