SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-2057 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Special Education Teachers, Middle School — Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC · 5 metro areas compared

$76,620 /year
860jobs in area
+14.7%vs US median

In Virginia Beach, VA the median wage for Special Education Teachers, Middle School is $76,620 a year, which is 14.7% higher than the national figure of $66,810.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $66,81010TH$56,780MEDIAN$76,62075TH$82,01090TH$101,720

How pay has moved

$84,708$69,1832019202020212022202320242025$76,620
$73,620 in 2019 to $76,620 in 2025, +4.1% 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
-1.9%
Openings per year
6,300
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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.

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

In Virginia Beach, VA the median wage for Special Education Teachers, Middle School is $76,620 a year, which is 14.7% higher than the national figure of $66,810. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $60,890 and $82,010. The lowest tenth earn under $56,780, while the highest tenth earn more than $101,720.

The area has 860 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 1.1 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Staunton records the highest median at $70,690. Of the 593 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 188th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$56,780−15.0%
25th$60,890−8.9%
Median (50th)$76,620+14.7%
75th$82,010+22.8%
90th$101,720+52.3%
Mean$76,730+14.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Virginia

Median annual wage for Special Education Teachers, Middle School, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Staunton$70,69070
2Charlottesville$61,13070
3Lynchburg$60,88050
4Richmond$60,560390
5Roanoke$57,990100

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Virginia Beach run 2.1% below the national average, so the median of $76,620 goes as far as $78,264 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 17.1% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$76,620as reported by BLS

Local price level

97.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$78,264US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $76,620 a year, 14.7% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $56,780 to $101,720 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 860 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Staunton, at $70,690.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Special Education Teachers, Middle School in Virginia Beach, VA?

The median annual wage is $76,620, 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 $66,810, so pay in Virginia Beach, VA is 14.7% 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 Virginia Beach, VA earns more than $101,720 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $56,780 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 Staunton, at $70,690 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 860 jobs in this occupation in Virginia Beach, VA. 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, Middle School Salary in Virginia Beach, VA (2025): $76,620 Median | Salary Explorer