SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education — Palm Bay

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL · 10 metro areas compared

$35,920 /year
$17.27per hour
880jobs in area
−5.8%vs US median

The median wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Palm Bay, FL is $35,920 per year, close to the national median of $38,140 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $38,14010TH$29,820MEDIAN$35,92075TH$37,70090TH$46,420

How pay has moved

$39,063$20,2082019202020212022202320242025$35,920
$23,350 in 2019 to $35,920 in 2025, +53.8% 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 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL.

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

The median wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Palm Bay, FL is $35,920 per year, close to the national median of $38,140 for the same occupation. Half of workers earn between $30,360 and $37,700. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $29,820 and the ninetieth at $46,420.

The area has 880 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 3.6 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Naples records the highest median at $38,530. Of the 414 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 369th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$29,820−21.8%
25th$30,360−20.4%
Median (50th)$35,920−5.8%
75th$37,700−1.2%
90th$46,420+21.7%
Mean$37,040−2.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Florida

Median annual wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Naples$38,530530
2Miami$36,38011,650
3Jacksonville$36,3303,110
4Tampa$36,2705,150
5North Port$35,920950
6Crestview$35,840360
7Port St. Lucie$35,600770
8Orlando$35,5405,120
9Punta Gorda$35,340130
10Cape Coral$35,230840

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Palm Bay sit close to the national average, so $35,920 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.

Published median

$35,920as reported by BLS

Local price level

100.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$35,920US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $35,920 a year, 5.8% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $29,820 to $46,420 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 880 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Naples, at $38,530.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Palm Bay, FL?

The median annual wage is $35,920, or $17.27 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 Palm Bay, FL is 5.8% 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 Palm Bay, FL earns more than $46,420 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $29,820 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 Naples, at $38,530 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 880 jobs in this occupation in Palm Bay, FL. Self-employed workers are not included.

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.