Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education Salary in Los Angeles, CA (2024)
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earn a median of $100,580 per year based on 42,880 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +61.3% against the national median of $62,340 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where elementary school teachers, except special education actually sit across the pay range in Los Angeles, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29.44 | $61,240 | |
| 25th percentile | $38.24 | $79,540 | |
| Median | — | $100,580 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $60.07 | $124,940 | |
| 90th percentile | $61.58 | $128,080 | |
| Average (mean) | — | $97,460 |
How Los Angeles, CA compares
The local median of $100,580 runs +61.3% above the US median of $62,340 for this occupation; it pays 88.0% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($53,490); within the metro it ranks 175th of 733 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA — this occupation | $100,580 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $62,340 | +61.3% |
| Los Angeles, CA — all occupations | $53,490 | +88.0% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $100,580 | 0.0% |
A location quotient of 0.77 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 2.4%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 175th of 733 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Los Angeles, CA
To put $100,580 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 175th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $235,930 | — |
| Chief Executives | $231,500 | 12,420 |
| Lawyers | $205,900 | 40,990 |
| Podiatrists | $193,510 | 370 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $191,410 | 24,260 |
| Nurse Midwives | $190,230 | 190 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $181,400 | 8,850 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $179,990 | — |
| Commercial Pilots | $177,300 | 2,110 |
| Dentists, General | $176,200 | 4,300 |
Where elementary school teachers, except special education earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $51,930 to $100,580. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $100,580 | 42,880 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $99,970 | 15,410 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $98,890 | 14,800 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $97,560 | 18,270 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $95,240 | 100,040 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $86,600 | 22,040 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $80,270 | 8,080 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $78,430 | 11,720 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $76,120 | 30,500 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $76,100 | 14,970 |
See the full national picture on the Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for elementary school teachers, except special education in Los Angeles, CA?
The median annual wage is $100,580. That means half of the elementary school teachers, except special education working in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $97,460.
What do the highest and lowest paid elementary school teachers, except special education in Los Angeles, CA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $61,240 or less, while the top 10% earn $128,080 or more — a spread of $66,840 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $79,540 and $124,940.
Is elementary school teachers, except special education pay in Los Angeles, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 88.0% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $53,490. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Los Angeles, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $100,580 the metro median is 61.3% higher than the US median of $62,340 for elementary school teachers, except special education. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $51,930 to $100,580.
How many elementary school teachers, except special education work in Los Angeles, CA?
BLS counts about 42,880 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 6.92 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. A location quotient of 0.77 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 8.0%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.