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SOC 25-2052 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary SchoolRaleigh

Raleigh-Cary, NC · 10 metro areas compared

$60,860 /year
1,360jobs in area
6.5%vs US median

At $60,860, median pay for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Raleigh, NC tracks the national median of $65,120 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $65,12010TH$48,780MEDIAN$60,86075TH$68,39090TH$76,110

Salary overview

At $60,860, median pay for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Raleigh, NC tracks the national median of $65,120 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $50,980 and $68,390. The lowest tenth earn under $48,780, while the highest tenth earn more than $76,110.

The area has 1,360 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.09 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Charlotte leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $61,050. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 269th of 571 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Raleigh-Cary, NC · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$48,780−25.1%
25th$50,980−21.7%
Median (50th)$60,860−6.5%
75th$68,390+5.0%
90th$76,110+16.9%
Mean$62,060−4.7%

Other metro areas in North Carolina

Median annual wage for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Charlotte$61,0501,390
2Greensboro$60,000270
3Durham$58,260330
4Greenville$55,97090
5Fayetteville$55,820180
6Winston-Salem$55,750130
7Hickory$54,350120
8Burlington$53,92070
9Jacksonville$53,660130
10Goldsboro$50,42070

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Raleigh run 5.7% below the national average, so the median of $60,860 goes as far as $64,539 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 0.9% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$60,860as reported by BLS

Local price level

94.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$64,539US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $60,860 a year, 6.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $48,780 to $76,110 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 1,360 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Charlotte, at $61,050.

Frequently asked questions

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

The median annual wage is $60,860, 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 Raleigh, NC is 6.5% 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 Raleigh, NC earns more than $76,110 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $48,780 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 Charlotte, at $61,050 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 1,360 jobs in this occupation in Raleigh, NC. 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 Salary in Raleigh, NC (2025): $60,860 Median | Salary Explorer