How Much Do Special Education Paraprofessionals Make?

Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary special education paraprofessionals make, you've come to the right place.

Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for special education paraprofessionals and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of special education paraprofessionals are offering as compensation.

Keep reading to learn more about how much special education paraprofessionals can expect to make in the United States.

At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Special Education Paraprofessionals

According to data from 2022, there were about 49,062 positions for special education paraprofessionals in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for special education paraprofessionals was reported to be $63,950. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 18,227 job postings related to positions for special education paraprofessionals.

How Much Money Do Special Education Paraprofessionals Make?

Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money special education paraprofessionals and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.

Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for special education paraprofessionals.

Annual Salary for Special Education Paraprofessionals

According to the BLS, the lowest earners for special education paraprofessionals and related professions earned about $38,680 per year in 2022. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $121,850 annually.

As mentioned previously, the median salary for special education paraprofessionals in the United States in 2022 was $63,950.

Hourly Salary for Special Education Paraprofessionals

The BLS also breaks down compensation for special education paraprofessionals by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for special education paraprofessionals in 2022 was $31. Lowest hourly earners took home $19 while the highest reported hourly salaries for special education paraprofessionals was $59.

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Degree Options for Special Education Paraprofessionals

Advertised Compensation for Special Education Paraprofessionals

Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for special education paraprofessionals, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for special education paraprofessionals.

Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™

Annual Salary from Job Postings for Special Education Paraprofessionals

During a review of 37,069 job postings related to special education paraprofessionals, advertised salary was included in 6,739 of them, which was 18%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for special education paraprofessionals was $50,048 per year.

Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Special Education Paraprofessionals

A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for special education paraprofessionals. Based on 37% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for special education paraprofessionals in the United States is about $24.

Salary Trend for Special Education Paraprofessionals

If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for special education paraprofessionals. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.

Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for special education paraprofessionals dating back to September 2019, advertised salaries for special education paraprofessionals have increased 11%.

What's the Job Growth for Special Education Paraprofessionals?

Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for special education paraprofessionals over the next 10 years.

According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 49,067 jobs for special education paraprofessionals in the United States in 2022. By 2032, it is expected that about 5,984 jobs will be added. That's a 12.2% increase over the next 10-year period.

Additional Links

Ready to dig deeper into career information about special education paraprofessionals? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for special education paraprofessionals.

What do special education paraprofessionals do?
Special Education Paraprofessionals: How do you become one?

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