SOC 25-2052 · Educational Instruction and Library Occupations · May 2025

How much do Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School make in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA is $83,140. The 10th percentile is $63,280 and the 90th percentile is $107,430. Employment is 890.

Median annual wage

$83,140

10th percentile
$63,280
25th percentile
$65,710
Median
$83,140
75th percentile
$104,290
90th percentile
$107,430
Mean
$86,580

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates. BLS reports this occupation on an annual basis. Hourly wages are not published.

Two cooks working in a commercial kitchen in 1930
Cooks in a Washington state kitchen, 1930. Seattle Municipal Archives. Photograph by Seattle Municipal Archives. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School, the published 10th percentile is $63,280 and the 90th percentile is $107,430. The difference is $44,150, which is 53.1% 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 $65,710 to the 75th at $104,290, covers $38,580.

The mean annual wage is $86,580, which sits above the median of $83,140. 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA median is 27.7% higher than the national median of $65,120 for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School. In 2024 national prices the local median is $78,865, which is 21.1% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 7% higher than the Oregon median of $77,700.

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Oregon, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA is 105.421, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $83,140 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School at $78,865 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

12 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ranks 4th of 13 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).).

  • Longview-Kelso, WA is 42 miles away, with a median of $80,800 and employment of 60. That median is 2.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $82,834, against $78,865 here.
  • Salem, OR is 52 miles away, with a median of $80,110 and employment of 180. That median is 3.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $77,290, against $78,865 here.
  • Albany, OR is 77 miles away, with a median of $63,510 and employment of 50. That median is 23.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $62,204, against $78,865 here.

Employment share

Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School accounts for 0.07% of wage-and-salary employment in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (890 of 1,208,410). 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.

Highest-paying jobs in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA · Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School make in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA is $83,140. The 10th percentile is $63,280 and the 90th percentile is $107,430. Employment is 890.

How does that compare with the national median for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School?

The local median is 27.7% higher than the national median of $65,120.

What is Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School pay in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA is 105.421, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $83,140 is $78,865. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA compare with nearby metros for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School?

Longview-Kelso, WA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 42 miles away, at $80,800. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ranks 4th of 13 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.