What Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn in DeKalb County, GA
The median pay for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in DeKalb County, GA is $76,570 per year, which works out to $36.81 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan area, the labor market that DeKalb County, GA belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $73,940, which is 3.4% below the median, which suggests many workers sit near the top of the pay scale. The survey counts about 23,370 people working in this occupation across the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. DeKalb County, GA has roughly 765,351 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $59,530 a year ($28.62 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $98,970 or more ($47.58 an hour). That is a gap of $39,440 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $62,010 at the 25th percentile and $78,050 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.7 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $36.81 an hour or $76,570 a year at the median for DeKalb County, GA. Before any deductions, that is $6,381 a month, $2,945 every two weeks and $1,473 each week. After taxes the same job pays $28.40 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in DeKalb County, GA compares
Compared with the Georgia average
A worker in this occupation in DeKalb County, GA earns $5,306 more than the Georgia average of $71,264, a premium of 7.5%. Over a year that premium is worth $5,306 before tax and roughly $4,093 after tax. Within Georgia, DeKalb County, GA already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education is $72,671 across the contiguous United States. At $76,570, DeKalb County, GA pays $3,899 more, which is 5.4% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in DeKalb County, GA
Among the 585 occupations with published wages in DeKalb County, GA, Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education ranks number 185 by median pay, ahead of about 68% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Computer and Information Systems Managers at $177,970 a year, which is $101,400 more than the median for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earning the DeKalb County, GA median of $76,570, they add up to $17,503. The result is $59,067 of take-home pay a year ($4,922 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $23 goes to taxes and $77 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 22.9%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $60,820. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 22% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $8,294, an effective 10.8% of gross pay, well below the 22% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $4,747 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $1,110. FICA totals $5,858, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in Georgia
Georgia income tax on this salary is $3,351 a year, or 4.4% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 40% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $279 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for DeKalb County, GA
IRS Statistics of Income data for DeKalb County, GA show an average adjusted gross income of $96,793 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 16.0% across all filers. Filers in the $75,000 to under $100,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 10.3%, compared with the 10.8% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in DeKalb County, GA
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in DeKalb County, GA: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $59,067 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For DeKalb County, GA, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,619 a month ($19,428 a year), and at $1,762 for two bedrooms. For Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, a one-bedroom absorbs 32.9% of take-home pay and 25.4% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 4.5% of gross pay for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in DeKalb County, GA. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Georgia residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,488 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $720, for $2,207 in total. Gasoline in Georgia averages $2.95 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,366.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $26,437 a year in DeKalb County, GA. Subtract that from $59,067 of take-home pay and $32,630 remains, which is $2,719 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 42.6% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Can Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education afford to live in DeKalb County, GA?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $76,570 that ceiling is $1,914 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,619 is $295 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $31.13 an hour; the median for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education is $36.81, which is 18% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $28.40 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 13.2 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,762 a month means $881 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $8,856 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $41,486.
How fast you can save
At $2,719 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 4 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 8 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education pay in DeKalb County, GA
How much do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education make per hour in DeKalb County, GA?
The median is $36.81 per hour, based on $76,570 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $28.62 at the 10th percentile to $47.58 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education take home after taxes in DeKalb County, GA?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $76,570 becomes $59,067 a year. That is $4,922 a month, $2,272 every two weeks or $1,136 a week.
How much tax do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education pay in DeKalb County, GA?
Total taxes are $17,503 a year, an effective rate of 22.9%: $8,294 federal income tax, $5,858 FICA and $3,351 Georgia income tax.
Do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education earn more in DeKalb County, GA than elsewhere in Georgia?
Yes. The local median of $76,570 is +7.5% versus the Georgia average of $71,264, a difference of $5,306 a year.
Can Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education afford a one-bedroom apartment in DeKalb County, GA?
A one-bedroom costs $1,619 a month against take-home pay of $4,922, which is 32.9% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $1,914 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in DeKalb County, GA?
About $2,719 a month ($32,630 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $26,437 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in DeKalb County, GA at the 30% guideline?
$31.13 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $19,428 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education is $36.81.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Georgia rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.