How much do Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School make in Columbia, MO?

Percentile spread

For Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School, the published 10th percentile is $39,990 and the 90th percentile is $69,380. The difference is $29,390, which is 63.7% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $45,440 to the 75th at $59,130, covers $13,690.

The mean annual wage is $51,690, which sits above the median of $46,120. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

Hourly wages are not published because BLS reports this occupation on an annual basis. Hourly and annual wages.

National and state comparison

The Columbia, MO median is 29.2% lower than the national median of $65,120 for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School. In 2024 national prices the local median is $51,566, which is 20.8% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 19.5% lower than the Missouri median of $57,260.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Columbia, MO is 89.438, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $46,120 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School at $51,566 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

11 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School. Columbia, MO ranks 12th of 12 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Jefferson City, MO is 36 miles away, with a median of $46,230 and employment of 50. That median is 0.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $52,549, against $51,566 here.
• Kansas City, MO-KS is 100 miles away, with a median of $59,970 and employment of 1,550. That median is 30% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $64,802, against $51,566 here.
• Springfield, MO is 117 miles away, with a median of $48,970 and employment of 180. That median is 6.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $55,280, against $51,566 here.

Employment share

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School accounts for 0.07% of wage-and-salary employment in Columbia, MO (80 of 107,680). Nationally the occupation is 0.17% of employment (260,870 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.44 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.