Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $58K, rent takes 29.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,129/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new elementary school teachers, except special educations typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,290/month. At HUD’s $1,129/month FMR, rent would take 49% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $58K locally vs. $64K nationally, a 10% difference.

Montana pays $58K median vs. the U.S. average of $64K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $59K — below the national median.

The median is $57,530 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,160, and experienced elementary school teachers, except special educations can clear $78,450. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,831/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,129/month, which eats 29.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Montana has a Regional Price Parity of 97 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median elementary school teachers, except special education salary is worth about $59,309 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.