PlainTeacher

School district · Tennessee · LEAID 4700180

Bedford County

Bedford County sits in the lowest third of Tennessee districts on estimated teacher pay at $51,159 (above only 10% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Bedford County come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$51,159
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$12,505
Per-pupil spending
9,047
Students enrolled
10th
Pct. in TN
$51,159

Bedford County sits in the lowest third of Tennessee districts on estimated teacher pay at $51,159 (above only 10% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $51,159, below the national average of $70,245, serving 9,047 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Bedford County sits in the lowest third of Tennessee districts on estimated teacher pay at $51,159 (above only 10% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 10th percentile for Tennessee
  • 17th percentile nationally
  • 32% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Tennessee ranks #38 of 49 on the salary estimate and #13 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Bedford County ranks #125 of 139 Tennessee districts by estimated teacher salary and #91 of 139 by per-pupil spending. Achievement School District pay #1 at $82,057 is not Franklin SSD spending #1 at $24,604 per pupil
  • +14.2% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

Keep this district in your shortlist

Save it in this browser, then return when PlainTeacher adds a newer public-data release. No account or personal details required.

View saved

Instructional payroll mix vs Tennessee median

Among 141 Tennessee districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Bedford County's instructional payroll puts 88.0% into regular program , 3.9 points above the state median of 84.1%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median Tennessee district.

Program Bedford County TN median Gap
Regular program 88.0% 84.1% +3.9 pp
Special education 7.1% 10.0% -2.9 pp
Vocational programs 3.6% 5.0% -1.3 pp
Other programs 1.3% 0.4% +0.9 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 141 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4700180 · FY2023.

LEAID 4700180 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Bedford County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -12% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P10 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P17 national PPE-LOW $13K/pupil ENR-MID 9,047 students INSTR-LOW 32% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Smith FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $51,159 estimated average teacher salary · P10 in Tennessee · P17 nationally · 32% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Dickson (+$594est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Bedford County

Salary neighbourhood · Bedford County

Bedford County trails most of its in-state peer set; the chart plots it against the top and bottom pay poles for context (NCES F-33 FY2023, not a full state reprint).

est. salary
Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey As of FY2023
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Bedford County

Bedford County's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$51,159 17th percentile higher than 17% of 10,684 US districts

Show national distribution $30,000–$40,000: 155 US districts (1%). Below this entry. $40,000–$50,000: 1,360 US districts (13%). Below this entry. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $70,000–$80,000: 1,633 US districts (15%). Above this entry. $80,000–$90,000: 1,097 US districts (10%). Above this entry. $90,000–$100,000: 662 US districts (6%). Above this entry. $100,000–$110,000: 371 US districts (3%). Above this entry. $110,000–$120,000: 249 US districts (2%). Above this entry. $120,000–$130,000: 156 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $130,000–$140,000: 112 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $140,000–$150,000: 57 US districts (1%). Above this entry. $150,000–$160,000: 25 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $160,000–$170,000: 13 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $170,000–$180,000: 10 US districts (0%). Above this entry. $180,000–$190,000: 0 US districts (0%). Above this entry. Bedford County $30,000 $190,000 every reliable-salary US district, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $10K-wide band; taller bars hold more US districts. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 · FY2023

Bedford County in Tennessee's lower-third pay band

Same 139 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Bedford County ranks #125 of 139 Tennessee districts by estimated teacher salary and #91 of 139 by per-pupil spending. Achievement School District pay #1 at $82,057 is not Franklin SSD spending #1 at $24,604 per pupil

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

The same districts by per-pupil spending

Bedford County is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar

per pupil

What this shows Franklin SSD leads spending at $24,604 per pupil; Achievement School District leads pay.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$51,159.184

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Tennessee price level
92.1 / 100

BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.

National-price equivalent
$55,551

+9% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Tennessee run below the national average, so this salary has roughly the buying power of the national-price equivalent above. A district in a costlier state can advertise a larger nominal salary and still leave a teacher with less.

Regional price parity: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2023 all-items RPP by state. The adjustment applies a statewide index to a district figure, so it captures how Tennessee compares nationally, not how this district compares with others in its own state. Compare every state on this basis.

