Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $74K, rent takes 48.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,240/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical educations typically earn — is $56K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,362/month. At HUD’s $2,240/month FMR, rent would take 67% 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 — $74K locally vs. $72K nationally, a 3% difference.

Hawaii pays $74K median vs. the U.S. average of $72K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 110.17), the purchasing-power equivalent is $67K — below the national median.

The median is $74,310 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $56,040, and experienced secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical educations can clear $98,360. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,622/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,240/month, which eats 48.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Hawaii has a Regional Price Parity of 110.17 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education salary is worth about $67,450 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.