Special Education Teachers, Preschool in Wisconsin
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,930
after federal, FICA and Wisconsin tax
Tax takes
$11,940
19.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$52,558
Wisconsin costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Wisconsin — 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
$60,870
Kept after tax
$48,930
Worth in national money
$52,558
State rank
24
of 45 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Wisconsin is 24 of 45 states for this job, with a middle wage of $60,870. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 491 occupations Wisconsin reports figures for, this is number 242.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $60,870 you keep $48,930 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $52,558 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $62,540, since top earners drag the number up.
- Wisconsin ranks 24 of 45 for special education teachers, preschool at $60,870. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Wisconsin's occupational distribution, special education teachers, preschool sits at 242 of 491 — 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.
- Retained pay in Wisconsin is $48,930 after the full tax stack, from $60,870. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $52,558 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $62,540 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Special Education Teachers, Preschool
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $46,580 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,870 |
| Top tenth earn over | $82,200 |
| This salary | $60,870 |
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 Wisconsin | $48,930 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $51,089 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$16 |
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 | $58,183 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$19 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
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, preschool in Wisconsin earn under $60,870 and half over. The published range runs $46,580 at the tenth percentile to $82,200 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Wisconsin the take-home figure of $48,930, from $60,870, 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 242 of 491 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $52,558 uses one figure for the whole of Wisconsin. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 491 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 242.
- Figures are distribution medians for special education teachers, preschool in Wisconsin, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $46,580 to $82,200; 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 Wisconsin is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $48,930 from $60,870. 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 242 of 491 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $52,558, worked from $60,870, 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 Wisconsin address, on work sitting at 242 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $46,580 and the top tenth $82,200, so most people doing this work in Wisconsin sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $52,558.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Wisconsin's own levy, $48,930 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 45 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($46,580 to $82,200) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Wisconsin rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Wisconsin'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 $52,558 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 $48,930 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Wisconsin 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.