Special Education Teachers, Secondary School Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $60K, rent takes 33.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,322/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, secondary schools typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,415/month.

Local pay runs 20% below the national median — $60K here vs. $74K nationally.

Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area pays $60K median vs. the U.S. average of $74K — that’s -20%.

The median is $59,720 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,250, and experienced special education teachers, secondary schools can clear $75,720. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,920/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,322/month, which eats 33.7% 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 Iowa 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, secondary school salary is worth about $59,720 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.