SOC 25-2052 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School — Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN-GA · 8 metro areas compared
The median wage for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Chattanooga, TN is $63,220 per year, close to the national median of $65,120 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -1.8%
- Openings per year
- 15,400
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor'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 Chattanooga, TN-GA.
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 Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Chattanooga, TN is $63,220 per year, close to the national median of $65,120 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $48,240 at the tenth percentile to more than $77,310 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $52,050 to $75,380.
Employment stands at 580, or 2.2 jobs per thousand held locally. Nashville leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $65,170. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 143rd of 466 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $48,240 | −25.9% |
| 25th | $52,050 | −20.1% |
| Median (50th) | $63,220 | −2.9% |
| 75th | $75,380 | +15.8% |
| 90th | $77,310 | +18.7% |
| Mean | $63,090 | −3.1% |
Other metro areas in Tennessee
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville | $65,170 | 1,030 | |
| 2 | Memphis | $64,640 | 1,330 | |
| 3 | Johnson City | $62,560 | 80 | |
| 4 | Knoxville | $60,390 | 400 | |
| 5 | Cleveland | $59,220 | 70 | |
| 6 | Kingsport | $55,380 | 180 | |
| 7 | Jackson | $52,370 | 110 | |
| 8 | Clarksville | $48,440 | 50 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Chattanooga run 8.5% below the national average, so the median of $63,220 goes as far as $69,093 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 6.1% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$63,220as reported by BLSLocal price level
91.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$69,093US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $63,220 a year, 2.9% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $48,240 to $77,310 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 580 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Nashville, at $65,170.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Chattanooga, TN?
The median annual wage is $63,220, 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 $65,120, so pay in Chattanooga, TN is 2.9% 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 Chattanooga, TN earns more than $77,310 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $48,240 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 Nashville, at $65,170 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 580 jobs in this occupation in Chattanooga, TN. 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.
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