How this salary figure is calculated
Full NCES reading for Bedford County

What the Numbers Say About Bedford County

Bedford County is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Tennessee, serving 9,047 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $12,505. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $51,159, placing the district in the lower-spending tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4700180 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Tennessee statewide average of $57,941, teacher pay in Bedford County runs materially below the state benchmark, a 11.7% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (27.2% differential). Among enrolling districts in Tennessee, it pays more than 10% of them. Tennessee itself ranks #38 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Bedford County reports $113.1M in total expenditure against $107.1M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 32% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $28.1M, special-education teacher pay is $2.3M.

How does Bedford County compare?

Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Tennessee average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.

Bedford County $51,159
Memphis-Shelby County Schools $58,671
Tennessee avg $57,941
National avg $70,245

Bedford County pays -12.8% less than Memphis-Shelby County Schools · per-pupil $12,505 vs $16,050

Derived from NCES F-33 teacher salary expenditure (Z35-Z38) and CCD Staff Universe teacher FTE (FY2023); a small minority use the documented fallback. Unreliable service entities are excluded.

Data-derived comparison paths

Find comparable Tennessee districts

On pay, Bedford County sits closest to Smith County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Rhea County. These are not simply nearby districts: each group is selected from the same NCES FY2023 dataset using a matching salary or per-pupil-investment signal and a comparable enrollment range.

Closest on estimated pay
  1. Smith County
  2. Weakley County
  3. Marion County
  4. Dickson County
  5. Grainger County
  6. Warren County
  7. Overton County
  8. Hickman County
  9. Hardin County
  10. Humphreys County
  11. Carter County
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Rhea County
  2. McNairy County
  3. Fentress County
  4. Grainger County
  5. Greene County
  6. Marion County
  7. Washington County
  8. Carter County
  9. Putnam County
  10. Arlington
  11. Sumner County

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts with similar lower pay

Two out-of-state peer sets for Bedford County: closest on enrollment (9,047 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($51,159 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood.

Similar enrollment

Nearest other districts by NCES student count (floored at ≥200).

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other districts by F-33-derived average teacher salary, distinct from the enrollment row.

Enrollment and salaries from NCES CCD F-33; estimated teacher pay can diverge widely at the same student count because of state funding, cost of living, and local bargaining.

Revenue & Expenditure

$107.1M
Total Revenue
$113.1M
Total Expenditure
$36.5M
Instruction Salaries
32% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$28.1M
Regular Program
$2.3M
Special Education
$1.2M
Vocational
$0.4M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Bedford County: the regular program, special education, vocational programs and other programs. Every program category NCES breaks out separately carries a figure here. Together they are 88% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 12% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Tennessee Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Tennessee districts belongs to Achievement School District at $82,057. Placed 122 of 137, Bedford County is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Indiana and Idaho are the states closest to Tennessee on BEA's price parity, which makes them the fair comparison; against a costlier state this salary goes further than its number suggests.

View all Tennessee districts →

Other Tennessee Districts

The bar behind each salary shows its magnitude within this Tennessee sample (including Bedford County). Hover or focus a value for the exact comparison.

Henderson County
$56,529
4,054 students
Bristol
$67,292
4,029 students
Lincoln County
$61,006
4,002 students
Bartlett
$68,433
8,946 students
Collierville
$67,420
9,259 students
Murfreesboro
$67,935
9,408 students

This is a sample of 6 from 138 Tennessee districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bedford County
What is the average teacher salary in Bedford County?

The average teacher salary in Bedford County is $51,159 (NCES CCD FY2023), from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by the district's reported teacher headcount (NCES CCD Staff Universe Survey).

How does Bedford County teacher pay compare to the Tennessee average?

Bedford County pays 11.7% less than the Tennessee state average of $57,941. The district's average is $51,159.

How does Bedford County teacher pay compare to the national average?

Bedford County pays 27.2% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $51,159.

What is the per-pupil spending in Bedford County?

Bedford County spends approximately $12,505 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

What percentage of Bedford County's budget goes to teacher salaries?

Instructional salaries account for 32% of Bedford County's total expenditure of $113.1M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Bedford County
Disclaimer & data sources

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher

Cite, share, embed & editorial notes

Share this district data

Download a sourced data card or share the canonical district profile.

X Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Email
Embed this widget

Copy this snippet to embed a live-linked card on your own site.

Editorial standards & source notes

According to the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) F-33 Local Education Agency Finance Survey, PlainTeacher's figures are computed directly, no number is typed in by an editor. Bedford County's salary and finance figures are computed directly from its FY2023 F-33 submission, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of FY2023.