Headline risk
1%
Very Low RiskPreschool teachers, except special education
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Weighted task overlap from O*NET
Median annual from BLS OEWS
BLS employment projections
O*NET job zone level
Occupation profile
Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.
Task evidence
99% weighted task match · 10% effective coverage
Method contract
structural_pressure = exposure × (1 - bottleneck)
headline_risk = structural_pressure × (1 - country_demand_resilience)
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 37,120
Employment 2024
555.1K
Projected Change
4.1%
Openings
65.5K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of preschool teachers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills. AI 0%
- 2. Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order. AI 0%
- 3. Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests. AI 82%
- 4. Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips. AI 0%
- 5. Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them. AI 0%
- 6. Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities. AI 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 43.4 · 349K employed
Under 25: 7% · 25–54: 75% · 55+: 18%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
crosswalk_exact · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Preschool teachers educate and care for children younger than age 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten.
Preschool teachers typically work in public and private schools or childcare centers. Many work the traditional 10-month school year, but some work year-round.
Education and training requirements vary based on settings and state regulations. Preschool teachers typically need at least an associate’s degree.
The median annual wage for preschool teachers was $37,120 in May 2024.
Employment of preschool teachers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.