Special Education Teachers, Middle School Salary — San Diego, California

The average Special Education Teachers, Middle School in San Diego, California earns $86,080 a year.

$86,080 / year, mean
↑ 13.3% above national average 23th percentile in California

San Diego pays below most of California for this role, though still within a normal range for the state. That's a solid premium over the national average for special education teachers, middle school. Cost of living here runs meaningfully above the national average. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within California

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
260
Estimate confidence
RSE 4.4%
Cost of living 112 #6 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 2124 #140 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $946,365 #6 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $102,285 #10 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: San Diego ranks #6 for cost of living and #6 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

San Jose $112,040 Bremerton $104,860 San Francisco $104,470 Seattle $103,370 Sacramento $102,930 Los Angeles $102,110 Riverside $101,470 Salinas $99,280 Bellingham $98,140 Olympia $97,640 Kiryas Joel $95,440 Kingston $94,830 New York $94,790 Santa Rosa $93,770 Modesto $93,070 Fresno $92,160 Yakima $89,990 Portland $88,220 Kennewick $88,120 Oxnard $88,070 Spokane $86,690 San Diego $86,080 Albany $84,070 Trenton $83,780 Salisbury $83,460 San Luis Obispo $82,790 Atlantic City $81,100 Philadelphia $80,580 Allentown $80,430 Chicago $79,540 Lancaster $79,520 Pittsburgh $78,890 Utica $77,600 Ithaca $77,070 Buffalo $76,810 Virginia Beach $76,730 Eugene $76,050 Vineland $76,040 Ann Arbor $75,880 Midland $75,010 Syracuse $74,830 Stockton $74,660 Salem $74,510 Rockford $74,270 Detroit $73,420 Bend $73,370 Binghamton $72,760 Glens Falls $72,610 Staunton $72,120 Springfield $71,980 Saginaw $71,810 Scranton $71,730 Grand Rapids $71,100 Harrisburg $70,500 Lansing $70,300 Albany $70,140 Battle Creek $70,110 Chambersburg $70,090 Flint $69,900 Monroe $69,870 Muskegon $69,370 York $69,240 Rochester $69,060 Watertown $69,030 Dallas $68,190 El Paso $67,880 Lynchburg $66,890 Sherman $66,750 Baltimore $66,680 Houston $65,950 Sarasota $65,420 Lexington $65,230 Champaign $65,130 Odessa $65,060 Charlottesville $63,750 Peoria $63,430 Richmond $63,230 Orlando $63,000 Louisville $62,990 Decatur $62,830 Amarillo $62,290 Roanoke $62,290 Brownsville $62,270 Bloomington $62,240 Indianapolis $62,180 Fort Wayne $62,070 McAllen $62,000 Miami $61,890 Beaumont $61,830 Evansville $61,720 Wheeling $61,390 Weirton $60,950 Austin $60,390 Erie $59,710 Tampa $59,490 Corpus Christi $59,350 San Antonio $59,240 Owensboro $59,120 Elizabethtown $59,060 South Bend $58,720 Bowling Green $58,560 College Station $58,480 Wichita Falls $58,390 Killeen $58,020 Waco $57,720 Huntington $57,390 Paducah $57,140 Crestview $56,830 Kankakee $56,700 Port St. Lucie $56,300 Tyler $55,700 Abilene $54,490 Texarkana $53,950 Longview $52,810 Lubbock $49,670
CityMean salaryvs. San Diego
Abilene, Texas$54,490-36.7%
Albany, Oregon$70,140-18.5%
Albany, New York$84,070-2.3%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$80,430-6.6%
Amarillo, Texas$62,290-27.6%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$75,880-11.8%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$81,100-5.8%
Austin, Texas$60,390-29.8%
Baltimore, Maryland$66,680-22.5%
Battle Creek, Michigan$70,110-18.6%
Beaumont, Texas$61,830-28.2%
Bellingham, Washington$98,140+14.0%
Bend, Oregon$73,370-14.8%
Binghamton, New York$72,760-15.5%
Bloomington, Illinois$62,240-27.7%
Bowling Green, Kentucky$58,560-32.0%
Bremerton, Washington$104,860+21.8%
Brownsville, Texas$62,270-27.7%
Buffalo, New York$76,810-10.8%
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania$70,090-18.6%
Champaign, Illinois$65,130-24.3%
Charlottesville, Virginia$63,750-25.9%
Chicago, Illinois$79,540-7.6%
College Station, Texas$58,480-32.1%
Corpus Christi, Texas$59,350-31.1%
Crestview, Florida$56,830-34.0%
Dallas, Texas$68,190-20.8%
Decatur, Illinois$62,830-27.0%
Detroit, Michigan$73,420-14.7%
Elizabethtown, Kentucky$59,060-31.4%
El Paso, Texas$67,880-21.1%
Erie, Pennsylvania$59,710-30.6%
Eugene, Oregon$76,050-11.7%
Evansville, Indiana$61,720-28.3%
