Education & Library
Special Ed Teachers, Elementary
SOC 25-2052
Adapt elementary teaching to children with a huge range of needs.
The job
Median pay
$65k
$60k to $80k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Declining
-0.4% projected
Openings a year
16k
BLS projection
Typical education
Bachelor's
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
29/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
49th pct
More exposed than 49% of occupations · modeled estimate · 59th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
53/100
Key skills
- Individualized instruction
- IEPs
- Patience
- Behavior support
- Collaboration
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 56,760 | 4.0 | 2.4× | $62k |
| California | 23,280 | 1.3 | 0.8× | $97k |
| New York | 21,130 | 2.2 | 1.3× | $81k |
| Illinois | 14,040 | 2.3 | 1.4× | $78k |
| New Jersey | 11,610 | 2.7 | 1.6× | $77k |
| Ohio | 9,550 | 1.7 | 1.0× | $74k |
| Georgia | 9,370 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $73k |
| Florida | 8,740 | 0.9 | 0.5× | $59k |
| Pennsylvania | 7,640 | 1.3 | 0.8× | $73k |
| Virginia | 7,440 | 1.8 | 1.1× | $68k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 7,220 | 2.0 | 1.2× | $91k |
| North Carolina | 4,430 | 0.9 | 0.5× | $58k |
| Wisconsin | 4,280 | 1.5 | 0.9× | $62k |
| Colorado | 4,010 | 1.4 | 0.8× | $74k |
| Michigan | 4,010 | 0.9 | 0.5× | $75k |
| Louisiana | 4,000 | 2.1 | 1.2× | $59k |
| Minnesota | 3,960 | 1.3 | 0.8× | $68k |
| Tennessee | 3,910 | 1.2 | 0.7× | $63k |
| Kentucky | 3,710 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $60k |
| Indiana | 3,640 | 1.1 | 0.7× | $59k |
| Washington | 3,450 | 1.0 | 0.6× | $95k |
| South Carolina | 2,950 | 1.3 | 0.8× | $62k |
| Missouri | 2,860 | 1.0 | 0.6× | $57k |
| Connecticut | 2,810 | 1.7 | 1.0× | $83k |
| Maryland | 2,760 | 1.0 | 0.6× | $79k |
| Iowa | 2,560 | 1.6 | 1.0× | $60k |
| Mississippi | 2,530 | 2.2 | 1.3× | $51k |
| Arizona | 2,450 | 0.8 | 0.5× | $56k |
| Oklahoma | 2,360 | 1.4 | 0.8× | $51k |
| Nebraska | 1,900 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $62k |
| Utah | 1,890 | 1.1 | 0.7× | $61k |
| West Virginia | 1,690 | 2.4 | 1.4× | $50k |
| Kansas | 1,610 | 1.1 | 0.7× | $60k |
| Oregon | 1,520 | 0.8 | 0.5× | $78k |
| Arkansas | 1,430 | 1.1 | 0.7× | $54k |
| Maine | 1,320 | 2.1 | 1.2× | $62k |
| Hawaii | 1,270 | 2.0 | 1.2× | $61k |
| New Hampshire | 1,110 | 1.6 | 1.0× | $65k |
| Delaware | 1,070 | 2.2 | 1.3× | $66k |
| Washington DC | 1,070 | 1.5 | 0.9× | $98k |
| Rhode Island | 1,070 | 2.1 | 1.3× | $84k |
| New Mexico | 880 | 1.0 | 0.6× | $76k |
| Alabama | 870 | 0.4 | 0.3× | $65k |
| South Dakota | 790 | 1.7 | 1.0× | $51k |
| Vermont | 770 | 2.5 | 1.5× | $74k |
| Wyoming | 650 | 2.3 | 1.4× | $61k |
| Idaho | 620 | 0.7 | 0.4× | $64k |
| North Dakota | 590 | 1.4 | 0.8× | $58k |
| Montana | 560 | 1.1 | 0.7× | $58k |
| Nevada | 430 | 0.3 | 0.2× | $65k |
| Alaska | 320 | 1.0 | 0.6× | $80k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ22,270 jobs · $92k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX15,810 jobs · $65k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX12,680 jobs · $65k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN11,210 jobs · $80k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA6,410 jobs · $97k median
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX6,190 jobs · $61k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA5,860 jobs · $78k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD5,660 jobs · $74k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Special Ed Teachers, Elementary interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.