School district · Pennsylvania · LEAID 4203570
Bethlehem Area SD
Bethlehem Area SD is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Pennsylvania districts (12,939 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Bethlehem Area SD come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).
- $84,800
- Est. avg teacher salary
- $25,765
- Per-pupil spending
- 12,939
- Students enrolled
- 59th
- Pct. in PA
Above benchmark
Bethlehem Area SD is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Pennsylvania districts (12,939 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $84,800, above the national average of $70,245, serving 12,939 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).
- Large enrollment scale: Bethlehem Area SD is in the largest third by enrollment among comparable Pennsylvania districts (12,939 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
- 59th percentile for Pennsylvania
- 79th percentile nationally
- 24% of spending reaches instructional salaries
- Pennsylvania ranks #11 of 49 on the salary estimate and #6 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
- Bethlehem Area SD ranks #208 of 505 Pennsylvania districts by estimated teacher salary and #130 of 505 by per-pupil spending. Farrell Area SD pay #1 at $144,913 is not Wilkinsburg Borough SD spending #1 at $61,501 per pupil
- +20.3% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)
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How the salary estimate is built
FY2023 teacher salary expenditure
$81,662,000 ÷ 963.00 reported teacher FTE = $84,800
- Regular program $65,375,000 · 80.1%
- Special education $13,897,000 · 17.0%
- Other programs $2,390,000 · 2.9%
These NCES F-33 program totals make up the numerator of the district-level average; they do not describe an individual teacher's pay or contract.
Instructional payroll mix vs Pennsylvania median
Among 520 Pennsylvania districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Bethlehem Area SD's instructional payroll puts 80.1% into regular program , 5.0 points above the state median of 75.1%. Regular-program teachers claim more of the instructional salary pool here than at the median Pennsylvania district.
| Program | Bethlehem Area | PA median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular program | 80.1% | 75.1% | +5.0 pp |
| Special education | 17.0% | 18.8% | -1.8 pp |
| Vocational programs | 0.0% | 1.3% | -1.3 pp |
| Other programs | 2.9% | 3.7% | -0.8 pp |
Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 520 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 4203570 · FY2023.
LEAID 4203570 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023
Bethlehem Area F-33 compensation desk
FY2023: $84,800 estimated average teacher salary · P59 in Pennsylvania · P79 nationally · 24% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: West ($195est. salary).
Salary neighbourhood chart for Bethlehem Area
Salary neighbourhood · Bethlehem Area
Bethlehem Area sits mid-pack among in-state peers; the chart brackets it between the top and bottom pay poles (NCES F-33 FY2023, not a full state reprint).
- Altoona · low pole
Altoona · low pole
$70,745 est. salary
- West · near
West · near
$84,605 est. salary
- Bethlehem
Bethlehem · this district
$84,800 est. salary
- Lancaster · near
Lancaster · near
$86,162 est. salary
- Scranton · near
Scranton · near
$86,405 est. salary
- Lower · top pay
Lower · top pay
$130,841 est. salary
Appropriate use & corrections
National salary distribution for Bethlehem Area
Bethlehem Area SD's estimated salary vs. every US district
NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only
$84,800 Top 21% higher than 79% of 10,684 US districts
Show national distribution
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
Bethlehem Area in Pennsylvania's lower-third pay band
Same 505 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)
- Farrell Area SD
Farrell Area SD
$144,913 est. avg salary
- Bethlehem Area SD
Bethlehem Area SD
$84,800 est. avg salary
- Wilkinsburg Borough SD
Wilkinsburg Borough SD
$84,393 est. avg salary
What this shows Bethlehem Area SD ranks #208 of 505 Pennsylvania districts by estimated teacher salary and #130 of 505 by per-pupil spending. Farrell Area SD pay #1 at $144,913 is not Wilkinsburg Borough SD spending #1 at $61,501 per pupil
The same districts by per-pupil spending
Bethlehem Area SD is marked; a high spending bar is not a high pay bar
- Wilkinsburg Borough SD
Wilkinsburg Borough SD
$61,501 per pupil
- Farrell Area SD
Farrell Area SD
$50,170 per pupil
- Bethlehem Area SD
Bethlehem Area SD
$25,765 per pupil
What this shows Wilkinsburg Borough SD leads spending at $61,501 per pupil; Farrell Area SD leads pay.
