Adapted Physical Education Specialists earn a median of $76,580 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 1.9% through 2035, with about 2,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 25-2059
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Adapted Physical Education Specialist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $76,580a yearBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $48KTop 10% $120K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +1.9%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+1.9%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +1.9% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 2,30034,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202534.8K
- Projected 203535.5K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 34.8K Projected 2035 35.5K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Adapted Aquatics Instructor, Adapted Physical Activity Specialist, Adapted Physical Educator, APE Consultant (Adapted Physical Education Consultant), APE Instructional Specialist (Adapted Physical Education Instructional Specialist), APE Teacher (Adapted Physical Education Teacher).
Pay
How much do Adapted Physical Education Specialists make?
Every adapted physical education specialist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$76,580
Middle half earn $60,930 to $99,690
- 10th
- $48,440
- 25th
- $60,930
- 75th
- $99,690
- 90th
- $120,080
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $48,440 |
| 25th | $60,930 |
| Median | $76,580 |
| 75th | $99,690 |
| 90th | $120,080 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $76,580
- Median hourly wage
- N/A
- Mean annual wage
- $79,750
- People employed
- 33,930
Versus all US occupations
At $76,580, Adapted Physical Education Specialists earn 50% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $25,600 a year.
Versus educational instruction and library occupations
Inside the Educational Instruction and Library group, where the middle occupation pays $68,270, this is 12% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $120,080 or more while the bottom 10% earn $48,440, a gap of 2.5×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 52% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($103,050), but once local prices are taken into account New Mexico leads at $93,827 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Adapted Physical Education Specialists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $103,050 | $93,073 | 8,920 |
| 2New Mexico | $86,520 | $93,827 | 100 |
| 3Delaware | $85,040 | $85,204 | 50 |
| 4Oregon | $82,240 | $79,566 | 820 |
| 5Rhode Island | $80,080 | $78,295 | 110 |
| 6Colorado | $79,290 | $76,942 | 180 |
| 7Michigan | $78,540 | $81,628 | 3,320 |
| 8Massachusetts | $78,440 | $74,170 | 300 |
| 9Virginia | $77,280 | $76,436 | 540 |
| 10Washington | $76,790 | $71,758 | 170 |
Job outlook
Is Adapted Physical Education Specialist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +1.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Adapted Physical Education Specialists | +1.9% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Adapted Physical Education Specialists to change 1.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 2,300 openings are projected each year, 6.6% of the 34,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of special education teachers is projected to decline 0 percent from 2025 to 2035.
Despite declining employment, about 37,100 openings for special education teachers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Declining school enrollments may limit demand for special education teachers. However, these teachers are projected to still have some demand as children with disabilities are identified earlier and are enrolled into special education programs.
Getting in
How to become an Adapted Physical Education Specialist
Special education teachers in public schools are required to have at least a bachelor’s degree and a state-issued certification or license. Private schools typically require teachers to have a bachelor’s degree, but the teachers are not required to be licensed or certified.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
Full BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entryThe work
What does an Adapted Physical Education Specialist do?
Provide individualized physical education instruction or services to children, youth, or adults with exceptional physical needs due to gross motor developmental delays or other impairments.
Special education teachers work with students who have learning, mental, emotional, or physical disabilities. They adapt general education lessons and teach various subjects to students with mild to moderate disabilities. They also teach basic skills to students with severe disabilities.
Day-to-day tasks
- Provide adapted physical education services to students with intellectual disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, orthopedic impairments, or other disabling condition.
- Provide students positive feedback to encourage them and help them develop an appreciation for physical education.
- Provide individual or small groups of students with adapted physical education instruction that meets desired physical needs or goals.
- Instruct students, using adapted physical education techniques, to improve physical fitness, gross motor skills, perceptual motor skills, or sports and game achievement.
- Write reports to summarize student performance, social growth, or physical development.
- Evaluate the motor needs of individual students to determine their need for adapted physical education services.
- Establish and maintain standards of behavior to create safe, orderly, and effective environments for learning.
- Collaborate with other educational personnel to provide inclusive activities or programs for children with disabilities.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Special education teachers typically work during school hours. In addition to providing instruction during this time, they grade papers, update students’ records, and prepare lessons. They may meet with parents, students, and other teachers or specialists before and after classes.
Many work the traditional 10-month school year and have a 2-month break during the summer. They also have a short midwinter break. Some teachers work in summer programs.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeOn their feet more than half the working day.
Bending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the timeRegular bending or twisting.
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Learning Strategies4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.9
- Active Learning3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Instructing4.1
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Service Orientation3.9
- Coordination3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Time Management3.3
- Persuasion3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Instructing | 4.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 |
| Time Management | 3.3 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Adapted Physical Education Specialist?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Adapted Physical Education Specialist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 7 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Social7.0
- Conventional4.2
- Realistic4.1
- Investigative3.6
- Artistic2.5
- Enterprising1.9
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Adapted Physical Education Specialist
O*NET related occupations
- Educational Instruction and Library
Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten
$67,170median a year
Most earn $49K to $105K
−0.1%Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed - Educational Instruction and Library
Special Education Teacher, Secondary School
$74,260median a year
Most earn $50K to $109K
−0.2%Bachelor's - Educational Instruction and Library
Special Education Teacher, Elementary School
$67,170median a year
Most earn $49K to $105K
−0.1%Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed - Educational Instruction and Library
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Educational Instruction and Library
More educational instruction and library careers
Median annual pay, with adapted physical education specialists highlighted
- Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary$80,250
- Adapted Physical Education Specialist$76,580
- Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$74,260
- Librarian$68,270
- Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School$66,270
- Kindergarten Teacher$62,680
- Library Technician$44,580
- Tutor$43,350
- Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education$38,140
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary | $80,250 |
| Adapted Physical Education Specialist | $76,580 |
| Special Education Teacher, Secondary School | $74,260 |
| Librarian | $68,270 |
| Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School | $66,270 |
| Kindergarten Teacher | $62,680 |
| Library Technician | $44,580 |
| Tutor | $43,350 |
| Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education | $38,140 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Adapted Physical Education Specialist appears on
Questions
Adapted Physical Education Specialist: frequently asked questions
How much do Adapted Physical Education Specialists make?
Adapted Physical Education Specialists earn a median of $76,580 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 50% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. The middle half earn between $60,930 and $99,690. The top 10% earn $120,080 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Adapted Physical Education Specialist?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Adapted Physical Education Specialists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation.
Is Adapted Physical Education Specialist a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 1.9% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 2,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Adapted Physical Education Specialist do?
Special education teachers work with students who have learning, mental, emotional, or physical disabilities. A core O*NET task: provide adapted physical education services to students with intellectual disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, orthopedic impairments, or other disabling condition. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Adapted Physical Education Specialists the most?
The highest state medians for Adapted Physical Education Specialists are California ($103,050), New Mexico ($86,520), Delaware ($85,040) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, New Mexico moves to the top at $93,827.
What personality type suits an Adapted Physical Education Specialist?
O*NET scores Adapted Physical Education Specialists highest on the Social, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.