SOC 25-2058 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School — Asheville
Asheville, NC · 9 metro areas compared
At $55,490, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Special Education Teachers, Secondary School, 25.3% beneath the national figure of $74,260.
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
- -1.6%
- Openings per year
- 11,100
- 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 Asheville, 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
At $55,490, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Special Education Teachers, Secondary School, 25.3% beneath the national figure of $74,260. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $47,040 and $61,380. The lowest tenth earn under $42,480, while the highest tenth earn more than $65,720.
Employment stands at 50, or 0.3 jobs per thousand held locally. Hickory leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $64,630. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 212th of 425 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $42,480 | −42.8% |
| 25th | $47,040 | −36.7% |
| Median (50th) | $55,490 | −25.3% |
| 75th | $61,380 | −17.3% |
| 90th | $65,720 | −11.5% |
| Mean | $54,350 | −26.8% |
Other metro areas in North Carolina
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hickory | $64,630 | 110 | |
| 2 | Charlotte | $60,070 | 1,070 | |
| 3 | Durham | $58,490 | 250 | |
| 4 | Greensboro | $56,660 | 360 | |
| 5 | Rocky Mount | $54,910 | 40 | |
| 6 | Raleigh | $53,140 | 510 | |
| 7 | Fayetteville | $53,100 | 140 | |
| 8 | Wilmington | $51,710 | 120 | |
| 9 | Winston-Salem | $50,820 | 170 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Asheville run 3.5% below the national average, so the median of $55,490 goes as far as $57,503 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 22.6% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$55,490as reported by BLSLocal price level
96.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$57,503US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $55,490 a year, 25.3% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $42,480 to $65,720 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 50 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Hickory, at $64,630.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Special Education Teachers, Secondary School in Asheville, NC?
The median annual wage is $55,490, 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 $74,260, so pay in Asheville, NC is 25.3% 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 Asheville, NC earns more than $65,720 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $42,480 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 Hickory, at $64,630 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 50 jobs in this occupation in Asheville, 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.
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