Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education Salary in San Diego, CA (2024)
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn a median of $78,430 per year based on 11,720 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +25.8% 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 San Diego, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29.26 | $60,870 | |
| 25th percentile | $31.25 | $65,000 | |
| Median | — | $78,430 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $49.13 | $102,200 | |
| 90th percentile | $57.36 | $119,310 | |
| Average (mean) | — | $86,960 |
How San Diego, CA compares
The local median of $78,430 runs +25.8% above the US median of $62,340 for this occupation; it pays 38.6% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($56,580); within the metro it ranks 245th of 653 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA — this occupation | $78,430 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $62,340 | +25.8% |
| San Diego, CA — all occupations | $56,580 | +38.6% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $100,580 | -22.0% |
A location quotient of 0.85 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 2.8%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 245th of 653 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in San Diego, CA
To put $78,430 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 245th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $220,840 | 50 |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $215,010 | 170 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $205,650 | 180 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $199,590 | 2,630 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $193,370 | 7,620 |
| Podiatrists | $187,010 | 60 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $185,550 | 3,690 |
| Dentists, General | $176,970 | 1,950 |
| Marketing Managers | $171,590 | 4,390 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $169,230 | 3,200 |
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 San Diego, CA?
The median annual wage is $78,430. That means half of the elementary school teachers, except special education working in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $86,960.
What do the highest and lowest paid elementary school teachers, except special education in San Diego, CA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $60,870 or less, while the top 10% earn $119,310 or more — a spread of $58,440 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $65,000 and $102,200.
Is elementary school teachers, except special education pay in San Diego, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 38.6% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $56,580. 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 San Diego, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $78,430 the metro median is 25.8% 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 San Diego, CA?
BLS counts about 11,720 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 7.64 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. A location quotient of 0.85 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 8.5%). 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.