Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education · SOC 25-2012

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Educations

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for kindergarten teachers, except special education. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 294 metro areas

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	El Centro, CA	$111,880	50	0.7
2	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$106,000	740	0.7
3	Modesto, CA	$103,790	160	0.8
4	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$103,610	240	1.8
5	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$102,450	290	1.5
6	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$101,780	130	0.4
7	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$101,580	2,530	1.2
8	Walla Walla, WA	$99,770	40	1.4
9	Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	$99,660	440	1.1
10	Bellingham, WA	$98,460	170	1.8
11	Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	$97,830	90	1.7
12	Kingston, NY	$97,110	50	0.9
13	Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$97,070	150	1.6
14	Hanford-Corcoran, CA	$96,980	60	1.2
15	Yuba City, CA	$96,570	60	1.2
16	Merced, CA	$96,430	140	1.7
17	Visalia, CA	$96,380	240	1.4
18	Barnstable Town, MA	$95,540	80	0.9
19	Napa, CA	$94,500	50	0.6
20	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	$93,040	440	0.7
21	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$92,910	130	0.7
22	Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT	$91,670	100	0.8
23	Vallejo, CA	$91,640	100	0.7
24	Worcester, MA	$89,770	200	0.6
25	Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA	$89,740	80	1.5

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.