Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

Median salary

$63,970

Average salary

$72,650

Employment

1,388,390

Projected growth

2% decline

Annual openings

91,000

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education Do

Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 0.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 4 of 5

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

English Languageimportance 4.9/5
Education and Trainingimportance 4.8/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.9/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.9/5
Psychologyimportance 3.7/5
Therapy and Counselingimportance 3.3/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.2/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.2/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team5.0/5
Contact With Others4.9/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
Physical Proximity4.9/5
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities4.7/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Special Education Teachers, Secondary School99% skill match
Musicians and Singers98% skill match
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
Special Education Teachers, Preschool98% skill match
Tutors98% skill match
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping98% skill match
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term98% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Instructingimportance 4.3/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
Coordinationimportance 3.9/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.8/5
Time Managementimportance 3.8/5
Persuasionimportance 3.1/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Cooperation
Empathy
Optimism
Integrity
Social Orientation
Sincerity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

SocialHigh
ArtisticMedium
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
RealisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where elementary school teachers, except special education make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Cape Girardeau, MO-IL2.58× national avg
2Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA2.37× national avg
3Merced, CA2.19× national avg
4Hanford-Corcoran, CA2.18× national avg
5Jacksonville, NC2.13× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationLateral Move
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special EducationLateral Move
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language InstructorsLateral Move
Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolLateral Move

See the full career path from Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.