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.
Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education earn a median of $38,140 per year ($18.34/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.1% through 2034, with about 65,500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Associate's degree.
SOC 25-2011Educational Instruction and LibraryLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $38,140
- Projected growth
- +4.1%
- Openings a year
- 65,500
- Typical education
- Associate's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Child Development Teacher, Early Childhood Teacher, Group Teacher, Infant Teacher, Montessori Preschool Teacher, Nursery Teacher.
How much do Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education make?
10th percentile$28,990
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$34,530
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$38,140
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$47,550
Upper quartile
90th percentile$61,390
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $38,140 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $18.34/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $43,030 |
| People employed | 478,780 |
Versus all US occupations
At $38,140, Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education earn 25% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $12,840 a year.
Versus educational instruction and library occupations
Inside the Educational Instruction and Library group, where the middle occupation pays $77,355, this is 51% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $61,390 or more while the bottom 10% earn $28,990, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 8% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $62,150, and still leads at $56,551 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $62,150 | $56,551 | 2,350 |
| Vermont | $49,730 | $50,767 | 940 |
| Hawaii | $48,780 | $44,365 | 1,410 |
| New Jersey | $48,220 | $44,318 | 16,190 |
| Kansas | $47,750 | $53,015 | 1,330 |
| California | $47,400 | $42,811 | 55,700 |
| Nebraska | $47,040 | $52,207 | 1,630 |
| New York | $46,520 | $43,106 | 23,870 |
| Alaska | $46,130 | $45,067 | 520 |
| Massachusetts | $45,890 | $43,392 | 18,710 |
Is Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education a growing career?
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education4.1%
All US occupations3.1%
+4.1% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education to change 4.1% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 22,900 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 65,500 openings are projected each year, 11.8% of the 555,100 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Early childhood education is important for a child’s intellectual and social development. More preschool teachers are projected to be needed to meet the demand for early childhood education.
How to become a Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education
Education and training requirements vary based on settings and state regulations. Preschool teachers typically need at least an associate’s degree.
| Typical entry-level education | Associate's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Some preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as preschool teachers, except special education.
- High School Diploma28.8%
- Bachelor's Degree17.2%
- Some College Courses12.2%
- Master's Degree12.0%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)11.6%
What does a Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education do?
Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.
Preschool teachers educate and care for children younger than age 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten. They teach language, motor, and social skills to young children.
Day-to-day tasks
- Read books to entire classes or to small groups.
- Demonstrate activities to children.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their ages and perceptual skills.
- Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
- Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.
- Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
- Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where preschool teachers, except special education work
| Child daycare services | 63% |
|---|---|
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 16% |
| Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | 15% |
| Individual and family services | 2% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Speaking4.0/5
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Learning Strategies3.9/5
- Reading Comprehension3.8/5
- Critical Thinking3.8/5
- Monitoring3.8/5
- Active Learning3.1/5
- Writing3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Instructing4.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.8/5
- Coordination3.8/5
- Service Orientation3.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1/5
- Persuasion3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Computer based training software
- Desktop communications software
- Electronic mail software
- Mobile messaging service software
- Multi-media educational software
- Project management software
- Video conferencing software
- Video creation and editing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.9
Investigative2.8
Artisticprimary4.0
Socialprimary7.0
Enterprising2.5
Conventionalprimary3.6
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules.
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.
Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education: frequently asked questions
How much do Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education make?
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education earn a median of $38,140 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 25% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $18.34/hr. The middle half earn between $34,530 and $47,550. The top 10% earn $61,390 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education?
Usually a two-year degree rather than a four-year one. BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 28.8% hold high school diploma.
Is Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.1% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 65,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education do?
Preschool teachers educate and care for children younger than age 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten. A core O*NET task: read books to entire classes or to small groups. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Spreadsheet software, Word processing software.
Which states pay Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education the most?
The highest state medians for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education are District of Columbia ($62,150), Vermont ($49,730), Hawaii ($48,780) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Preschool Teacher, Except Special Education?
O*NET scores Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education highest on the Social, Artistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFP, ENFJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.