Special Education Teachers, Preschool Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $58K, rent takes 73.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,812/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new special education teachers, preschools typically earn — is $43K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,924/month.

Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $58K here vs. $65K nationally.

Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area pays $58K median vs. the U.S. average of $65K — that’s -11%.

The median is $57,900 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,020, and experienced special education teachers, preschools can clear $80,090. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,838/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,812/month, which eats 73.3% 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.

Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median special education teachers, preschool salary is worth about $57,900 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.