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School district · Kentucky · LEAID 2104110

Mercer County

Mercer County is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Kentucky districts (2,721 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Per-pupil spending, enrollment, and budget for Mercer County come from the NCES Common Core of Data F-33 finance survey (FY2023).

$60,522
Est. avg teacher salary

Above benchmark

$17,076
Per-pupil spending
2,721
Students enrolled
81st
Pct. in KY
$60,522

Mercer County is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Kentucky districts (2,721 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort). Estimated average teacher salary is $60,522, below the national average of $70,245, serving 2,721 students (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Smaller enrollment scale: Mercer County is in the smallest third by enrollment among comparable Kentucky districts (2,721 students in the NCES CCD F-33 cohort).
  • 81st percentile for Kentucky
  • 38th percentile nationally
  • 27% 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.
  • Mercer County ranks #33 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #62 of 171 by per-pupil spending. Jefferson County pay #1 at $73,395 is not Newport Independent spending #1 at $28,225 per pupil
  • +7.8% 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, Mercer County's instructional payroll puts 25.6% into special education , 9.0 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 Mercer County KY median Gap
Regular program 71.4% 79.8% -8.4 pp
Special education 25.6% 16.6% +9.0 pp
Other programs 3.0% 1.5% +1.5 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 2104110 · FY2023.

LEAID 2104110 · NCES CCD F-33 FY2023

Mercer County F-33 compensation desk

SALARY-ABOVE +7% vs state RANK-ST-MID P81 in state RANK-NAT-LOW P38 national PPE-MID $17K/pupil ENR-MID 2,721 students INSTR-LOW 27% instr BASIS-FTE FTE-reported PHOTO-NEAR Near Marshall FY-2023-MID FY2023 book

FY2023: $60,522 estimated average teacher salary · P81 in Kentucky · P38 nationally · 27% instructional salary share. Nearest salary peer: Marshall (+$3est. salary).

Salary neighbourhood chart for Mercer County

Salary neighbourhood · Mercer County

Mercer 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 Mercer County

Mercer County's estimated salary vs. every US district

NCES F-33 estimate, reliable-salary districts only

$60,522 38th percentile higher than 38% 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. Mercer 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

Mercer 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 Mercer County ranks #33 of 171 Kentucky districts by estimated teacher salary and #62 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

Mercer 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 Mercer County

  • Estimated teacher pay here moved +7.8% between FY2019 and FY2023, trailing Kentucky's statewide +13.0% by 5.2 points, a growth rate faster than 24% of the 160 Kentucky districts with a comparable FY2019 baseline.

This pay stretches further than the headline figure suggests

Nominal district estimate
$60,521.739

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
$67,329

+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 Mercer County

What the Numbers Say About Mercer County

Mercer County is a small-to-mid-sized school district in Kentucky, serving 2,721 students at an estimated per-pupil spending of $17,076. Estimated average teacher salary, derived from reported teacher salary expenditure (F-33 items Z35-Z38) divided by teacher FTE, is $60,522, placing the district in the moderately funded tier of NCES F-33 respondents. NCES LEAID 2104110 references the FY2023 Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Finance Survey.

Relative to the Kentucky statewide average of $56,482, teacher pay in Mercer County runs meaningfully above the state benchmark, a 7.2% gap, and below the national instructional-salary estimate of $70,245 (13.8% differential). Among enrolling districts in Kentucky, it pays more than 81% 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, Mercer County reports $46.5M in total expenditure against $42.9M in revenue, with instructional salaries accounting for 27% of spending, a compensation-to-budget ratio that signals how much of each tax dollar reaches classroom educators. Regular-program teacher salary outlay is $7.5M, special-education teacher pay is $2.7M.

How does Mercer County compare?

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

Mercer County $60,522
Jefferson County $73,395
Kentucky avg $56,482
National avg $70,245

Mercer County pays -17.5% less than Jefferson County · per-pupil $17,076 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, Mercer County sits closest to Marshall County; on per-pupil investment, its nearest match is Caldwell 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. Marshall County
  2. Henderson County
  3. Breckinridge County
  4. Glasgow Independent
  5. Erlanger-Elsmere Independent
  6. Johnson County
  7. Murray Independent
  8. Rowan County
  9. Anderson County
  10. Washington County
  11. Livingston County
Closest on per-pupil investment
  1. Caldwell County
  2. Bell County
  3. Ballard County
  4. Knox County
  5. Lee County
  6. McCracken County
  7. Jackson County
  8. Danville Independent
  9. McCreary County
  10. Harlan County
  11. Metcalfe County

Similar estimated teacher pay

Similar per-pupil investment

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

Two out-of-state peer sets for Mercer County: closest on enrollment (2,721 students here) and closest on estimated average teacher salary ($60,522 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

$42.9M
Total Revenue
$46.5M
Total Expenditure
$12.5M
Instruction Salaries
27% of total spending

Instructional Salary by Program

$7.5M
Regular Program
$2.7M
Special Education
$0.0M
Vocational
$0.3M
Other Programs

The teacher salaries behind this page's average are the ones NCES reports for 4 programs in Mercer 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. Mercer County sits in the upper quarter of that field at 29 of 161, nearer the ceiling than the floor. 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.

Estill County
$54,040
2,202 students
Casey County
$53,168
2,202 students
Butler County
$55,757
2,195 students
Marion County
$65,285
3,252 students
Fleming County
$59,676
2,186 students
Ashland Independent
$47,527
3,261 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 Mercer County
What is the average teacher salary in Mercer County?

The average teacher salary in Mercer County is $60,522 (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 Mercer County teacher pay compare to the Kentucky average?

Mercer County pays 7.2% more than the Kentucky state average of $56,482. The district's average is $60,522.

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

Mercer County pays 13.8% below the national average of $70,245. The district average is $60,522.

What is the per-pupil spending in Mercer County?

Mercer County spends approximately $17,076 per student annually (NCES FY2023), covering instructional salaries, support services, and administration.

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

Instructional salaries account for 27% of Mercer County's total expenditure of $46.5M (NCES FY2023).

Next read for Mercer 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. Mercer 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.