Special Education Teachers, Secondary School in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$73,444
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$26,226
26.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$66,283
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — 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
$99,670
Kept after tax
$73,444
Worth in national money
$66,283
State rank
3
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- District of Columbia is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $99,670, which ranks 3 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 34.22% above the national middle.
- Against other work in District of Columbia, this sits in the middle: 123 of 390 occupations with published pay. Solidly ordinary for the state, which is not the same as ordinary nationally.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $99,670 the take-home is $73,444. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $66,283 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $101,340, because the best-paid pull it up.
- District of Columbia ranks 3 of 51 states publishing a median for special education teachers, secondary school, at $99,670 — about 34.22% 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.
- Special education teachers, secondary school ranks 123 of 390 occupations in District of Columbia by median pay, in the middle bands. Within-state and national positions are separate measurements and a job commonly sits in different quartiles on each.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $73,444 for special education teachers, secondary school, from $99,670. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $66,283. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $101,340 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, Secondary School
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $80,640 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $99,670 |
| Top tenth earn over | $127,940 |
| This salary | $99,670 |
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 District of Columbia | $73,444 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $78,948 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$14,960 |
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 | $91,847 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$20,664 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in District of Columbia earn less than $99,670. The published range is $80,640 up to $127,940, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind District of Columbia's $73,444, worked from $99,670. 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 123 of 390.
- One number stands for prices across all of District of Columbia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $66,283, the adjusted value of that $99,670 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 123 of 390 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for special education teachers, secondary school in District of Columbia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $80,640 to $127,940. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The District of Columbia take-home of $73,444, on $99,670 for work ranking 123 of 390 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 123 of 390 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for District of Columbia, so $66,283 — the adjusted value of that $99,670 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 123 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $80,640 and the top tenth $127,940, so most people doing this work in District of Columbia sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $66,283 of national purchasing power.
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 District of Columbia's own levy, $73,444 remains.
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 ($80,640 to $127,940) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $66,283 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $73,444 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia 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.