Flint, Michigan$69,900-18.8%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$62,070-27.9%
Fresno, California$92,160+7.1%
Glens Falls, New York$72,610-15.6%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$71,100-17.4%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$70,500-18.1%
Houston, Texas$65,950-23.4%
Huntington, West Virginia$57,390-33.3%
Indianapolis, Indiana$62,180-27.8%
Ithaca, New York$77,070-10.5%
Kankakee, Illinois$56,700-34.1%
Kennewick, Washington$88,120+2.4%
Killeen, Texas$58,020-32.6%
Kingston, New York$94,830+10.2%
Kiryas Joel, New York$95,440+10.9%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$79,520-7.6%
Lansing, Michigan$70,300-18.3%
Lexington, Kentucky$65,230-24.2%
Longview, Texas$52,810-38.7%
Los Angeles, California$102,110+18.6%
Louisville, Kentucky$62,990-26.8%
Lubbock, Texas$49,670-42.3%
Lynchburg, Virginia$66,890-22.3%
McAllen, Texas$62,000-28.0%
Miami, Florida$61,890-28.1%
Midland, Texas$75,010-12.9%
Modesto, California$93,070+8.1%
Monroe, Michigan$69,870-18.8%
Muskegon, Michigan$69,370-19.4%
New York, New York$94,790+10.1%
Sarasota, Florida$65,420-24.0%
Odessa, Texas$65,060-24.4%
Olympia, Washington$97,640+13.4%
Orlando, Florida$63,000-26.8%
Owensboro, Kentucky$59,120-31.3%
Oxnard, California$88,070+2.3%
Paducah, Kentucky$57,140-33.6%
Peoria, Illinois$63,430-26.3%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$80,580-6.4%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$78,890-8.4%
Portland, Oregon$88,220+2.5%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$56,300-34.6%
Richmond, Virginia$63,230-26.5%
Riverside, California$101,470+17.9%
Roanoke, Virginia$62,290-27.6%
Rochester, New York$69,060-19.8%
Rockford, Illinois$74,270-13.7%
Sacramento, California$102,930+19.6%
Saginaw, Michigan$71,810-16.6%
Salem, Oregon$74,510-13.4%
Salinas, California$99,280+15.3%
Salisbury, Maryland$83,460-3.0%
San Antonio, Texas$59,240-31.2%
San Francisco, California$104,470+21.4%
San Jose, California$112,040+30.2%
San Luis Obispo, California$82,790-3.8%
Santa Rosa, California$93,770+8.9%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$71,730-16.7%
Seattle, Washington$103,370+20.1%
Sherman, Texas$66,750-22.5%
South Bend, Indiana$58,720-31.8%
Spokane, Washington$86,690+0.7%
Springfield, Illinois$71,980-16.4%
Staunton, Virginia$72,120-16.2%
Stockton, California$74,660-13.3%
Syracuse, New York$74,830-13.1%
Tampa, Florida$59,490-30.9%
Texarkana, Texas$53,950-37.3%
Trenton, New Jersey$83,780-2.7%
Tyler, Texas$55,700-35.3%
Utica, New York$77,600-9.9%
Vineland, New Jersey$76,040-11.7%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$76,730-10.9%
Waco, Texas$57,720-32.9%
Watertown, New York$69,030-19.8%
Weirton, West Virginia$60,950-29.2%
Wheeling, West Virginia$61,390-28.7%
Wichita Falls, Texas$58,390-32.2%
Yakima, Washington$89,990+4.5%
York, Pennsylvania$69,240-19.6%
Gross salary
86,080/yr
Estimated take-home
65,474/yr
Est. total withheld
23.9%

Single filer, federal + California state tax + FICA, 2025 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Special Education Teachers, Middle School salaries in California → All Special Education Teachers, Middle School salaries →
Community reality check

Community reality check for San Diego

These notes add local color around San Diego, California: comfort ranges, budget constraints and location trade-offs reported in public discussions.

Relocation gap2.0× calculator gap
City comparison anecdotal

Discussion highlights that calculators may imply roughly 2x gross income for comparable standard of living, while some employers offer only about 10% location premiums. Tech total compensation can be an exception, so the page should distinguish salary from total compensation.

2.0×calculator multiplier10%HCOL premium cited$200KAtlanta TC example$450KBay Area TC example

Anecdotal public-discussion signals, not official salary data, rent data or financial advice. Read this alongside the official figures on the page.

Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 25-2057 SOC code
Official area San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 41740 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ca_ftb_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
Chula VistaCarlsbad
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: California

Population (metro area)
3,282,782