Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education · SOC 25-2022
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education Salary in the California
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025California
Figures describe the state of California as a whole.
BLS publishes only annual wages for this occupation (workers typically work fewer than 2,080 hours per year).
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in the California earned a median of $98,950 per year as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $62,410 at the 10th percentile to $129,500 at the 90th. BLS estimates 37,300 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in the California earn more than $98,950 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $76,270 and $111,610.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $62,410 | $76,270 | $98,950 | $111,610 | $129,500 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- California$98,950 median for California; middle half earns $76,270 to $111,610
- United Statesnational$64,370 median for United States; middle half earns $58,530 to $80,490
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is +54% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in California
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Californiathis page$98,950 median for California; middle half earns $76,270 to $111,610
- $105,030 median for San Jose metro area; middle half earns $83,170 to $133,290
- $104,250 median for Fresno metro area; middle half earns $78,860 to $104,780
- $104,140 median for El Centro metro area; middle half earns $80,420 to $131,740
- $103,880 median for Oxnard metro area; middle half earns $79,120 to $105,070
- $101,770 median for Merced metro area; middle half earns $77,570 to $111,820
- $101,250 median for Modesto metro area; middle half earns $77,130 to $122,800
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical educations · Highest-paying occupations in California
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
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.