What stands out about Bethlehem Area SD
- Estimated teacher pay here rose +20.3% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Pennsylvania's statewide +14.1% by 6.1 points, a growth rate faster than 84% of the 469 Pennsylvania districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
- Its per-pupil spending of $25,765 is among the highest in the nation.
Pennsylvania sits close to national prices
- Nominal district estimate
- $84,799.585
- Pennsylvania price level
- 97.4 / 100
- National-price equivalent
- $87,063
The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.
BEA all-items regional price parity; 100 is the U.S. average.
+3% versus the nominal figure.
Prices in Pennsylvania sit close to the national average, so the nominal and national-price figures tell nearly the same story here. That is not true in the most and least expensive states.
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 Pennsylvania 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 Bethlehem Area SD
What the Numbers Say About Bethlehem Area SD
Bethlehem Area SD is a mid-sized school district in Pennsylvania, serving 12,939 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $25,765. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $84,800, placing the district in the high-investment tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 4203570 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.
Relative to the Pennsylvania statewide average of $82,070, teacher pay in Bethlehem Area SD runs roughly in line with the state benchmark, a 3.3% gap, and above the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (20.7% differential). Among enrolling districts in Pennsylvania, it pays more than 59% of them. Pennsylvania itself ranks #11 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.
On the budget side, Bethlehem Area SD reports $333.4M in total expenditure against $363.0M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 24% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $65.4M, special-education teacher pay is $13.9M.
How does Bethlehem Area SD compare?
Estimated average teacher salary versus a peer district, the Pennsylvania average, and the national average. Pick any in-state district to compare.
Bethlehem Area SD pays +13.9% more than Philadelphia City SD · per-pupil $25,765 vs $38,060
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 Pennsylvania districts
On pay, Bethlehem Area SD sits closest to West Shore SD; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is State College Area SD. 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.
Similar estimated teacher pay
Similar per-pupil investment
Out-of-state districts near Bethlehem Area SD's enrollment scale
Two out-of-state peer sets for Bethlehem Area SD: closest on enrollment (12,939 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($84,800 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
Instructional Salary by Program
The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Bethlehem Area SD: the regular program, special education and other programs. It reports no separate figure for vocational programs. Together they are 100% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 0% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.
Pennsylvania Teacher Pay Overview
The highest average among comparably sized Pennsylvania districts belongs to Farrell Area SD at $144,913. Bethlehem Area SD places 207 of 485 comparably sized districts, squarely in the middle band the state average actually represents. On BEA's price parity Pennsylvania sits near the national average, so its salaries need less adjustment than most; Vermont and Texas are its nearest price peers.
View all Pennsylvania districts →Other Pennsylvania Districts
Large-district sample from 505 Pennsylvania peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.
This is a sample of 6 from 505 Pennsylvania districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bethlehem Area SD
What is the average teacher salary in Bethlehem Area SD?
The average teacher salary in Bethlehem Area SD is $84,800 (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 Bethlehem Area SD teacher pay compare to the Pennsylvania average?
Bethlehem Area SD pays 3.3% more than the Pennsylvania state average of $82,070. The district's average is $84,800.
How does Bethlehem Area SD teacher pay compare to the national average?
Bethlehem Area SD pays 20.7% above the national average of $70,245. The district average is $84,800.
What is the per-pupil spending in Bethlehem Area SD?
Bethlehem Area SD spends approximately $25,765 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.
What percentage of Bethlehem Area SD's budget goes to teacher salaries?
Instructional salaries account for 24% of Bethlehem Area SD's total expenditure of $333.4M (NCES FY2023).
Next read for Bethlehem Area SD
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
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| Sources | Public official public datasets |