Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Iowa | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $60,440 | $71,377 | -15% |
| Median hourly wage | $29.06 | $34.32 | -15% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $68,838.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Special Education Teacher in Iowa is $60,440, or about $29.06 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Special Education Teachers is $71,377. Iowa is -15% below the national median.
Entry-level special education teachers in Iowa typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 2,560 special education teacher jobs on record and a median salary of $60,440, Iowa offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, special education teachers rank 326 of the 711 occupations reported in Iowa — higher than 54% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Law Teachers, Postsecondary at $160,700, Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary at $128,490, Physics Teachers, Postsecondary at $104,270 — all figures are median annual wages for Iowa.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Iowa levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 90.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, special education teachers rank 326 of the 711 occupations reported in Iowa — higher than 54% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Iowa | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $160,700 | $90 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $128,490 | $3,230 |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary | $104,270 | $120 |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | $103,360 | $430 |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | $101,080 | $230 |
| Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | $97,660 | $50 |
Iowa levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 90.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 711 occupations in Iowa.