Special Education Teachers, Preschool in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,642
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$11,538
19.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,671
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
$60,180
Kept after tax
$48,642
Worth in national money
$51,671
State rank
27
of 45 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. North Carolina is 27 of 45 states for this job, with a middle wage of $60,180. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations North Carolina reports figures for, this is number 205.
- Here is where North Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $60,180 you keep $48,642, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $51,671 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $59,310, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- North Carolina ranks 27 of 45 for special education teachers, preschool at $60,180. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In North Carolina's occupational distribution, special education teachers, preschool sits at 205 of 489 — 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 North Carolina income tax, retained pay for special education teachers, preschool on $60,180 is $48,642. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $51,671 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 $59,310 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Special Education Teachers, Preschool
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $42,300 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,180 |
| Top tenth earn over | $73,780 |
| This salary | $60,180 |
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 | $48,642 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,535 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$333 |
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 | $57,825 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$403 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in North Carolina earn less than $60,180. The published range is $42,300 up to $73,780, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In North Carolina the take-home figure of $48,642, from $60,180, 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 205 of 489 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of North Carolina, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $51,671, the adjusted value of that $60,180 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 205 of 489 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for special education teachers, preschool in North Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $42,300 to $73,780. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for North Carolina is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $48,642 from $60,180. 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 205 of 489 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $51,671 — the adjusted value of that $60,180 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 205 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $42,300 at the bottom tenth to $73,780 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 $51,671.
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 $48,642.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 45 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($42,300 to $73,780) 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 $51,671 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 $48,642 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 45 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.