Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education pay in the U.S.
$43,030avg. a year
$20.69 an hour · 478,780 employed
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in the U.S. earn an average of $43,030 a year and a median of $38,140. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($68,100) and lowest in Alabama ($31,160).
$38,140Median pay
$20.69Average hourly
+18%Avg. pay since 2020
478,780Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for preschool teachers, except special education
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
12,350 jobs
District of Columbia
$68,100
$32.74 an hour
216,190 jobs
New Jersey
$56,770
$27.30 an hour
35,210 jobs
Colorado
$53,270
$25.61 an hour
4940 jobs
Vermont
$52,520
$25.25 an hour
523,870 jobs
New York
$51,930
$24.97 an hour
655,700 jobs
California
$51,190
$24.61 an hour
75,230 jobs
Connecticut
$50,830
$24.44 an hour
8520 jobs
Alaska
$50,670
$24.36 an hour
91,410 jobs
Hawaii
$50,670
$24.36 an hour
102,490 jobs
New Mexico
$50,510
$24.28 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $37k$37k–$41k$41k–$48k$48k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Vineland, NJ | $62,570 | $30.08 |
| Albany, GA | $62,070 | $29.84 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $58,560 | $28.16 |
| Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | $58,180 | $27.97 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $57,250 | $27.53 |
| Visalia, CA | $56,190 | $27.02 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $55,850 | $26.85 |
| Modesto, CA | $55,820 | $26.84 |
Related jobs
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$72,650
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$76,320
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,030
- Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School$72,650
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary School$77,260
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School$72,680
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $31,160 | $28,310 | 7,910 |
| Alaska | $50,670 | $46,130 | 520 |
| Arizona | $38,800 | $36,300 | 9,400 |
| Arkansas | $38,180 | $34,190 | 3,270 |
| California | $51,190 | $47,400 | 55,700 |
| Colorado | $53,270 | $45,500 | 5,210 |
| Connecticut | $50,830 | $45,740 | 5,230 |
| Delaware | $37,240 | $36,360 | 2,000 |
| District of Columbia | $68,100 | $62,150 | 2,350 |
| Florida | $37,040 | $35,860 | 35,740 |
| Georgia | $47,920 | $43,920 | 16,850 |
| Hawaii | $50,670 | $48,780 | 1,410 |
| Idaho | $35,650 | $32,800 | 1,010 |
| Illinois | $45,150 | $40,910 | 22,420 |
| Indiana | $38,240 | $36,650 | 7,110 |
| Iowa | $35,760 | $33,830 | 5,910 |
| Kansas | $46,580 | $47,750 | 1,330 |
| Kentucky | $35,400 | $29,780 | 8,520 |
| Louisiana | $41,280 | $38,020 | 3,570 |
| Maine | $45,350 | $43,890 | 1,110 |
| Maryland | $47,470 | $44,600 | 8,020 |
| Massachusetts | $48,460 | $45,890 | 18,710 |
| Michigan | $39,730 | $37,110 | 10,950 |
| Minnesota | $45,130 | $43,430 | 10,320 |
| Mississippi | $35,500 | $36,250 | 3,600 |
| Missouri | $39,030 | $36,090 | 5,580 |
| Montana | $38,440 | $36,540 | 960 |
| Nebraska | $50,150 | $47,040 | 1,630 |
| Nevada | $42,970 | $38,870 | 2,360 |
| New Hampshire | $41,950 | $39,350 | 2,220 |
| New Jersey | $56,770 | $48,220 | 16,190 |
| New Mexico | $50,510 | $44,070 | 2,490 |
| New York | $51,930 | $46,520 | 23,870 |
| North Carolina | $37,340 | $35,710 | 18,370 |
| North Dakota | $41,620 | $39,720 | 540 |
| Ohio | $36,500 | $35,180 | 19,840 |
| Oklahoma | $37,310 | $31,790 | 7,010 |
| Oregon | $48,130 | $45,140 | 6,300 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,250 | $36,050 | 22,760 |
| Rhode Island | $39,850 | $36,830 | 1,890 |
| South Carolina | $36,190 | $34,500 | 4,550 |
| South Dakota | $42,440 | $44,500 | 1,470 |
| Tennessee | $41,170 | $34,280 | 5,420 |
| Texas | $35,970 | $33,860 | 41,200 |
| Utah | $36,450 | $35,010 | 3,670 |
| Vermont | $52,520 | $49,730 | 940 |
| Virginia | $42,490 | $37,140 | 13,570 |
| Washington | $48,140 | $45,660 | 13,210 |
| West Virginia | $37,650 | $32,480 | 2,190 |
| Wisconsin | $36,500 | $36,160 | 11,330 |
| Wyoming | $37,330 | $29,930 | 1,040 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$55,540
28,140 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$50,550
18,430 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$45,740
17,180 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$41,250
15,260 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$48,190
14,500 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$50,820
11,910 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$37,360
11,650 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$36,510
11,100 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do preschool teachers, except special education make?
The average is $43,030 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $38,140 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $20.69, and the median is $18.34 an hour.
Which state pays preschool teachers, except special education the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $68,100 a year. The best-paying metro area is Vineland, NJ at $62,570.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $28,990 a year, and the top 10% earn over $61,390.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 25-2011. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.