Special Education Teachers, Secondary School in Alabama
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$49,484
after federal, FICA and Alabama tax
Tax takes
$12,726
20.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$55,001
Alabama costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Alabama — 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
$62,210
Kept after tax
$49,484
Worth in national money
$55,001
State rank
32
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Middling, nationally. Alabama pays this job around $62,210 at the midpoint, 32 of 51 states. The interesting numbers on this page are the two below it.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 482 occupations Alabama reports figures for, this is number 168.
- Here is where Alabama does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $62,210 you keep $49,484, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $55,001 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $63,200, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For special education teachers, secondary school the Alabama median is $62,210, ranking 32 of 51 states reporting. Mid-band nominal positions are the ones most frequently reordered by the adjustments, because no large wage premium exists to absorb a state's tax or price level.
- In Alabama's occupational distribution, special education teachers, secondary school sits at 168 of 482 — 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 Alabama income tax, retained pay for special education teachers, secondary school on $62,210 is $49,484. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $55,001 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 $63,200 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $50,020 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $62,210 |
| Top tenth earn over | $75,030 |
| This salary | $62,210 |
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 Alabama | $49,484 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $52,166 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,319 |
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 | $58,873 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,595 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Alabama earn less than $62,210. The published range is $50,020 up to $75,030, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Alabama the take-home figure of $49,484, from $62,210, 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 168 of 482 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Alabama, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $55,001, the adjusted value of that $62,210 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 168 of 482 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for special education teachers, secondary school in Alabama the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $50,020 to $75,030. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Alabama is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $49,484 from $62,210. 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 168 of 482 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Alabama, so $55,001 — the adjusted value of that $62,210 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 168 of 482 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $50,020 and the top tenth $75,030, so most people doing this work in Alabama sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Alabama is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $55,001 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Alabama adds its own income tax on top — which is why $49,484 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
This occupation is published everywhere — all 51 of them — so comparing states measures real differences rather than gaps in the data.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($50,020 to $75,030) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Alabama rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Alabama'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 $55,001 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 $49,484 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Alabama 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.