SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education — Florence

Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL · 10 metro areas compared

$27,660 /year
$13.30per hour
−27.5%vs US median

Median pay in Florence, AL is $27,660 a year, 27.5% under the national median of $38,140 for this occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $38,14010TH$18,91025TH$22,920MEDIAN$27,66090TH$32,360

How pay has moved

$29,955$16,185201920202021202220232025$27,660
$18,480 in 2019 to $27,660 in 2025, +49.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+4.1%
Openings per year
65,500
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay in Florence, AL is $27,660 a year, 27.5% under the national median of $38,140 for this occupation. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $22,920 and $28,070. The lowest tenth earn under $18,910, while the highest tenth earn more than $32,360.

Within the state, Mobile records the highest median at $29,090. Of the 219 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 195th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$18,910−50.4%
25th$22,920−39.9%
Median (50th)$27,660−27.5%
75th$28,070−26.4%
90th$32,360−15.2%
Mean$26,920−29.4%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Alabama

Median annual wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Mobile$29,090990
2Huntsville$28,760—
3Tuscaloosa$28,630330
4Birmingham$28,5402,070
5Montgomery$28,540640
6Auburn$28,490500
7Daphne$28,480360
8Anniston$27,780150
9Dothan$27,700240
10Gadsden$25,290110

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Florence run 15.2% below the national average, so the median of $27,660 goes as far as $32,618 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 14.5% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$27,660as reported by BLS

Local price level

84.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$32,618US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $27,660 a year, 27.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $18,910 to $32,360 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Mobile, at $29,090.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Florence, AL?

The median annual wage is $27,660, or $13.30 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $38,140, so pay in Florence, AL is 27.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Florence, AL earns more than $32,360 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $18,910 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Mobile, at $29,090 per year.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.