Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education: salary, outlook & degrees
Teach academic and social skills to kindergarten students.
Middle half $52,180–$79,910. 108,870 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 11,900 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Washington | $99,960 |
| Connecticut | $90,030 |
| Rhode Island | $85,470 |
| Massachusetts | $84,100 |
| California | $82,550 |
| District of Columbia | $81,500 |
| New York | $77,630 |
| Maryland | $75,910 |
| Minnesota | $75,500 |
| New Mexico | $74,380 |
| New Jersey | $74,210 |
| Delaware | $74,030 |
| Ohio | $72,570 |
| Oregon | $68,580 |
| Georgia | $65,680 |
| Nevada | $64,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,430 |
| Illinois | $64,020 |
| Virginia | $63,920 |
| Texas | $63,780 |
| Michigan | $63,300 |
| Vermont | $63,280 |
| Utah | $63,190 |
| Colorado | $62,870 |
| Idaho | $62,240 |
| Nebraska | $62,200 |
| PR | $61,760 |
| Wyoming | $60,990 |
| South Carolina | $60,890 |
| Kentucky | $60,280 |
| New Hampshire | $60,240 |
| North Dakota | $59,420 |
| Wisconsin | $59,350 |
| West Virginia | $58,790 |
| Iowa | $58,420 |
| Indiana | $58,250 |
| Florida | $58,100 |
| Tennessee | $58,070 |
| Kansas | $56,670 |
| Missouri | $56,590 |
| North Carolina | $53,180 |
| Hawaii | $53,160 |
| Louisiana | $53,130 |
| Arizona | $52,830 |
| Maine | $52,660 |
| Arkansas | $52,060 |
| Alabama | $50,900 |
| South Dakota | $49,410 |
| Mississippi | $48,880 |
| Oklahoma | $47,860 |
| Montana | $47,590 |
Largest metro areas for this job
- New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ$77,400
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN$70,250
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA$75,690
- San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR$61,760
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA$101,580
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL$57,300
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV$77,200
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ$56,920
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI$80,780
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO$74,960
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA$78,400
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH$81,700
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
Knowledge used
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Psychology
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
Work styles
- Optimism
- Cooperation
- Dependability
- Empathy
- Social Orientation
People in this job tend to have Social (helping), Artistic (creative) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education: questions
How much do kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education make?
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education earn a U.S. median $62,680 a year; the middle half earn $52,180 to $79,910 (BLS, May 2025).
Is kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 100% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required.
How much do kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $58,100 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $62,680 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 25-2012. Method
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Cite this: “Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/kindergarten-teachers-except-special-education.