SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-2052 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School — Longview

Longview-Kelso, WA · 9 metro areas compared

$80,800 /year
60jobs in area
+24.1%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Longview, WA comes to $80,800 a year, ahead of the national median of $65,120 by 24.1%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $65,12010TH$61,43025TH$74,050MEDIAN$80,80090TH$104,380

How pay has moved

$84,063$64,4882019202020212022202320242025$80,800
$69,580 in 2019 to $80,800 in 2025, +16.1% 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 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 Longview-Kelso, WA.

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 for this occupation in Longview, WA comes to $80,800 a year, ahead of the national median of $65,120 by 24.1%. Pay ranges from under $61,430 at the tenth percentile to more than $104,380 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $74,050 to $104,380.

Employment stands at 60, or 1.4 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Seattle records the highest median at $100,150. Of the 198 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 52nd.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Longview-Kelso, WA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$61,430−5.7%
25th$74,050+13.7%
Median (50th)$80,800+24.1%
75th$104,380+60.3%
90th$104,380+60.3%
Mean$86,770+33.2%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Washington

Median annual wage for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Seattle$100,1501,740
2Mount Vernon$99,84060
3Bellingham$95,610110
4Bremerton$95,040130
5Kennewick$85,000170
6Yakima$82,790140
7Olympia$81,150140
8Spokane$79,220260
9Wenatchee$74,86060

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Longview run 2.5% below the national average, so the median of $80,800 goes as far as $82,872 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 27.3% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$80,800as reported by BLS

Local price level

97.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$82,872US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $80,800 a year, 24.1% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $61,430 to $104,380 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 60 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Seattle, at $100,150.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Longview, WA?

The median annual wage is $80,800, 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 Longview, WA is 24.1% higher. 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 Longview, WA earns more than $104,380 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $61,430 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 Seattle, at $100,150 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 60 jobs in this occupation in Longview, WA. 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.

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Longview, WA Earn $80,800 — 24.1% Above the US Median (2025) | Salary Explorer