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School district · Kentucky · LEAID 2101230

Clay County

Clay County sits in the lowest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $49,120 (above only 6% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Clay County come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$49,120
Est. avg teacher salary

Below benchmark

$17,783
Per-pupil spending
2,903
Students enrolled
6th
Pct. in KY
$49,120

Clay County sits in the lowest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $49,120 (above only 6% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $49,120, below the national average of $70,245, serving 2,903 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Lower-third pay in state: Clay County sits in the lowest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $49,120 (above only 6% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 6th percentile for Kentucky
  • 12th percentile nationally
  • 26% of spending reaches instructional salaries
  • Kentucky ranks #40 of 49 on the salary estimate and #24 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • Clay County ranks #160 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #53 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil
  • +16.9% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (not applied to the FTE figure above)

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Instructional payroll mix vs Kentucky median

Among 171 Kentucky districts that break out F-33 program salary totals, Clay County's instructional payroll puts 20.2% into special education , 3.6 points above the state median of 16.6%. That heavier special-education share usually means more of the teacher-salary pool is tied to IEP-driven staffing than at a typical Kentucky peer.

Program Clay County KY median Gap
Regular program 77.7% 79.8% -2.1 pp
Special education 20.2% 16.6% +3.6 pp
Other programs 1.8% 1.5% +0.2 pp

Shares are of this district's reported F-33 teacher-salary program totals (Z35–Z38), compared with the median share across 171 in-state peers with a positive program sum. NCES LEAID 2101230 · FY2023.

LEAID 2101230 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Clay County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-LOW -13% vs state RANK-ST-LOW P6 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P12 national PPE-MID $18K/pupil ENR-MID 2,903 students INSTR-LOW 26% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Carlisle FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $49,120 estimated average teacher salary · P6 in Kentucky · P12 nationally · 26% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Montgomery (+$1,519est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Clay County

Salary neighbourhood · Clay County

Clay 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 Clay County

Clay County's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$49,120 12th percentile higher than 12% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $50,000–$60,000: 2,382 US districts (22%). Above this entry. $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. Clay 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

Clay County in Kentucky's lower-third pay band

Same 171 districts with a usable salary and a comparable per-pupil figure (NCES F-33 FY2023)

est. avg salary

What this shows Clay County ranks #160 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #53 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil

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

The same districts by per-pupil spending

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

per pupil

What this shows Newport Independent leads spending at $28,225 per pupil; Jefferson County leads pay.

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

What stands out about Clay County

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +16.9% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Kentucky's statewide +13.0% by 3.9 points, a growth rate faster than 70% of the 160 Kentucky districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.
  • Enrolment fell from 3,238 to 2,903 students (10.3% down) across FY2019–FY2023 while the instructional salary pool per teacher went up. Districts on that path are usually holding staffing steady against a falling roll, which lifts the per-teacher figure without anyone getting a raise, so read this page's salary estimate alongside the enrolment line rather than on its own.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$49,119.664

The FY2023 salary estimate shown in the hero.

Kentucky price level
89.9 / 100

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

National-price equivalent
$54,644

+11% versus the nominal figure.

Prices in Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Clay County

What the Numbers Say About Clay County

Clay County is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Kentucky, serving 2,903 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $17,783. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $49,120, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2101230 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Kentucky statewide average of $56,482, teacher pay in Clay County runs materially below the state benchmark, a 13.0% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (30.1% differential). Among enrolling districts in Kentucky, it pays more than 6% of them. Kentucky itself ranks #40 of 49 nationally on average teacher compensation, which shapes the funding ceiling districts operate under.

On the budget side, Clay County reports $51.6M in total expenditure against $50.9M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 26% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $8.7M, special-education teacher pay is $2.3M.

How does Clay County compare?

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

Clay County $49,120
Jefferson County $73,395
Kentucky avg $56,482
National avg $70,245

Clay County pays -33.1% less than Jefferson County · per-pupil $17,783 vs $20,696

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 Kentucky districts

On pay, Clay County sits closest to Carlisle County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Elliott 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. Carlisle County
  2. Lewis County
  3. Middlesboro Independent
  4. Menifee County
  5. Williamstown Independent
  6. Ballard County
  7. Clinton County
  8. Cumberland County
  9. Wayne County
  10. Montgomery County
  11. Ashland Independent
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Elliott County
  2. Paris Independent
  3. Rowan County
  4. Owensboro Independent
  5. Magoffin County
  6. Berea Independent
  7. Paintsville Independent
  8. Taylor County
  9. Owen County
  10. Danville Independent
  11. Hancock County

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Clay County's smaller enrollment

Two out-of-state peer sets for Clay County: closest on enrollment (2,903 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($49,120 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

$50.9M
Total Revenue
$51.6M
Total Expenditure
$13.3M
Instruction Salaries
26% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$8.7M
Regular Program
$2.3M
Special Education
$0.0M
Vocational
$0.2M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Clay 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 84% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 16% pays instructional aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes and other instructional staff who are not counted as teachers here.

Kentucky Teacher Pay Overview

The highest average among comparably sized Kentucky districts belongs to Jefferson County at $73,395. Placed 151 of 161, Clay County is in the lower quarter, where a state-average comparison flatters the district rather than describing it. Kansas and West Virginia are the states closest to Kentucky 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 Kentucky districts →

Other Kentucky Districts

Smaller-district sample from 170 Kentucky peers; bar length shows pay magnitude within this enrollment band.

Marion County
$65,285
3,252 students
Ashland Independent
$47,527
3,261 students
Glasgow Independent
$60,788
2,490 students
Elizabethtown Independent
$58,138
2,465 students
Johnson County
$60,029
3,344 students
Bell County
$58,211
2,453 students

This is a sample of 6 from 170 Kentucky districts with enrollment and salary data reliable enough to compare in the NCES CCD F-33 survey.

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

The average teacher salary in Clay County is $49,120 (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 Clay County teacher pay compare to the Kentucky average?

Clay County pays 13.0% less than the Kentucky state average of $56,482. The district's average is $49,120.

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

Clay County pays 30.1% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $49,120.

What is the per-pupil spending in Clay County?

Clay County spends approximately $17,783 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 26% of Clay County's total expenditure of $51.6M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Clay 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

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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. Clay 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.