SOC 25-2011BLS OEWS May 2025H-1B LCAs, last 12 months
Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth. Excludes “Special Education Teachers” (25-2050), “Substitute Teachers, Short-Term” (25-3031), and “Childcare Workers” (39-9011).
National median · BLS
$38,140
▲ +2.75%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$49,504
▼ -1.78%YoY · 150 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$43,030
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
478,780
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 150 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay
$28,990
$38,386
25th
$34,530
$41,250
Median (50th)
$38,140
$49,504
75th
$47,550
$54,070
90th — top pay
$61,390
$63,507
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $49,504 for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education —
29.8% above
the BLS national median of $38,140.
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
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Weekly—
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Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
BLS projects employment of preschool teachers, except special education to grow 4.5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 66,700 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
583,200 → 609,400
+26,200 jobs
Projected change
+4.5%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
66,700
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
0.9% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 3)
Medium Preparation Needed. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.
H-1B median$49,504
Change vs prior year-1.78%
After inflation (CPI-U)-4.76%
Wage level
LCAs
Share
P25
Median
P75
Level I
83
55.3%
$40,000
$43,000
$50,400
Level II
24
16%
$44,400
$46,982
$50,000
Level III
20
13.3%
$51,090
$54,600
$62,938
Level IV
19
12.7%
$50,050
$54,600
$57,460
H-1B job titles
Salaries by job title in Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
The 4 most-filed job titles inside SOC 25-2011, from 150 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.
Job title
LCAs
Share
P25
Median
P75
YoY
▶Spanish Preschool Teacher
21
14%
$40,000
$41,000
$45,000
+2.5%
Spanish Preschool Teacher · full pay range (21 LCAs)
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What preschool teachers, except special education do
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.
Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
After School TeacherChild Care Assistant TeacherChildcare TeacherChildhood Development TeacherDay Care TeacherDaycare TeacherEarly Childhood EducatorHome-Based Preschool TeacherMontessori ParaprofessionalMontessori TeacherNursery School TeacherPre-School TeacherPrekindergarten TeacherPreschool TeacherStart TeacherSubstitute Preschool Teacher
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $38,140.
