Middle School Special Education Teacher Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for middle school special education teachers in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of middle school special education teachers among California areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Middle School Special Education Teachers in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$49,030
25th Percentile Wage
$59,580
50th Percentile Wage
$74,810
75th Percentile Wage
$93,790
90th Percentile Wage
$113,260

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for middle school special education teachers in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $113,260. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $74,810. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $49,030.

Median salary trend

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of middle school special education teachers from 2012 to 2018.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth6-Year Growth
2018
$74,810
3.70% 16.55%
2017
$72,040
5.27% -
2016
$68,240
2.52% -
2015
$66,520
1.77% -
2014
$65,340
1.74% -
2013
$64,200
2.76% -
2012
$62,430
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Middle School Special Education Teachers in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of middle school special education teachers in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of middle school special education teachers in state of California ranges from $33,660 to $86,690. The highest paying area for middle school special education teachers in California is Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura with a median annual salary of $86,690. The second highest paying city/area in California State is Napa (mean annual salary $83,900). The lowest paying area is North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $33,660.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$86,690
Napa
$83,900
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$83,100
Bakersfield-Delano
$81,020
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$80,590
Salinas
$80,290
Visalia-Porterville
$79,730
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$76,570
Modesto
$75,370
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$74,320
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$73,790
Merced
$71,000
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$70,840
Vallejo-Fairfield
$70,690
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$70,580
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$69,860
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$69,510
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$69,400
Chico
$69,220
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$68,180
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$67,450
El Centro
$65,800
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$65,440
Fresno
$65,400
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$64,820
Stockton
$64,640
Redding
$64,030
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$63,290
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$62,760
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$56,780
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$33,660