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School district · Kentucky · LEAID 2103210

Laurel County

Laurel County sits in the highest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $67,188 (above 98% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Laurel County come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$67,188
Est. avg teacher salary

Well above benchmark

$14,102
Per-pupil spending
8,801
Students enrolled
98th
Pct. in KY
$67,188

Laurel County sits in the highest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $67,188 (above 98% of in-state peers with reliable estimates). Estimated average teacher salary is $67,188, near the national average of $70,245, serving 8,801 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Upper-third pay in state: Laurel County sits in the highest third of Kentucky districts on estimated teacher pay at $67,188 (above 98% of in-state peers with reliable estimates).
  • 98th percentile for Kentucky
  • 53rd percentile nationally
  • 29% 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.
  • Laurel County ranks #3 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #158 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil
  • +19.4% 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, Laurel County's instructional payroll puts 20.8% into special education , 4.2 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 Laurel County KY median Gap
Regular program 78.7% 79.8% -1.1 pp
Special education 20.8% 16.6% +4.2 pp
Other programs 0.5% 1.5% -1.0 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 2103210 · FY2023.

LEAID 2103210 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Laurel County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-HIGH +19% vs state RANK-ST-TOP P98 in state RANK-NAT-MID P53 national PPE-MID $14K/pupil ENR-MID 8,801 students INSTR-LOW 29% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Bullitt FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $67,188 estimated average teacher salary · P98 in Kentucky · P53 nationally · 29% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Fayette (+$285est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Laurel County

Salary neighbourhood · Laurel County

Laurel County already leads 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 Laurel County

Laurel County's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$67,188 Top 47% higher than 53% 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%). Below this entry. $60,000–$70,000: 2,402 US districts (22%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Laurel 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

Laurel County in Kentucky's upper-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 Laurel County ranks #3 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #158 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

Laurel 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 Laurel County

  • Estimated teacher pay here rose +19.4% between FY2019 and FY2023, outpacing Kentucky's statewide +13.0% by 6.4 points, a growth rate faster than 83% of the 160 Kentucky districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$67,188

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
$74,745

+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 Laurel County

What the Numbers Say About Laurel County

Laurel County is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Kentucky, serving 8,801 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $14,102. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $67,188, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2103210 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Kentucky statewide average of $56,482, teacher pay in Laurel County runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 19.0% gap, and near the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (4.4% differential). Among enrolling districts in Kentucky, it pays more than 98% 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, Laurel County reports $124.1M in total expenditure against $126.9M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 29% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $26.4M, special-education teacher pay is $7.0M.

How does Laurel County compare?

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

Laurel County $67,188
Jefferson County $73,395
Kentucky avg $56,482
National avg $70,245

Laurel County pays -8.5% less than Jefferson County · per-pupil $14,102 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, Laurel County sits closest to Bullitt County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is LaRue 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. Bullitt County
  2. Fort Thomas Independent
  3. Marion County
  4. Daviess County
  5. Bardstown Independent
  6. McCracken County
  7. Nelson County
  8. Boyle County
  9. Kenton County
  10. Boone County
  11. Calloway County
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. LaRue County
  2. Meade County
  3. Christian County
  4. Madison County
  5. Oldham County
  6. Elizabethtown Independent
  7. Logan County
  8. Bullitt County
  9. Warren County
  10. Allen County
  11. Pendleton County

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

Out-of-state districts near Laurel County's enrollment scale

Two out-of-state peer sets for Laurel County: closest on enrollment (8,801 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($67,188 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

$126.9M
Total Revenue
$124.1M
Total Expenditure
$36.5M
Instruction Salaries
29% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$26.4M
Regular Program
$7.0M
Special Education
$0.2M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 3 programs in Laurel County: the regular program, special education and other programs. It reports no separate figure for vocational programs. Together they are 92% of everything the district spends on instructional salaries; the other 8% 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. Only third place separates it from the ceiling: among the 161 districts of comparable size, Laurel County is paid at the very top of the state, and the state average sits well below 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

Large-district sample from 170 Kentucky peers with reliable NCES data; bar length shows pay magnitude within this slice.

Christian County
$53,342
8,204 students
Pulaski County
$59,557
8,115 students
Scott County
$54,267
9,797 students
Pike County
$56,914
7,787 students
McCracken County
$65,168
6,968 students
Henderson County
$60,401
6,955 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 Laurel County
What is the average teacher salary in Laurel County?

The average teacher salary in Laurel County is $67,188 (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 Laurel County teacher pay compare to the Kentucky average?

Laurel County pays 19.0% more than the Kentucky state average of $56,482. The district's average is $67,188.

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

Laurel County pays 4.4% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $67,188.

What is the per-pupil spending in Laurel County?

Laurel County spends approximately $14,102 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 29% of Laurel County's total expenditure of $124.1M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Laurel 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. Laurel 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.