Special Education Teachers, Middle School in South Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$43,448
after federal, FICA and South Dakota tax
Tax takes
$7,912
15.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$49,319
South Dakota costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in South Dakota — 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
$51,360
Kept after tax
$43,448
Worth in national money
$49,319
State rank
48
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- South Dakota is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $51,360, ranking 48 of 51 states — about 23.13% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 457 occupations South Dakota reports figures for, this is number 236.
- Here is where South Dakota does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $51,360 you keep $43,448, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $49,319 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $52,820, because the best-paid pull it up.
- South Dakota ranks 48 of 51 for special education teachers, middle school, with a median of $51,360 — about 23.13% 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 South Dakota's occupational distribution, special education teachers, middle school sits at 236 of 457 — 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.
- After federal, FICA and South Dakota income tax, retained pay for special education teachers, middle school on $51,360 is $43,448. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $49,319 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 $52,820 sits above the median, the right skew typical of 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 | $46,680 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $51,360 |
| Top tenth earn over | $60,120 |
| This salary | $51,360 |
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 South Dakota | $43,448 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $43,448 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$4,608 |
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 | $51,360 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$5,573 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
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 South Dakota earn under $51,360 and half over. The published range runs $46,680 at the tenth percentile to $60,120 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind South Dakota's $43,448, worked from $51,360. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 236 of 457.
- One number stands for prices across all of South Dakota, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $49,319, the adjusted value of that $51,360 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 236 of 457 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for special education teachers, middle school in South Dakota, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $46,680 to $60,120; 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.
- The South Dakota take-home of $43,448, on $51,360 for work ranking 236 of 457 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 236 of 457 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Dakota, so $49,319 — the adjusted value of that $51,360 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 236 of 457 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $46,680 at the bottom tenth to $60,120 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 $49,319.
Is most of this wage taxed away?
Less than people assume. $43,448 of this wage reaches your account, because South Dakota takes no income tax from wages — but federal tax, Social Security and Medicare still apply exactly as they do everywhere else.
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 ($46,680 to $60,120) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to South Dakota rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
South Dakota'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 $49,319 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
Why is the take-home ratio comparatively high in this state?
South Dakota levies no personal income tax on wages, so take-home of $43,448 reflects the federal layer and FICA alone. Federal income tax and FICA are unchanged; states without a wage income tax generally recover revenue through consumption and property bases instead.
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.