Special Education Teachers, Middle School in Utah
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,838
after federal, FICA and Utah tax
Tax takes
$18,082
22.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$64,039
Utah costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Utah — 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
$78,920
Kept after tax
$60,838
Worth in national money
$64,039
State rank
10
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Utah is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $78,920, which ranks 10 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 18.13% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 487 occupations Utah reports figures for, this is number 122.
- Here is where Utah does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $78,920 you keep $60,838, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $64,039 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $78,740, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Utah ranks 10 of 51 states publishing a median for special education teachers, middle school, at $78,920 — about 18.13% 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.
- In Utah's occupational distribution, special education teachers, middle school sits at 122 of 487 — 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 Utah income tax, retained pay for special education teachers, middle school on $78,920 is $60,838. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $64,039 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 $78,740 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 | $48,410 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $78,920 |
| Top tenth earn over | $113,830 |
| This salary | $78,920 |
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 Utah | $60,838 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $64,350 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,182 |
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 | $73,928 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,014 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 95 |
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 Utah earn under $78,920 and half over. The published range runs $48,410 at the tenth percentile to $113,830 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Utah the take-home figure of $60,838, from $78,920, 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 122 of 487 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $64,039 uses one figure for the whole of Utah. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 487 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 122.
- Figures are distribution medians for special education teachers, middle school in Utah, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $48,410 to $113,830; 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 Utah is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $60,838 from $78,920. 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 122 of 487 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $64,039, worked from $78,920, 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 Utah address, on work sitting at 122 of 487 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $48,410 at the bottom tenth to $113,830 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Utah is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $64,039 in national terms.
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; Utah then takes its own share, leaving $60,838.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($48,410) and the ninetieth ($113,830) 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?
Utah'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 $64,039 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 $60,838 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Utah 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.